Surveying the Military Health System for the Defense Health Agency
Overview
Altarum has supported the Defense Health Agency’s (DHA) Health Care Survey of DoD Beneficiaries (HCSDB) for more than 20 years, reaching a stratified random sample of approximately 300,000 service members, retirees, and family members each year. The survey gives military health leaders the data they need to improve access, quality, and patient experience across the Military Health System (MHS).
Challenge: A Continuous Need for Data
The DHA relies on continuous, statistically valid data to understand and improve the way service members, retirees, and their families experience the MHS.
Solution: Surveys Built for Scale
Through HCSDB, Altarum manages the full survey lifecycle, from questionnaire design and fielding to analysis and reporting. The rotating quarterly question set helps DHA track core performance measures while adding timely questions about emerging beneficiary concerns.
Since 2006, Altarum has supported DHA and the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) with large-scale survey programs, fielding millions of health care surveys and continuously refining methods to keep data representative and timely.
Altarum's military health research is published in peer-reviewed journals including Health Affairs, Military Medicine, and the Journal of Patient Experience.
Results: Data for MHS Decision-Making
HCSDB findings inform the Annual Evaluation of the TRICARE Program, the report DHA delivers to Congress each year on system performance and impact.
Beyond the annual report, DHA uses the survey data and insights to inform decisions about access, delivery, and quality across the Military Health System. Altarum has expanded HCSDB to capture social drivers of health, including food insecurity, and produces special reports highlighting differences by income, demographics, and health care facility.
Altarum has supported these surveys since 2006 and won two contract recompetes based on performance.