WTF is MiCare? Why is the MDG terrible at communication?

[Jedi Doc]

My experience with flight med has either been a solid "meh" or outstanding. Our current doc isn't technically assigned to our unit, but he's in the building and hangs out with the bros, and is constantly running around helping whoever he can. The good docs I've had have always made a point to have us call them first, they'd then fast track us through the machine/ fit me in between appointments/ etc.

The good docs seemed to get that their job was to take care of people while facilitating them doing their jobs, how do you train a cadre of docs to understand that? I don't want you to auto DNIF me for everything, I want you to help me find a way to keep flying without fucking myself up long term. There's a reason most flyers won't admit to problems unless shit gets really bad...

Definitely the description of a great flight doc. This is the exact reason that flight surgeons are embedded into a particular flying unit. It is crucial to get the aircrew and operators to trust their doc enough to come to him/her with problems knowing that they will do their best to keep them flying, but still always consider safety and the importance of the bigger AF mission.

Well said.

Off base care is "just as bad"? Not a very convincing argument.

Well this completely depends on which 'off base care' you're using to compare. The United States lacks a true healthcare system and the quality of care you receive in the civilian setting can vary significantly. There are many clinics and healthcare systems that are considerably weaker and more problematic than the military system, and there obviously exist others that blow military care away. This latter group are the huge tertiary and academic centers that are few and far between (and costs $billions to operate). It's really unfair to compare or expect a tax-funded system like that of the DoD to operate with the same quality as a Johns Hopkins, Cleveland Clinic, or Mayo Clinic.

The NY Times attacks on military medicine that continued throughout the summer did exactly this. Used the best healthcare systems as the control and then criticized the military systems for not measuring up. Well that shouldn't be surprising and is hardly a scandal. I have written several blog posts on this topic. Mil med is as you should expect, about as good as most of its civilian counterparts...better than a lot and not as good as many of the largest academic centers.

If you want to learn more:

A Defense of Military Medicine: http://goflightmedicine.com/military-medicine-defense/

Continued Attacks on Mil Med from NY Times: http://goflightmedicine.com/nyt-mil-med-attack/

Military Health Systems Report Release: http://goflightmedicine.com/mhs-review-report/