All Branch Topic (ABT) Senators call for abolishing service medical commands

[Slevin]

“Senators call for abolishing service medical commands”

http://www.militarytimes.com/story/...abolishing-service-medical-commands/84796694/


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[HighPriest]

Boy, I got fairly excited until I read how this is basically making a $#!t sandwich out of three pieces of $#!t, instead of actually trying to make a difference. It's still a military-run CF. It -might- improve slightly over the current system if they really allow it to detach itself from the current military infrastructure (at least in the Army), but if it's still being lead by someone who climbed their way to the top on a stack of BS OERs chock full of ignorance and incompetence, I'm not so sure.

It'd cut out a lot of middle-men, though, which I'm all for.

I do appreciate that the senate recognizes that the (at least) Army has summarily ignored it's recommendations for consolidation and streamlining.

I also appreciate that Eisenhower was for this idea, but our surgeon general is against it. I mean, I'm sure she knows more about combat readiness than Dwight Eisenhower, but who knows? Probably has nothing to do with becoming a secretary for the DHA lead....

And "rotationally focused?" WTF kind of buzz word nonsense is that? Makes me dizzy just thinking about it. Don't just repeat things that made sense when they popped into your head in the shower. Make sure that they convey your thought process first.

Probably sounds great on an OER, though.

"Rotationally focused....what's that mean?"
"I dunno. Sounds dynamic, though. Better top block her...."


Remember: it doesn't matter how poor your quality of care is. All that matters is that you can regurgitate out a bunch of it when you need to do so. Stay rotationally focused, you know?

 

[pgg]

Must be a Monday.

 

[HighPriest]

Yeah, let's check back in on Friday and see if it's a good idea then.

 

[HighPriest]

Still a bad idea.

 

[BlackFrancis33]

I am for this of re-organization...I think (some conspiracy theories to follow). If you need doctor type X at military base Y, why not look across all three services to fill the position? I do think this could result in many of us being PCS'd, against our will, for these reasons. But it is hard to argue with moving people to where there are troops and need. This would be the same for filling deployment slots. Rotationally focused, or whatever, why not look across all 3 services? I do think the growing pains short term would be pretty significant. I wonder what would happen to the consultant positions etc, I would guess the consultants for each specialty would report to DHA? Maybe a single consultant for each specialty across all 3 services. That could really get interesting fast.

 

[HighPriest]

That is assuming that some services have hospitals that are over-staffed, otherwise you're just robbing peter to pay Paul. The purpose of this initiative seems to be to streamline military medicine, and to have one standard. The problem, of course, is that any standard run by the DOD will be of highly questionable efficiency.

 

[pgg]

That is assuming that some services have hospitals that are over-staffed,

This assumption is a very good one.

 

[Shikima]

I'm surprised that milmed hasn't adopted telemed.

 

[HighPriest]

This assumption is a very good one.

Not if you talk to our consultant. We're roundly understaffed. As per our previous thread, we're so understaffed that we had to pull a subspecialist to AK to fill a billet that would usually go to a newly graduated resident. So unless the Navy and AF have enough subspecialist surgeons to staff their own facilities as well as the Army's, it's a big assumption. Maybe there are specialties for which that would work, but not all and I would guess not most, as everyone seems to be short staffed at the moment.
Nonetheless, let's say it does work and everyone gets fully staffed - I've never felt, even in a "chronically under-staffed specialty" that staffing was the major issue. It's mismanagement and a focus away from patient care that convinced me to switch my family to standard so that they could be seen off post. I just don't see how jostling around the command structure changes this. Beyond extremely hopeful thinking.

 

[deuist]

That is assuming that some services have hospitals that are over-staffed, otherwise you're just robbing peter to pay Paul. The purpose of this initiative seems to be to streamline military medicine, and to have one standard. The problem, of course, is that any standard run by the DOD will be of highly questionable efficiency.

The problem with the military's medical corps is that we have way too many doctors in non-clinical jobs. My own hospital must have over a dozen physicians who don't see patients. I couldn't imagine a civilian hospital paying its chief medical officer a full salary to keep paperwork flowing and not work the clinic. Across the entire military, there are hundreds of doctors who do the same. The quick fix would be to get all those docs back to seeing patients again.

 

[backrow]

The problem with the military's medical corps is that we have way too many doctors in non-clinical jobs. My own hospital must have over a dozen physicians who don't see patients. I couldn't imagine a civilian hospital paying its chief medical officer a full salary to keep paperwork flowing and not work the clinic. Across the entire military, there are hundreds of doctors who do the same. The quick fix would be to get all those docs back to seeing patients again.

And let us be lead by even more NC/DC/MSC....no thanks, not when the system is not set up to take care of the "producers" like it is in the civilian world.




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[BlackFrancis33]

And let us be lead by even more NC/DC/MSC....no thanks, not when the system is not set up to take care of the "producers" like it is in the civilian world.




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I agree with both of these statements. The problem is the docs in 100% admin jobs count against the department for productivity and billets. When 20% of your department is non-clinical most of the time, it hurts productivity. I also worry who would lead these committees if docs did not. I agree that it is rare for a specialty to be truly overstaffed, but I am sure you could find departments in greater need than others across services. That is where abolishing medical commands and centralized control by the DHA may benefit the system as a whole with regard to distribution of physicians. I would predict this would result in more of us heading to places like Ft. Bliss, which would be painful in the short term.