There are many factors the MHS tracks related to Quality of Care. For your convenience we have categorized these in the below sections:
You can also view VA/DoD Clinical Practice Guidelines.
Accreditation Measures
Inpatient Quality Measures Chosen by Military Hospitals for Accreditation
You expect your military hospital or clinic will provide you with quality care. One of the ways the Military Health System guarantees that we deliver you that care is by requiring all of our military hospitals and clinics be accredited by an outside agency. Most military hospitals and clinics use Joint Commission for accreditation, and all will eventually move to Joint Commission accreditation in the next few years. The measures in this report show how the military hospitals and clinics are graded using the Joint Commission standards. File Updated June 23
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What do we measure?
The Joint Commission uses the trademarked ORYX® measures to accredit medical facilities. Not all ORYX measures apply to all types of facilities, so hospitals and clinics are allowed to choose the ORYX measures that best fit their operations. This report shows the scores for the ORYX measures by military hospital or clinic.
How do I read the results?
When you open the file, look in the column labeled "MTF" for your hospital or clinic. To the right will be measures your facility used for accreditation, followed by the rate scored. A higher percentage is better. You can see all measures on the Joint Commission Website.
Accreditation Status of Military Hospitals and Clinics
Because you expect your hospital or clinic to provide quality care, we require our clinics and hospitals to undergo on-site surveys by nationally-recognized accreditation organizations every three years. File Updated May 23
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What do we measure?
We track accreditation status for all of our hospitals and clinics, along with when their last survey was completed.
How do I read the results?
Open the file and look for your military hospital or clinic in the left column. In the third column, you will see which organization has accredited that facility, the fourth column will show you the month and year of the last survey, and the fifth column will show you the current status.
HEDISThe Healthcare Effectiveness Data and Information Set (HEDIS®) is a registered trademark of the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA).HEDIS® Outpatient Quality Measures
We track 11 outpatient quality measures for our military hospitals and clinics, all of which we are providing for you in one report. Below this report are nine descriptions of the types of measures we are sharing (there are two measures for diabetes control and two for mental health follow up appointments to make up the total of 11 measures). Click the link to open the file. Look for your military hospital or clinic in the facility name column. You will see the 11 quality measure scores in the following columns. We measure scores as a percentage, and show the average score for health plans across the nation for comparison. Please remember that all of the outpatient quality measures are in this one file, and the descriptions are listed below the download button for the nine categories, so you won't need to download multiple files for the outpatient quality measures. Last Updated October 7, 2016
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HEDIS Outpatient Pediatric Measures
Well-Child Visits in the first 15 Months of Life
In the first 15 months of a child’s life, there are a number of preventive and monitoring services. These early services may lead to lifelong health and wellness.
What do we measure?
We measure the number of well-child visits in the first 15 months of life, for both military and civilian appointments. Our goal is a child will have six well-child visits during these 15 months. This measure sees if military children have timely, easy access to health care services. If you recently moved or changed providers, talk with your new doctor about what appointments your child has already had.
Upper Respiratory Infection (children's cough, cold and flu)
The common cold or upper respiratory infection (URI) is a common reason children visit their provider. Most of these infections are viral and an antibiotic won’t help. There’s a national effort to reduce overuse of antibiotics. Overuse is contributing to an increase in organisms that are resistant to popular antibiotics.
What do we measure?
We measure the number of children age 3 months to 18 years who were given a diagnosis of upper URI and weren’t given an antibiotic prescription. A higher number is better. Talk to your provider about when antibiotics are the right prescription to treat a disease, and when it isn’t appropriate. You can help prevent a global threat from antibiotic resistant organisms.
Pharyngitis Pain (children's sore throat)
Pharyngitis, or inflammation of the throat, is the only condition among URIs where your provider may determine that antibiotic use is appropriate. U.S. medical leaders recommend that only children diagnosed with group A streptococcus (strep) pharyngitis be treated with antibiotics. A strep test is the definitive test of group A strep pharyngitis.
What do we measure?
Out of children ages 3 to 18 who were diagnosed with pharyngitis and given an antibiotic, what percentage received a strep test. If you think your child may have strep, ask for the test. If the test comes back positive and your child has strep, they should get an antibiotic. But, if the test is negative, an antibiotic isn’t needed.
Other HEDIS Outpatient Quality Measures
Breast Cancer Screening
Breast cancer is the second cause of cancer death for women, behind only lung cancer. Breast cancer screening through mammography can help detect cancer at an early and more treatable stage. By the time symptoms appear, cancer may have begun to spread, so early and regular screening is very important.
Cervical Cancer Screening
Cervical cancer, nearly 100 percent preventable, is the second most common cancer among women. Pap tests can detect pre-cancerous cells. Survival is nearly 100% with appropriate evaluation, treatment, and follow-up.
What do we measure?
The measurement is the percentage of women age 21–64 years who had one or more Pap tests to screen for cervical cancer in the past three years. Talk to your provider about when you may need a Pap test.
Colorectal Cancer Screening
Colorectal cancer is one of the leading causes of cancer related deaths in the U.S. Some methods of colorectal cancer screening can not only detect pre-cancerous growths, but also guide their removal. This may prevent the cancer from developing. Many leading medical organizations strongly support this measure, including the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force, the American Cancer Society and Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, and the American Gastroenterological Association.
Low Back Pain Imaging
Evidence shows that many patients diagnosed with low back pain receive excessive medical tests that can lead to unnecessary worry and unneeded surgery. For the majority of individuals who experience severe low back pain, pain improves after two weeks. Avoiding imaging tests like x-ray, MRI, and CT scans can prevent harm to patients and reduce health care costs.
What do we measure?
We measure the percentage of adults age 18 to 50 years with a primary diagnosis of low back pain who didn’t have an imaging test (e.g., plain X-ray, MRI or CT scan) within 28 days of the diagnosis. A higher score means a better performance. Talk with your provider about alternatives to unnecessary medical tests for low back pain, and discuss alternatives to surgery for addressing your pain.
Diabetes Testing and Control
Diabetes is one of the most widespread and costly chronic diseases in the U.S. But it can be managed. A simple lab test lets your physician know if your overall blood sugar is under control. Better control of blood sugar means you are likely to have fewer complications from diabetes. If your sugars aren’t well controlled, this test indicates that you may need additional treatments and education on how to manage your diabetes.
What do we measure?
For adults with diabetes, we measure the percentage of patients who had an A1c blood sugar test, and we measure the percentage of those tested whose results show their diabetes is under control. If you have diabetes or are concerned you may have diabetes, talk to your doctor. They can help you better control your blood sugar, and ensure you’re tested regularly.
Follow-up after Hospitalization for Mental Health (within 7 and 30 days)
Patients hospitalized to treat mental illness need follow up care. This follow up care helps make sure the progress made during the patient’s hospital stay transitions to the home or work environment. It also helps your health care team catch problems that might arise after leaving the hospital.
What do we measure?
We measure the percentage of discharges of individuals age 6 years and older who had a follow-up outpatient visit within 7 days and 30 days of discharge after being hospitalized for treatment of certain mental illnesses. If you have recently been discharged from a hospital for mental health care, please keep any scheduled appointments. If you aren’t sure if you have an appointment, call your mental health provider and schedule one.