Are there systemic problems with the military healthcare system as reported by the media?

I think the overall issue with military hospitals, be they on post of VA is that they are run by a giant bureaucracy with a captive cliental and little motivation by military staff.

Bureaucracy: It’s like building a sand castle with a bulldozer. Changes are slow coming, largely sweeping, and hardly ever re-inspected. The one example I can throw out right away is a case when a soldier overdosed on pain medication. For two weeks no other patient was allowed to be prescribed this medication, military or civilian. The broad stroke brush doesn’t work as much as “they” would like. Officers looking out for their future many times leads to bad over arching ideas.

Captive Cliental: When you have a large base of patients that HAVE to come to your hospital, improvements to the system are not as important as improving the flow of patients.

Military staff: Enlisted and Officers I feel are only looking out for their next promotion and or NC/OER. Private hospitals have the dagger of being fired over their heads for motivation. Army personnel will probably just be transferred.

This is just a quick synopsis to get the idea out there.

I have a very strong opinion regarding the healthcare the military provides. We are all aware of the media exposure given to the VA and although a different entity, the question remains, where does the culture of not providing up to par care begin? As the problem solver/liaison/advocate for families, I approached each case carefully and tried to understand each family's situation to the best of my ability but in the end, it was a challenge on my will to impose empathy. I could never fully place myself into anyone's family because I did not live with them or experience what they go through at the end of each day.

Some observations I have taken with me as a life experience; repetition within the medical care system fosters an environment for complacency in providing proper care. Keep in mind my experience is only 3 years deep but from my point of view, I have seen providers expecting the same from the same. As military members, the bitter sweet ability to move around so we can gain new experiences and improve or refine our skill comes from experiencing different perspectives in different units with new leadership and subordinates. Within the medical community, I tend to see the same group of people hanging around the same area and/or co-workers, sometimes for what appears to be a decade or longer. This eliminates the opportunity for growth, and with the mix of civilian providers, the care givers can possibly never see anything but on way to get things done. Not fair to the patient who does not have the cookie cutter treatment work for them.
A fairly new tool the Army uses today is the Global Assessment Tool (GAT) and Resiliency Training. The GAT provides a long arduous questionnaire asking whether or not you are happy at work or with your life. I think this is a great tool for self recognition to identify what areas you need to address either within yourself or from outside sources. I have heard many co-workers pass the tipping point where they have said they've had enough with the job, yet they continue. I firmly believe that you cannot do your job correctly or to the ability you should if you do not genuinely like what you are doing. I hesitate to ask if the GAT results should reflect on your career path.

There are too many arms in the monster of military healthcare to pinpoint where the issue really lies. My take is that every individual needs to ask themselves daily whether they are doing the job that they want to do, or if they understand the consequences of their performance good or bad. Before they go to work, like the Notre Dame football team, (I'm a Miami Hurricane fan) tap that sign that says, "Play like a champion today".