Assessing Readiness in Service Members Who Receive Private-Sector Behavioral Health Care.

Abstract

Ensuring that service members who receive behavioral health (BH) care receive routine readiness assessments is critical to maintaining a ready military force. Routine assessments of service members' medical readiness and deployability help identify any acute or chronic health conditions-physical or psychological-that could negatively affect a service member's ability to perform their military duties. Service members may receive BH care from a military treatment facility (MTF) provider (often referred to as direct care) or from a TRICARE-contracted civilian provider in the community (often referred to as private-sector care). While readiness assessments are routinely included in clinical encounters at MTFs, it has been unclear how readiness assessments are being conducted for service members seen in private-sector care. This study presents the findings and integration of two analyses-of administrative treatment data and of qualitative interviews with MTF administrators and clinical staff-that can inform policymaking and planning to improve readiness assessments and command communication for service members receiving private-sector BH care.