Bills Introduced to Improve DoD Patient Service

Week of March 26, 2007

Representatives Christopher Shays (R-CT), Vern Buchanan (R-FL) and Gus Bilirakis (R-FL) introduced four bills which will make practical fixes to help wounded service members and their families more easily navigate the Department of Defense (DoD) medical system. Shays introduced H.R. 1577, which creates a DoD Patient Navigators program for wounded service members. The Navigators will be representatives for patients and their families, independent of current military service and DoD processing authorities. Shays also introduced H.R. 1578, which establishes, publishes and monitors medical holdover (MHO) process performance standards, which will allow patients, their families, case managers and others who need to know where the process stands and how to keep it moving.

Buchanan introduced H.R. 1579, which creates a standard Soldier Patient Tracking System so any patient can be located in the MHO process by a family member, installation commander, patient advocate or ombudsman office representative.

Bilirakis introduced H.R. 1580, which creates a DoD ombudsman to provide oversight of the process, answering and assisting all patient and family questions concerning MHO administrative processes, and financial and non-military related services available to help throughout a patient's recovery. To learn more about these bills, read the full story at Military.com.

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