Tricare Health Plans
TRICARE Health Plans is the replacement for CHAMPUS which was the provider of health care services for military dependents. TRICARE not only replaced CHAMPUS but its purpose was also to facilitate members with access to better health care. Unfortunately, TRICARE has gone through many changes and upheavals since its inception in 1997. First, they began by dividing the company into regions. Each member was placed into a region based on where the military member was stationed. If the member was stationed in Maryland then his family belonged to the East Region. Unfortunately, there were many problems with this plan. First, some military members and their families did not live in the same regions. Therefore, the families either had to travel long distances for care or had to fight for an out of region referral. Next, if the member and their family were in the process of moving from one duty station to another, they were in limbo. They still belonged to the original region and would not be transferred until the member was input into the new duty station 's database. This caused problems as it was virtually impossible for members to acquire a referral for emergency care during their move.
Essentially, TRICARE Health Plans is struggling to keep their customers happy. The attached report recommends a complete overhaul in the following areas: 1. organization design, 2. work design 3. management and leadership, 4. reversal and minimized power and organization politics, 5. quality assurance implementation, and 6. organization strategies. Based on current surveys, these changes would improve customer satisfaction and reduce lost profits due to high organizational turnover rates. Finally, TRICARE has taken several steps throughout their organization in order to ensure that their medical plans are more in line with the competitive medical health plans that are readily available.
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Essentially, TRICARE Health Plans is struggling to keep their customers happy. The attached report recommends a complete overhaul in the following areas: 1. organization design, 2. work design 3. management and leadership, 4. reversal and minimized power and organization politics, 5. quality assurance implementation, and 6. organization strategies. Based on current surveys, these changes would improve customer satisfaction and reduce lost profits due to high organizational turnover rates. Finally, TRICARE has taken several steps throughout their organization in order to ensure that their medical plans are more in line with the competitive medical health plans that are readily available.
Table of Contents
Cover Page
References: Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense (Health Affairs) and the TRICARE Management Activity. (2005, December 30). U.S. Department of Defense Military Health System. Retrieved February 24, 2006, from http://www.tricare.osd.mil/ Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense (Health Affairs) and the TRICARE Management Activity. (2005, December 30). U.S. Department of Defense Military Health System. Stakeholders ' Report. Retrieved February 24, 2006, from http://www.tricare.osd.mil/stakeholders/default.cfm Shortell, S. M. & Kaluzny, A. D. (2000). Health care management: Organization design and behavior (4th ed.). Delmar/Thomson Learning: Albany, NY. TriWest Healthcare Alliance. (n.d.) TRICARE Prime Remote Handbook. TriWest Healthcare Alliance. (2006, February 17). Challenge to aid families of deployed national guard, reserves off to good start. Retrieved February 26, 2006, from https://www.triwest.com/triwest/default.html