By the Numbers - Feb. 29, 2016
41
The median number of outpatient visits (for any reason) for PTSD patients in the military health system, according to a recent RAND Corporation study -- Quality of Care for PTSD and Depression in the Military Health System: Phase I Report. According to a research brief based on the report, the median number of outpatient visits (for any reason) for depression patients is 30.
Service members with PTSD or depression are seen by many different providers; the median number of unique providers during the study year was 14 for patients with PTSD, and 12 for those with depression. These service members frequently had other psychological health concerns, such as sleep and anxiety disorders. Five out of six service members received at least one psychotropic medication, and 45 percent of patients with PTSD and 31 percent of patients with depression received four or more medications.
RAND researchers found a couple areas of excellent in military mental health care:
· 86% of patients with PTSD or depression received an outpatient visit within seven days of discharge from a psychiatric hospitalization.
· 91% of patients with PTSD and 82% of patients with depression received at least one psychotherapy visit.
However, they also pointed out a couple of areas in which improvement was needed:
· Only 34% of patients newly diagnosed with PTSD received minimally appropriate care in the 8 weeks following their diagnosis (at least four psychotherapy visits or two medication management visits). Only 24% of those with depression met this threshold.
· Only 45% of patients with PTSD and only 42% with depression received a follow-up visit within 30 days of starting a new medication treatment.
41
The median number of outpatient visits (for any reason) for PTSD patients in the military health system, according to a recent RAND Corporation study -- Quality of Care for PTSD and Depression in the Military Health System: Phase I Report. According to a research brief based on the report, the median number of outpatient visits (for any reason) for depression patients is 30.
Service members with PTSD or depression are seen by many different providers; the median number of unique providers during the study year was 14 for patients with PTSD, and 12 for those with depression. These service members frequently had other psychological health concerns, such as sleep and anxiety disorders. Five out of six service members received at least one psychotropic medication, and 45 percent of patients with PTSD and 31 percent of patients with depression received four or more medications.
RAND researchers found a couple areas of excellent in military mental health care:
· 86% of patients with PTSD or depression received an outpatient visit within seven days of discharge from a psychiatric hospitalization.
· 91% of patients with PTSD and 82% of patients with depression received at least one psychotherapy visit.
However, they also pointed out a couple of areas in which improvement was needed:
· Only 34% of patients newly diagnosed with PTSD received minimally appropriate care in the 8 weeks following their diagnosis (at least four psychotherapy visits or two medication management visits). Only 24% of those with depression met this threshold.
· Only 45% of patients with PTSD and only 42% with depression received a follow-up visit within 30 days of starting a new medication treatment.