DOD's Practices Pertaining to Construction of Light Care Medical Units

The Department of Defense (DOD) decided to postpone replacement of a hospital at Ft. Lewis, Washington, because Congress approved a modification of the existing hospital in the fiscal year 1979 appropriation. To aid DOD in planning future hospitals, GAO has incorporated improvements in the DOD hospital sizing model that will allow DOD to calculate the appropriate total bed size and the appropriate size of each medical specialty service within a hospital. GAO requested information from DOD concerning the status of its efforts to develop a planning methodology and construction policy for light care beds. DOD replied that 30 light care beds are being contemplated as part of the new Army hospital at Ft. Stewart, Georgia, but questions involving sizing, constructing, and operating light care units have not yet been resolved.