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Understanding the Characteristics of Service Members with mTBI and Their Patterns of Treatment Can Inform the Delivery of High-Quality Care

• Service members who received treatment for a new mTBI diagnosis in 2012 tended to be young and junior enlisted.
• Most service members appeared to recover quickly following their mTBI diagnosis, but a minority had complex and persistent care needs.
• Most service members with a new mTBI diagnosis were diagnosed in an emergency department and had their next health care visit in a primary care setting.
• Many service members with a new mTBI diagnosis also received treatment for co-occurring behavioral health conditions, pain, and sleep disorders.
• Service members with a new mTBI diagnosis received a variety of assessments and treatments, such as CT scans, physical therapy, and pain medication, in the six months following the mTBI diagnosis, but there were differences by whether the service member had experienced a prior TBI.

Variations in Diagnostic Coding and Other Data Limitations Pose Challenges to Identifying Service Members with mTBI and Profiling Their Care

• Health care providers face confusing diagnostic coding guidelines and use inconsistent coding practices when diagnosing and treating TBI.

Variations in Diagnostic Coding and Other Data Limitations Pose Challenges to Identifying Service Members with mTBI and Profiling Their Care

• Available data track the characteristics of service members and their care, but there is a critical need for data on clinical outcomes, patient satisfaction, and other factors that would provide a more complete picture of an episode of mTBI care and more specific guidance for improving the quality of care for service members with mTBI.