By the Numbers - 14 August 2017
83%
The percentage of military treatment facilities (MTFs) that offer complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) services, according to a recent report from the RAND Corporation -- Complementary and Alternative Medicine in the Military Health System. The most common services offered are relaxation therapy, acupuncture, progressive muscle relaxation, guided imagery, and chiropractic. Those MTFs not offering such services most commonly cite "lack of provider availability" as the reason.
According to the report:
- These CAM services are used for a variety of conditions, many of which can be difficult to treat with conventional medicine — e.g., chronic pain, stress, anxiety, and sleep disturbance.
- CAM services make up a substantial portion of the MHS: roughly 76,000 patient visits per month with 1,750 full-time equivalents of staff and contractor time involved in delivering these services annually, and a minimum labor investment of $112.7 million per year.
- Patient visits for CAM make up a small, but nontrivial portion of total outpatient MTF visits.
83%
The percentage of military treatment facilities (MTFs) that offer complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) services, according to a recent report from the RAND Corporation -- Complementary and Alternative Medicine in the Military Health System. The most common services offered are relaxation therapy, acupuncture, progressive muscle relaxation, guided imagery, and chiropractic. Those MTFs not offering such services most commonly cite "lack of provider availability" as the reason.
According to the report:
- These CAM services are used for a variety of conditions, many of which can be difficult to treat with conventional medicine — e.g., chronic pain, stress, anxiety, and sleep disturbance.
- CAM services make up a substantial portion of the MHS: roughly 76,000 patient visits per month with 1,750 full-time equivalents of staff and contractor time involved in delivering these services annually, and a minimum labor investment of $112.7 million per year.
- Patient visits for CAM make up a small, but nontrivial portion of total outpatient MTF visits.