Managing the Costs of Military Healthcare without Reducing Services: an Assessment of 12 Pilot Sites

DoD, TMA, Innovation Investment Process (IIP) program has been an avenue through which opportunities are identified based on private sector practices and expertise to streamline processes, improve access and, ultimately, as a means to generate savings for the Military Health System (MHS).  The IIP cultivates innovation and facilities 

improvements across the MHS.  The IIP then utilizes iterative processes to identify, qualify, and develop the most promising proposed opportunities into detailed initiative plans for IIP leadership review and approval and, ultimately, implementation.  One component of the IIP is the Surgical Optimization and Standardization (SOS) project.

SOS is developing a common set of tools and reports throughout the MHS to analyze the availability and use of surgical services at medical facilities known as Military Treatment Facilities (MTF). The objective for the management of the MTFs is to identify costs and benefits associated with its process improvement projects, such as being able to treat additional patients requiring surgical services, and/or establishing a more efficient way of delivering medical care. The SOS initiative is being implemented at 12 MTF pilot sites, and students will gather and analyze MTF site specific data both before and after the process improvement interventions. Students with an interest in management consulting, health care, or in the operations of federal agencies will most likely have the stronger interest this project requires for working with the IIP SOS team, which involves Military, Government, and Contractor staffs.