【兰德】评估接受私营部门行为健康护理的服务人员的准备情况-2024_130页_990kb

Ensuring service members receiving private-sector behavioral health (BH) care receive routine readiness assessments is critical for maintaining military readiness. Military providers assess readiness at MTF visits to identify duty-limiting conditions, but processes differ for private-sector care.

Administrative data show a marked increase in reliance on private-sector BH care from 9% to 38% of outpatient visits between 2017–2022. Most utilization occurred in private-sector settings for individual psychotherapy and virtual behavioral health visits.

Despite trends toward more reliance on private providers, readiness assessments appear inadequately captured in administrative data. Staff identified challenges including insufficient documentation from private providers, inadequate resources to conduct assessments, overwhelming demand for BH care, and barriers to timely service member access.

Staff recommended improving MTF capacity to conduct readiness assessments, standardizing requirements, and strengthening information-sharing with private-sector providers. Clear guidance, standardized reporting, and expanded resources were identified as key priorities.

Three primary recommendations:

1. Ensure adequate staff at MTFs to conduct BH care and readiness assessments.
2. Clarify minimum requirements for tracking and monitoring service members receiving private-sector care.
3. Identify mechanisms to improve private-sector provider information-sharing related to readiness.