Description
The Defense Health Agency (DHA) uses its clinical adverse
action process to investigate concerns about a health care provider's
quality of care, and if warranted, to take action to limit or prohibit
the care a provider is allowed to deliver. GAO reviewed 55 clinical
adverse action cases at four selected military medical treatment
facilities and found that they did not always adhere to certain
requirements. For example, in more than one-third of the cases, the
facilities did not adhere to the DHA requirement to establish a deadline
for the investigation of a provider. GAO also found that DHA did not
always report providers within required time frames. GAO is making six
recommendations, including for DHA to improve its monitoring approach
and establish timeliness requirements for steps in the clinical adverse
action process.