Military Health System

The Military Health System (MHS) transformation vision is to develop a collaborative, agile, and efficient medical business enterprise that adapts to the changing needs of military medicine and maximizes the benefit of business and IT resources. The MHS business transformation plan focuses on continuity of care across the DoD/Department of Veteran Affairs (VA)/civilian healthcare delivery system, a shift from reactive to proactive care, and more efficient healthcare operations.

The MHS Business Transformation Strategy is driven by the three pillars of the MHS Strategic
Plan:

• The MHS will provide a medically ready and protected force and medical protection for communities through the implementation of surveillance and health monitoring solutions and processes that improve health, enhance human performance and protect against medical threats across the entire range of military operations.
• The MHS will create a deployable medical capability, enabled by globally accessible health information and rapidly deployed medical services and products that can go anywhere, anytime with flexibility, interoperability and agility.
• Finally, the MHS will manage and deliver a superb health benefit by strengthening our partnerships with our beneficiaries, other federal health agencies including VA and Health and Human Services (HHS), and the private sector.

MHS's submission to the ETP is coordinated through the TRICARE Management Activity (TMA). TMA executes the direction of the Assistant Secretary of Defense (Health Affairs) (ASD (HA)) and is one of a federation of DoD activities and health service contracts (collectively referred to as the MHS) that work together to provide healthcare services and healthcare support structures that serve the Department's 9.1 million active duty and reserve personnel, family members, and retired beneficiaries. The TMA also supports the Military Services (including the three Surgeons General) in execution of the Departments' medical mission to maintain medical readiness and to provide medical and dental services to members of the Armed Forces during military operations.

Military Health System Business Transformation Overview
The MHS is transforming business practices to optimize the integration, efficiency, and effectiveness of the DoD healthcare system. The MHS will realize this transformation through the implementation of the following goals:

• Provide continuity of care through continuity of information. The MHS will implement processes and information solutions that will help to ensure that no matter where a patient may be—or what provider is treating them—information and medical material products and services are readily available at the point of care. In addition to deploying greater functionality in our Military Electronic Health Record (EHR) and our medical logistics suite of applications, we must integrate critical components of a Nationwide Health Information Network (NHIN) that spans military treatment facilities (MTFs), other federal health agencies including the VA, and the more than 190,000 private sector “network” providers that serve DoD’s medical beneficiary population.
• Transform from a reactive to a proactive healthcare system. Keeping patients healthy and active in our community is one objective of a proactive vs. reactive approach to healthcare. Keeping patients healthy is more than just caring for them once they become sick or injured. We must understand the factors that threaten health in the first place, and we must anticipate the needs of our patient and provider teams. By addressing potential health issues before they become real problems, our patients and providers will partner to prevent disease rather than react to it. The collection, analysis, sharing, and application of health data not only enables proactive healthcare on a patient by patient basis, but also from a global perspective. As patients flow through the medical system along the continuum of care, they generate information every time they encounter their healthcare teams. Patient encounter information accumulated in EHRs will allow DoD to continuously monitor individual health status; recognize and track trends, outbreaks, and exposures to hazards; and will contribute to finding new ways to protect and improve the health of individuals, communities, and our nation.
• Enhance the military health benefit through more efficient healthcare operations. Efficiency is a hallmark of quality. Quality medical coding contributes to the efficient processing of claims and contributes to the efficiency of our medical surveillance. Quality patient safety controls help to get patients out of the medical system quickly, and protect them from medical errors and mistakes. Quality medical logistics enables smooth flow of materiel and pharmaceuticals to, from and between patients, providers, suppliers and intermediaries.

Cases In Point:

DoD and VA Prove Partnership Means Win for Patients

DoD/VA Transform Business Processes to Care for our Most Seriously Wounded Warriors

DoD Demonstrates Transformation across the Continuum of Care