About Army Medicine

The Joint Commission Accreditation

All Army hospitals are accredited by the Joint Commission, which also accredits civilian hospitals.

As well, outcome studies of the National Quality Management Program, a DOD-sponsored program that monitors military facilities, show military care usually meets or exceeds civilian benchmarks.

Evidence-based Guidelines

The Army uses evidence-based Clinical Practice Guidelines to standardize the best, proven treatments and leads the Defense Department in CPG-based performance improvement.  Guidelines address 12 of 15 priority areas identified by the Institute of Medicine.

Patient Safety

Army has a patient safety regulation and is creating formal patient safety programs in all facilities.  It participates in the multi-agency, multi-disciplinary Patient Safety Working Group.  The group goal is to foster trust, cooperation and communication in order to improve patient safety and cut preventable errors.

Medical Education

Civilian professionals on residency review committees regard Army graduate medical education as among the best.  Board certification passing rate for graduates of Army residency and fellowship programs is 96 percent on the first try, well above the national average.

Physician Licenses, Certification

Army physicians engaged in independent practice of medicine must have current, valid, unrestricted licenses.  Physicians in training must get licenses within a year of finishing internships.  Each Army facility monitors providers' performance and uses performance records to determine renewal of privileges.

Provider Credentialing

The Army credentials all providers (not just physicians that treat inpatients, as is typical in civilian medicine).  A committee verifies qualifications and providers are allowed to perform independently (without direct supervision) only those duties for which they are currently qualified.  Privilege revocations or limitations occur at about the same rate in Army hospitals as civilian ones.  The Army Medical Department reports to the National Practitioners Data Bank on providers implicated in paid malpractice cases or whose privileges have been adversely affected.

Office of Quality Management:  https://www.qmo.amedd.army.mil/