TEXAS, USA — Goodfellow and Dyess Air Force base clinics will be among 50 military hospitals and clinics affected by a Department of Defense restructuring plan to better support wartime readiness of military personnel.
Additionally, the DoD announced Feb. 19 that the plan will improve clinical training for medical forces who deploy in support of combat operations around the world.
According to the DoD release, "Military readiness includes making sure medical treatment facilities (MTF) are operated to ensure service members are medically ready to train and deploy," Tom McCaffery, assistant secretary of defense for health affairs, said. "It also means MTFs are effectively utilized as platforms that enable our military medical personnel to acquire and maintain the clinical skills and experience that prepares them for deployment in support of combat operations around the world.”
The restructuring effort focused on strengthening the prime responsibility of military medical facilities for training medical personnel and “for keeping combat forces healthy and ready to deploy according to readiness and mission requirements – all while ensuring the MHS provides our beneficiaries with access to quality health care,” McCaffery added in the release.
The plans were laid out in a report to Congress Feb. 19, "Restructuring and Realignment of Military Medical Treatment Facilities." The report was required by law under Section 703(d) of the National Defense Authorization Act of 2017, which directed the DoD to analyze its hospital and clinic footprint and submit a plan to congressional defense committees.
Of the 343 facilities in the United States initially screened for this report, 77 were selected for additional assessment, with 21 identified for no changes.
The release said of the 50 facilities ultimately designated for restructuring, 37 outpatient clinics now open to all beneficiaries will eventually see primarily only active-duty personnel.
Active-duty family members, retirees and their families who currently receive care at those facilities will transition over time to TRICARE's civilian provider network. The report stated seven of these clinics may continue to enroll active-duty family members on a space-available basis. Additionally, many active-duty-only clinics will continue to provide occupational health services to installation civilian employees related to their employment.
The report shows that transitioning patients from MTFs to the TRICARE network will take time – in some cases several years – and if local TRICARE networks cannot provide access to quality care, DoD will revise implementation plans.
"Markets are expected to transition MTF eligibles to the network at different rates and, in certain markets, the transition could take several years," the report states. Detailed implementation plans will be developed through coordination with MTFs, the Defense Health Agency, the military departments and the TRICARE Health Plan.
TRICARE is the health care program for the U.S. armed services. The two most popular plans available to most eligible beneficiaries under 65, TRICARE Prime and TRICARE Select, include more than 6.7 million enrolled patients. Other plans are targeted for specific beneficiary groups, such as reservists and those eligible for Medicare.
The final report delivered to Congress contained a summary of all the changes, a description of how each change was made and supporting data.
The affected Air Force facilities are:
- Joint Base Langley-Eustis Air Force Base, 633rd Medical Group Inpatient to Ambulatory Surgical Center
- MacDill AFB, 6th MDG Outpatient facility to Active-Duty, Occupational Health Only Clinic
- Sabal Park Clinic, 6th MDG, Closed
- Dyess AFB, 7th MDG Outpatient facility to Active-Duty, Occupational Health Only Clinic
- Robins AFB, 78th MDG Outpatient facility to Active-Duty, Occupational Health Only Clinic
- Barksdale AFB, 2nd MDG Outpatient facility to Active-Duty, Occupational Health Only Clinic
- Dover AFB, 436th MDG Outpatient facility to Active-Duty, Occupational Health Only Clinic
- Goodfellow AFB, 17th MDG Outpatient facility to Active-Duty, Occupational Health Only Clinic
- Hanscom AFB, 66th Medical Squadron Outpatient facility to Active-Duty, Occupational Health Only Clinic
- Maxwell AFB, 42nd MDG Outpatient facility to Active-Duty, Occupational Health Only Clinic
- JB McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, 87th MDG Outpatient facility to Active-Duty, Occupational Health Only Clinic
- Patrick AFB, 45th MDG Outpatient facility to Active-Duty, Occupational Health Only Clinic
On its social media page Wednesday, Goodfellow Air Force Base released the following statement:
"Goodfellow AFB has been identified as one of the facilities affected by the report sent to Congress today. The 17th Medical Group outpatient facility will restructure to Active-Duty, Occupational Health only clinic. This means the clinic will only provide health services to uniformed service members. Nothing is changing immediately and the phases will occur over time. For now, beneficiaries will continue to use their current provider and medical treatment facility. These changes will be made in a deliberate, phased fashion, in some cases over a period of up to five years, ensuring there continues to be uninterrupted access to quality healthcare, though the location of that care may change."
For a complete list of military hospital and clinic changes listed in the report, go to health.mil/MTFrestructuring.
To find a doctor who accepts TRICARE in Abilene and San Angelo, click here.
