McCaffery offers MHS view with Blue Star Families panel
Thomas McCaffery (center) participated in the Blue Star Families Panel at American Red Cross National Headquarters Feb. 26. He is seen here with Amy Goyer (left), family and caregiving expert at AARP, and retired Army Lt. Gen. Patty Horoho (right), CEO of OptumServe. The panel discussed timely, quality health care for service members and their families. (Photo by MHS Communications)
Thomas McCaffery participated in a Blue Star Families panel at American Red Cross National Headquarters Feb. 26. As the assistant secretary of Defense for Health Affairs, McCaffery briefed the audience on how the Military Health System is changing to help military families receive timely, quality health care.
Blue Star Families held the event to discuss results of the annual Military Family Lifestyle Survey, BSF’s yearly “snapshot” of military families. It offers insights to military and national leaders, as well as local communities.
“An organization like this is critical in terms of connecting military families with our fellow citizens,” McCaffery said of BSF’s work on the survey.
Hisako Sonethavilay, director of applied research at BSF, agreed. “We’re really dedicated to ensuring that research like ours is done in a way that we’re able to … really make some change for military families,” she said.
Survey respondents highlighted relocation, employment and sense of community for military families, and resources for children with special needs as particular areas of concern. Suicide and mental health were also important to respondents. About 40% of surveyed military, veteran, National Guard, and Reserve family respondents said they had attempted or seriously considered suicide in the past year. Nearly half of this group did not get professional help, with 48% of them indicating they did not seek help out of fear for their careers or those of loved ones.
McCaffery urges service members and beneficiaries to use the many resources throughout the Department of Defense that target mental health care.
“Seeking mental health care is no different than seeking care for any other serious health condition,” he said. “You need to seek out services. You need to consult other professionals and ask about those services.”
Multimedia efforts like the Real Warriors Campaign encourage service members to seek treatment as a sign of strength. Real Warriors also provides resources for service members to seek treatment. Programs like InTransition ensure treatment continues as service members and their families move between medical facilities.
These tools are readily available for beneficiaries to use. More changes are underway as a part of the MHS transformation to improve readiness and the quality of health care.
The Defense Health Agency began assuming administrative responsibility for all military hospitals in October 2019. Results from the survey show these changes need to happen. Respondents said finding timely, specialty medical care after a relocation can be challenging.
“One of the benefits of consolidating the management of our facilities is a common, standardized experience,” McCaffery said, “so you can know how to get your prescriptions, how to get lab tests, and most importantly how to get those referrals to specialists.”
MHS GENESIS, the military’s official electronic health record, also helps address this need. As families move from location to location, their records will be stored in one location. Easy access to medical records, from point of injury to treatment, should speed the referral process for families.
McCaffery stressed that patient-centered care is a top DHA priority. Results from the Military Family Lifestyle Survey help leadership create processes to improve care across the services.
“We have to do this together,” Sonethavilay said, “We want to help the [DoD] and military leadership advance military family outcomes…and also understand that there is a critical component to making sure that your civilians have an understanding as well.”
“Our patients are our top priority,” McCaffery agreed. “Everything the MHS does works to enhance the patient experience. We’re going to treat the health system not as separate systems, but as one enterprise.”
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Thanks for tuning in to the MHS Minute! This month, we highlight a historical moment in #MilitaryHealth history, as Defense Health Agency (DHA) established the first four health care markets in the military medical enterprise. We also take a look at the Military Health System (MHS) response to Novel Coronavirus -- learn more about what Madigan Army Medical Center is doing to combat the threat of illness by going to mamc.health.mil.
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The table below summarizes the findings and data informing the decision on the future of the Military Medical Treatment Facility (MTF).
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The table below summarizes the findings and data informing the decision on the future of the Military Medical Treatment Facility (MTF).
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The table below summarizes the findings and data informing the decision on the future of the Military Medical Treatment Facility (MTF).
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The table below summarizes the findings and data informing the decision on the future of the Military Medical Treatment Facility (MTF).
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The table below summarizes the findings and data informing the decision on the future of the Military Medical Treatment Facility (MTF).
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The table below summarizes the findings and data informing the decision on the future of the Military Medical Treatment Facility (MTF).
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The table below summarizes the findings and data informing the decision on the future of the Military Medical Treatment Facility (MTF).
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