Key Points:
- Whistleblower documents reveal a system of secrecy surrounding medical mistakes and problematic providers in the military healthcare system.
- Families of service members who suffer harm due to medical negligence face significant roadblocks in obtaining information and seeking accountability.
- Lawmakers and advocates call for greater transparency in the military healthcare system.
Military Medical Mistakes Hidden from Families
A lack of transparency in the military healthcare system has come to light following the tragic death of a young Navy Corpsman after a routine shoulder surgery. Whistleblower documents and interviews with families and medical professionals have revealed a concerning pattern of secrecy surrounding medical errors and questionable providers within military medical facilities.
A Family’s Fight for Answers
Jordan Way, a 23-year-old Navy Corpsman stationed at Bush Naval Hospital in Twentynine Palms, California, died just days after undergoing shoulder surgery in 2017. His family’s desperate search for answers revealed a system that prioritizes protecting providers over providing transparency to grieving families.
“He kept saying to me, ‘Mom, I’m going to be okay. I trust them’,” his mother, Suzi Way, recalled. Jordan’s trust stemmed from receiving care at the same facility where he worked as a pharmacy tech. However, that trust would prove tragically misplaced.
The Way family’s struggle to obtain information about Jordan’s death is a stark example of the difficulties faced by military families when seeking answers about medical errors. Despite filing Freedom of Information Act requests and enlisting the help of Congressional representatives, the Way family still has unanswered questions, their son’s medical file riddled with redactions.
Whistleblower Documents Expose Internal Evaluations
Researchers obtained internal hospital records from a military whistleblower, revealing a system where the names of providers and details of disciplinary actions are shielded from public view. These documents, typically protected under federal law, expose the internal evaluations conducted after medical errors occur in military treatment facilities.
These evaluations often acknowledge mistakes, including errors in judgment, delayed diagnoses, and inadequate communication. However, even when these internal reviews find fault, the information is withheld from families who are left to navigate a labyrinthine system in search of accountability.
A System Shrouded in Secrecy
Data obtained by researchers provides a troubling picture of the military’s handling of medical mistakes:
- Between 2018 and 2022, nearly 500 reports were filed regarding military medical providers to a confidential government database that tracks discipline, lawsuit settlements, and malpractice payouts.
- Hundreds of suspensions and disciplinary actions were taken against military providers during that period, yet the identities of those involved remain hidden.
- Taxpayers have footed the bill for nearly $1 billion in malpractice claims filed against military providers in the past 15 years.
This lack of transparency starkly contrasts the civilian healthcare system, where disciplinary actions against doctors and nurses are publicly available through state medical boards.
Calls for Transparency and Accountability
The lack of transparency in military healthcare has drawn criticism from lawmakers and advocates, who argue that families deserve to know about potential risks medical providers pose. Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, a longtime advocate for government transparency, expressed concern over the secrecy surrounding military medical errors. “Transparency brings accountability,” he stated, highlighting the importance of public access to information about medical professionals entrusted with the care of service members.
The Government Accountability Office (GAO) recently completed an audit of the Defense Health Agency, finding significant failures in reporting disciplinary actions and investigations into military medical providers. The audit revealed instances where suspensions weren’t promptly enacted, notifications to state medical boards were delayed, and other healthcare facilities weren’t informed about disciplinary measures.
For families like the Ways, this lack of transparency is agonizing. They believe that those who serve in the military deserve to know the names of providers who have been disciplined or faced malpractice payouts.
“It is a cancer,” Mrs. Way stated, referring to the military’s practice of shielding problematic providers. “Military medical negligence and the DOD, what they’re doing in hiding these doctors and not being transparent with the families, is a cancer.”
