As a transformative perspective, this chapter discusses a specific area of DoD that is undergoing a large transformation to provide healthcare to today’s military and engage with the Department of Veterans Affairs to take care of veterans. We provide an overview of military medicine and veteran care, and discuss the important concept of the patient care continuum. We then discuss a continuum of care scenario for wounded warriors from DoD to VA. We describe the type of transformation that is being conducted in the Military Health System, and then provide a case study of a military health program known as Theater Medical Information Program (TMIP). We end with a transformation perspective on net-centric medicine provided by a retired DoD medical officer. In this chapter, as part of our section objective to address net-centric transformation perspectives, we provide a synopsis that specifically caters to the healthcare for our military warfighters and veterans. This then leads to the discussion of DoD Military Health System which is currently trying to transform itself to address Net Centricity. As part of this discussion, we describe the DoD Continuum of Care that happens for a warfighter from the point of injury in the battlefield all the way to him receiving veteran care. We use the Theater Medical Information Program (TMIP) as a net-centric example case study to address military healthcare requirements and the Net-Centric Key Performance Parameter mandates. The chapter then provides a guest author perspective on the DoD and VA healthcare transformation.
TopChapter Content
As you explore through Chapter 7, it covers the following topics:
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Overview of Military Medicine and Veteran Care
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The Continuum of Patient Care
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Net-Centric Transformation of Military Medicine
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CASE STUDY: Theater Medical Information Program
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Transformation Perspective on Net-Centric Medicine
TopOverview Of Military Medicine And Veteran Care
The Department of Defense and Veterans Affairs (VA) federal agencies have been working together for many years to ensure that our nation’s soldiers and veterans are provided with government funded medical and rehabilitative care. Both agencies have been working based on the following cooperative principles:
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Establish goals for the Continuum of Care that are patient centered and effective in delivering world class care
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Provide care that is efficient without unwarranted burden on government resources
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Provide care that is needed and deserved at the right time, right place and is provided by the right person
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Promote the successful rehabilitation and reintegration of service members; organize and leverage all inter service and interagency resources
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Provide service members with the responsibility to make choices about their care.
Based on these cross-agency principles, our government has been trying to provide the most effective care to its soldiers, veterans and their immediate beneficiaries. Since medical care for our soldiers span their entire career including their time as a veteran, this span is known as the Continuum of Care.
In this chapter, we try to address the ongoing concerns of military health and its impacts, as the DoD transforms toward a net-centric future. It is best then to provide the overall goals and mission of the Military Health System (MHS) and Veterans Health Administration (VHA) agencies, so that we can come to a better understanding of the issues.