News Release
Geographic Barriers to Behavioral Health Care May Put Remote Service Members at Risk
Mar 31, 2021
The authors evaluated access and quality of care provided to more than 93,000 service members with posttraumatic stress disorder, depression, or substance use disorder who reside remotely from a military treatment facility and compared their care with that received by non-remote service members. The assessment identified strengths in and areas for improvement for the Military Health System.
Access and Quality for Remote Service Members
Format | File Size | Notes |
---|---|---|
PDF file | 1.3 MB | Use Adobe Acrobat Reader version 10 or higher for the best experience. |
Format | List Price | Price | |
---|---|---|---|
Add to Cart | Paperback214 pages | $41.00 | $32.80 20% Web Discount |
Geographic location can be a barrier to accessing and receiving high-quality behavioral health care for both civilians and military personnel. As a consequence, service members who reside far from military treatment facilities may be at higher risk for poorer clinical outcomes than those who are less remotely located.
The authors evaluate remote service members' access to Military Health System (MHS) care for those with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression, or substance use disorder (SUD) and assess the quality of the behavioral health care they received. The report highlights how quality-measure performance varies by remote status, focusing on differences in quality of care that are large and potentially clinically significant. The authors also discuss policy implications and offer recommendations for how the military can use new strategies — including synchronous telehealth or technology-enabled interventions — to ensure access to high-quality care for all service members, regardless of location.
Chapter One
Introduction
Chapter Two
Methods
Chapter Three
Remote Versus Non-Remote Differences in Demographics and Behavioral Health Care Utilization
Chapter Four
Access to Direct Care for the Behavioral Health Cohort
Chapter Five
Quality of Behavioral Health Care: Initial Care
Chapter Six
Quality of Behavioral Health Care: Medication Management
Chapter Seven
Quality of Behavioral Health Care: Transitions of Care
Chapter Eight
Summary and Recommendations
Appendix A
Sensitivity Analyses of Remoteness Definition
Appendix B
Technical Specifications for Access and Behavioral Health Quality of Care Measures
Appendix C
PTSD, Depression, and SUD Cohort Demographic and Service Characteristics
Appendix D
Cohort Descriptive Data by Diagnostic Cohort
Appendix E
Summary of Remote Versus Non-Remote Differences in Behavioral Health Quality Measures
This research was sponsored by the Defense Health Agency and conducted within the Forces and Resources Policy Center of the RAND National Defense Research Institute.
This report is part of the RAND Corporation Research report series. RAND reports present research findings and objective analysis that address the challenges facing the public and private sectors. All RAND reports undergo rigorous peer review to ensure high standards for research quality and objectivity.
This document and trademark(s) contained herein are protected by law. This representation of RAND intellectual property is provided for noncommercial use only. Unauthorized posting of this publication online is prohibited; linking directly to this product page is encouraged. Permission is required from RAND to reproduce, or reuse in another form, any of its research documents for commercial purposes. For information on reprint and reuse permissions, please visit www.rand.org/pubs/permissions.
The RAND Corporation is a nonprofit institution that helps improve policy and decisionmaking through research and analysis. RAND's publications do not necessarily reflect the opinions of its research clients and sponsors.