Army can't track mental health records of deployed soldiers

Army can't track mental health records of deployed soldiers
BY BOB BREWIN 03/03/2011

This is the sixth story in an ongoing series.
Between 20 percent and 30 percent of troops who have served combat tours in Afghanistan and Iraq suffer from mental health problems, but a Nextgov investigation shows the Army currently has no way to consistently track the mental health status of soldiers deployed to the two countries and the service finds itself overwhelmed by paper records.

An internal message sent Jan. 11 from the Army Office of the Surgeon General obtained by Nextgov said Army units in the U.S. Central Command Area of Operations, which includes Iraq and Afghanistan, have become "saturated" with paper behavioral health records because mental health providers who treat these soldiers are not entering data into the theater electronic health record known as AHLTA-T.

What's more, the Army does not have a system to scan and code these paper records to support search and retrieval from the Defense Department electronic heath record, Nextgov discovered.

This has serious implications for troops who seek follow-up mental health care when they return from deployment. The message noted, "As a result, soldiers returning from deployment are experiencing delays with continued health care and/or filing medical claims to the Department of Veterans Affairs."

Sen. Ben Cardin, D-Md., said he was "deeply concerned" the Army does not use the AHLTA-T electronic health record to track mental health encounters. In a statement to Nextgov, Cardin said:

"As a nation, we ask so much of our men and women in uniform without knowing the full extent of the mental trauma inflicted by combat, so it is discouraging to hear that within the Army [there] exists such an unmanageable backup of paper-based behavioral health records."

Cardin added, "News that the military mental health providers are failing to use the operational electronic health records, as required, only serves to exacerbate both administrative and continuity-of-care problems. I am deeply concerned that the required electronic health record is not fully utilized, and am concerned about the impact of this on our servicemen and -women's mental health."
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Army can't track mental health records of deployed soldiers

also
Military Family Mental Health Visits have Grown 15% a Year Since 2001
Saturday, March 05, 2011
Repeated deployments of American soldiers to Iraq and Afghanistan have taken their toll not only on the troops themselves but also their families, according to the Department of Defense.

Information disclosed by the Pentagon to the U.S. Senate Armed Services Committee revealed that visits by family members of active-duty military personnel to therapists have increased at a compound annual growth rate of 15% over the past 10 years.
read more of this here
Military Family Mental Health Visits