FROM ARMY TIMES...
The Pentagon wants more Tricare beneficiaries to get their health care at military hospitals and clinics.
Dr. Jonathan Woodson, assistant secretary of defense for health affairs, recently said that the Defense Department would see vast cost savings if Tricare Prime beneficiaries exclusively use military treatment facilities - known in the health care industry as "direct care" because patients are treated by clinicians, including military physicians or civilian contractors hired directly by the department.
"Purchased care" describes health care received at a Tricare-authorized provider, by Tricare Prime patients referred to civilian providers as well as Tricare Standard, Extra and Remote beneficiaries.
A Pentagon task force estimated that eliminating purchased care contracts within Tricare altogether would save the system $16.4 billion, Woodson said.
"Our major opportunities for cost control lie within optimizing the use of the purchased and direct care systems to manage the care delivered to our beneficiaries. Comprehensive strategies will be established to address these issues in our multi-service markets," Woodson said.
About 4.5 million of 7.7 million Tricare Prime-eligible beneficiaries use military treatment facilities, he said.
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