Paula is likely compiling statistics on healthcare provided to service members for the most recent fiscal year, but I don’t have direct access to Paula’s dataset or official sources in this moment. I can help you outline what kind of statistics are typically collected, where they come from, and how to structure your analysis. If you want, I can also search for recent public reports that parallel Paula’s task. Here’s a practical framework you can use

• Data sources to consider
  • TRICARE utilization reports (claims, beneficiaries, service categories)

* Department of Defense health system reports (medical encounters, outpatient/inpatient statistics)

* Veterans Affairs healthcare statistics (enrollment, visits, episodes of care)

* Federal health care data trends and related epidemiology dashboards (veterans and active-duty populations)

* Pediatric and special health services usage within military-connected populations (EPSDT, special needs)

• Key metrics to collect
  • Total number of healthcare encounters (outpatient visits, inpatient admissions)
  • Utilization rates by beneficiary type (active duty, dependents, retirees)
  • Common diagnoses and procedure categories (ICD-10/CPT distributions)
  • Telehealth vs in-person visit proportions
  • Preventive services uptake (immunizations, screenings)
  • Mental health service utilization (depression, PTSD screenings, therapy encounters)
  • Access and continuity measures (wait times, transfer continuity across bases, network adequacy)
  • Out-of-pocket costs and coverage gaps (where Medicaid/TRICARE interactions matter for active-duty families)
• Data quality and privacy considerations
  • Ensure HIPAA compliance for any PHI; de-identification or proper consent is essential.

* Validate data completeness across installations and clinics (some sites may have lagging reporting).
* Document definitions (e.g., what counts as a “service member encounter,” how episodic care is grouped).

• Analysis plan (step-by-step)
  1. Define the scope: last fiscal year, populations included (active-duty, dependents, veterans), and settings (military treatment facilities, civilian network providers).
  2. Extract raw counts for encounters, beneficiaries, and costs by category.
  3. Compute rates (per 1,000 service members, per beneficiary, etc.) and confidence intervals if applicable.
  4. Identify top service lines (e.g., primary care, behavioral health, orthopedics) and trends year-over-year.
  5. Stratify by demographics (age, rank/branch if available) and by geographic region.
  6. Assess access indicators (appointment wait times, no-show rates).
  7. Summarize gaps and potential policy implications (e.g., gaps in pediatric or mental health care).
• Output formats to consider
  • Executive summary with 6–8 key metrics
  • A table of top 10 diagnoses and procedures
  • A chartset showing utilization trends (monthly/quarterly)
  • A brief methods section describing data sources and definitions
  • Appendices with data dictionaries and codebooks

If you’d like, I can help you:

• Draft a data request checklist for Paula to gather the necessary files
• Create a templated analysis plan with variable definitions
• Point you to specific public reports that resemble Paula’s task and might serve as benchmarks

Would you like me to locate recent public reports on healthcare utilization by service members and military families to inform Paula’s statistics? If so, tell me whether you want a quick summary or a detailed briefing with data points.