Outsourcing medical services for career women: Satisfaction, utilization, and cost: Satisfaction, utilization, and cost

The study population included female career soldiers aged 22 to 50, serving in a major city base during 1999 to 2002. Independent variables were: age, and type of settings. Dependent variables were: Health care utilizations (number of hospitalization days, visits to emergency rooms, specialists and primary care clinics, number of laboratory tests and imaging); and number of sick days leave, satisfaction level (quality of care, service place environment, availability of medical services, courtesy of the medical staff, and general level of satisfaction). Health care services in the military clinic were rated lowest and health care fund clinics highest in satisfaction level score. Female officers ranking lieutenant colonel and higher expressed higher satisfaction levels than female officers with lower ranks in all aspects of medical services (mean 4.32 versus 4.44, p = 0.021). The average number of visits to primary care clinics and referrals to specialists, mainly visits to gynecologists, at the health care funds was highest (p < 0.001), sick days leave was lowest (p < 0.001). Rates of referrals to the emergency room and hospitalization days were lowest at the health care funds clinics (p < 0.001). Annual estimated cost per female soldier was $443, $543, and $688 in the health care fund, military, and hospital clinics, receptively. Outsourcing primary medical services to civilian health care funds was found to be most satisfactory to female career soldiers, and proved to be cost-effective. © 2008 Aspen Publishers, Inc.