Joint Base Lewis McChord controversy leads to PTSD diagnosis reviews
Elizabeth Jones
Friday, May 18, 2012, 4:29:17 PM
The Army recently announced that it will review diagnoses dating back to 2001 at all of its medical facilities, after controversy at Joint Base Lewis McChord's Madigan Army Medical Center spurred debate over the possibility of reversed diagnoses of certain mental health disorders in servicemembers, Businessweek reports.
A previous review suggested the forensic psychiatry unit at Madigan was reversing diagnoses of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and traumatic brain injuries (TBI) to reduce the costs of providing treatment to the servicemembers and benefits to their dependents, the news outlet reports.
The new review, ordered by Secretary of the Army John M. McHugh and Chief of Staff General Ray Odierno, aims to ensure that soldiers who are actually suffering from PTSD or TBI are given proper care and appropriate benefits, according to The Washington Post.
The Army has reviewed 400 cases at Joint Base Lewis McChord already, restoring the PTSD diagnoses for more than 100 servicemembers. According to a PowerPoint presentation by William Keppler, head of Madigan's psychiatry team who has been placed on leave during the investigation, each diagnosis of PTSD costs the military about $1.5 million in health benefits and pension, the publication reports.
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