The Government Accountability Office has called on the Defense Department to update DoD’s analysis of the required size of active-duty and civilian medical personnel in a way that addresses known limitations.
GAO said Wednesday the DoD should identify and reduce limitations to the standard needed to maintain the providers’ clinical skills and develop a strategy to transfer healthcare to department-run facilities.
The congressional watchdog agency found that DoD did not consistently adhere to generally accepted research standards for research design and execution in its Report on Military Health System Modernization efforts.
Shortcomings GAO found include the lack of explanation for the impact of military services’ workforce models on the results of its requirements analysis and the DoD report’s failure to identify limitations related to the assessment of the skills requirements for active-duty medical providers.
The agency also found that DoD did not explain in its report how the department intends to achieve the goals it has established for transferring healthcare to DoD’s own network of hospitals and clinics.
DoD’s cost savings estimates for its healthcare modernization effort failed to present an accurate illustration of potential costs and savings, GAO added.
