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http://www.theolympian.com/2012/02/21/1998862/head-of-madigan-army-medical-center.html
The head of Madigan Army Medical Center has been removed from his post while the Army concludes an investigation into a Madigan psychiatry team that changed the diagnoses of some soldiers without meeting them in person.
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Meanwhile, the Army Surgeon General this week is contacting the families of 14 soldiers whose diagnoses for post-traumatic stress disorder were adjusted by the Madigan forensic psychiatry team in such a way that the former soldiers did not receive full disability pensions.
More soldiers whose PTSD diagnoses were changed have also requested reviews of their cases, the Army said Monday.
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The forensic psychiatry team was created at Madigan in October 2008 to review behavioral health diagnoses and ensure that patients leave the Army with the correct treatment plans. Madigan is the only Army hospital with that kind of program.
Lawmakers are questioning its purpose in light of internal memos that showed members of the team urging behavioral health professionals to consider the long-term costs to taxpayers of a PTSD diagnosis. One memo said a PTSD diagnosis for a veteran could cost up to $1.5 million over a soldiers lifetime.
This is an investigation that has only just begun, Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., said Monday night in a written statement. The most important thing is that these service members and their families are provided with answers on why cost was a factor in the treatment they sought for the invisible wounds of war, and that the Army takes the right steps to fix it.
More at link...
The head of Madigan Army Medical Center has been removed from his post while the Army concludes an investigation into a Madigan psychiatry team that changed the diagnoses of some soldiers without meeting them in person.
-------
Meanwhile, the Army Surgeon General this week is contacting the families of 14 soldiers whose diagnoses for post-traumatic stress disorder were adjusted by the Madigan forensic psychiatry team in such a way that the former soldiers did not receive full disability pensions.
More soldiers whose PTSD diagnoses were changed have also requested reviews of their cases, the Army said Monday.
-------
The forensic psychiatry team was created at Madigan in October 2008 to review behavioral health diagnoses and ensure that patients leave the Army with the correct treatment plans. Madigan is the only Army hospital with that kind of program.
Lawmakers are questioning its purpose in light of internal memos that showed members of the team urging behavioral health professionals to consider the long-term costs to taxpayers of a PTSD diagnosis. One memo said a PTSD diagnosis for a veteran could cost up to $1.5 million over a soldiers lifetime.
This is an investigation that has only just begun, Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., said Monday night in a written statement. The most important thing is that these service members and their families are provided with answers on why cost was a factor in the treatment they sought for the invisible wounds of war, and that the Army takes the right steps to fix it.
More at link...
