The Defense Health Agency (DHA) is tasked with providing high-quality medical services for the Army, Navy, and Air Force. To meet this ambitious goal, the DHA has a global workforce that includes almost 130,000 civilian and military personnel, all committed to excellence in medical care and programs to prepare service personnel for combat medical readiness. Partnering with a Military Healthcare Contractor benefits mission fulfillment by providing resources, and innovation, and these partnerships are mutually beneficial. Government contractors fill necessary gaps and bring private sector solutions to government healthcare systems.
Being successful as a military healthcare contractor takes a high level of expertise and commitment. The bar for excellence exceeds comparable organizations focusing only on the private sector. In addition to providing goods and services to the military healthcare system, small and medium-sized enterprises must be vigilant in their attention to contract management and deliverables. The Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP) oversees contract compliance. When Federal healthcare contractors fail to meet requirements, they do a disservice to the government and all stakeholders, creating distractions that undermine public confidence and take resources away from all. The relationship between military healthcare contractors and the federal government brings resources and innovation to government healthcare systems.
Operational and Management Excellence is Key to Successful Partnerships
Military healthcare contractors who commit to high levels of excellence and continuous improvement are excellent partners with the federal government. The government has high expectations for contractors concerning patient outcomes, human resources management, infrastructure, and organizational capacity and stability.
- Military healthcare contractors must be Equal Opportunity Employers. They must have practices that meet Department of Labor (DOL) regulations. In addition to DOL requirements, government contractors have additional requirements. For example, they must provide health and other fringe benefits in alignment with the Service Contract Act (SCA) regulations. Meeting the requirements of the SCA is good for both employees and employers. Fringe benefits are an important part of employee compensation. Higher job satisfaction results in an engaged workforce. Tracking and reporting HR metrics require solid Human Resources Information Systems (HRIS) and Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS).
- Military healthcare contractors that provide healthcare personnel must conduct thorough and high-quality credentialing and security checks.
- Government healthcare contractors should ensure that representatives are accessible to employees and partners.
- Effective government healthcare contractors must have stability and the agility to adjust to changing demands and needs. This balance requires adequate financial resources to ensure that fiscal responsibilities such as payroll are adequately covered.
- Government healthcare contractors need good systems and internal controls to ensure accurate invoicing and documentation of deliverables. The systems should be created to ensure that the DHA can process invoices efficiently and confidently in quality and accuracy.
- Government contractors must have the infrastructure to deliver the results and engage in performance management and continuous improvement. This capability often requires an investment in a robust IT system. They must have access to the Advanced Procurement Portal (APP) and have staff members with familiarity to navigate the system. The best government healthcare contractors will be well-versed in program analysis and committed to continuous improvement. They must have the hardware and software to report and analyze key performance metrics.
Government healthcare contractors with a track record of excellence and a commitment to providing safe and high-quality patient care may be certified by the Joint Commission. This accreditation certifies that the government healthcare contractor possesses the highest level of knowledge and achievement in patient safety and quality. That requires continuous compliance with performance standards. Health Care Staffing Services with Joint Commission Gold Seal have the infrastructure and knowledge to partner with the Defense Health Agency to deliver top-notch healthcare services and ensure combat medical readiness.
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Epic Government has a proven track record of partnering with federal, state, and county governments to provide quality program management, solutions, and healthcare services. Epic Government is experienced in Health, Health IT, Human Performance, Administration, Correctional Healthcare, Behavioral Health, Research and Development, and numerous other programs.
Epic Government has earned The Joint Commission’s Gold Seal of Approval® for Health Care Staffing Services Certification by demonstrating continuous compliance with its performance standards. The Gold Seal is a symbol of quality that reflects a healthcare organization’s commitment to providing safe and quality patient care.
To find out more about how to partner with Epic Government to meet your mission, please contact us today!