The report noted that while DHA recognizes screening as the main strategy for protecting this high-risk group of patients, the agency neither monitors nor directs its contractors to monitor how frequently it takes place. Image: Handcraft Films/Shutterstock.com
By: FEDweek StaffMany expectant and new military mothers are not being screened sufficiently for mental health by their providers, according to a new report by the Government Accountability Office (GAO).
The nation’s primary federal watchdog agency stated in the report that the lack of such care could exacerbate problems that arise during pregnancy and childbirth, to include mental health issues that could be exacerbated by deployment.
The report stated that roughly half of all service members covered under TRICARE, the military’s managed-care program, got the recommended health-care screenings when giving birth in military treatment facilities.
Incidence of such screenings in non-military facilities was much lower, GAO reported, noting that the Defense Department does not monitor these screenings.
“GAO estimates that 52 percent of the 6,151 service members who delivered through direct care in fiscal year 2022 [Oct. 1, 2021-Sept. 30, 2022] received the Defense Health Agency’s three recommended perinatal mental health screenings,” the report stated. “These screenings used on of two DHA-recommended tools and were performed at DHA’s specified time intervals. All service members were screened at least once during their perinatal period.”
GAO
In the private sector, however, screenings were less likely to occur. One contractor, the report stated, found that 30 percent were screened at least one time. Only 6 percent were screened more than once.
The report noted that while DHA recognizes screening as the main strategy for protecting this high-risk group of patients, the agency neither monitors nor directs its contractors to monitor how frequently it takes place.
“By routinely monitoring the frequency of screenings in direct or private sector care, and taking corrective actions as needed to ensure adherence to DHA’s recommendations and evidence-based practices, DHA can help ensure that beneficiaries receive high-quality care,” GAO concluded.
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