HANSCOM AIR FORCE BASE, Mass. – The Department of Defense announced Feb. 19 plans to restructure 50 military hospitals and clinics, including the Military Treatment Facility here at Hanscom, to better support wartime readiness of military personnel and to improve clinical training for medical forces who deploy in support of combat operations around the world.
DOD officials identified Hanscom’s 66th Medical Squadron as an MTF that will transition from an outpatient clinic to an active duty/occupational health clinic. Active-duty family members, retirees and their families who currently receive care here at the clinic will transition over time to TRICARE's civilian provider network. Services provided to activity duty members and to on-base civilian employees when related to their employment will stay the same, along with current pharmacy services.
“The important thing to note is that we are still in a pre-decisional phase, nothing is changing immediately and normal operations will continue until further notice,” said Col. Chad Ellsworth, installation commander. “Future changes will be phased in over time and the Air Force and the Defense Health Agency will work together to make changes in a deliberate fashion.”
The gradual process ensures that every patient has uninterrupted access to outstanding health care, though the location of that care may change.
The Fiscal Year 2017 National Defense Authorization Act directed the DOD to submit a report to Congress on restructuring medical facilities to increase their focus on military and medical force readiness. The full report is available at "Restructuring and Realignment of Military Medical Treatment Facilities," and a complete list of military hospital and clinic changes listed in the report is available at http://www.health.mil/MTFrestructing.
“Military readiness includes making sure medical treatment facilities are operated to ensure service members are medically ready to train and deploy," said Tom McCaffery, assistant secretary of defense for health affairs. "It also means MTFs are effectively utilized as platforms that enable our military medical personnel to acquire and maintain the clinical skills and experience that prepares them for deployment in support of combat operations around the world.”
The restructuring effort focused on strengthening the prime responsibility of military medical facilities for training medical personnel and “for keeping combat forces healthy and ready to deploy according to readiness and mission requirements – all while ensuring the MHS provides our beneficiaries with access to quality health care,” McCaffery added.
The report acknowledges that transitioning patients from MTFs to the TRICARE network will take time – in some cases several years – and if local TRICARE networks cannot provide access to quality care, DOD will revise implementation plans.
“We know this will be a big change for members of Hanscom’s community,” said Ellsworth. “In the months ahead, we will work closely with the Defense Health Agency and our local civilian health providers to help any patients affected by this change.”
Note: The 66th Air Base Group Public Affairs Office contributed to this article.