headquarters above battalion throughout the theater Army. These officers coordinate
the various organizations and agencies that participate in the medical regulating
system.
c. Many factors must be considered in controlling the movement of patients,
including:
(1)
The current bed status of treatment facilities (beds occupied, not
occupied).
(2)
Specialty capabilities and location of each facility
(3)
Surgical backlog of each facility.
(4)
Number and location of patient by diagnostic category.
(5)
Availability of transportation.
(6)
Location of airfields.
(7)
Condition of patients (suitably stabilized to withstand movement).
(8)
Tactical situation.
7-23. INTRATHEATER MEDICAL REGULATING
a. Medical regulating within the corps is generally on an informal basis. The
medical brigade and group commanders assign missions to their subordinate hospitals
and evacuation units in support of the committed divisions. This establishes an
anticipated flow of patients from the division treatment stations to the CS and EVAC
hospitals of the corps. Through periodic and "spot" reports, the medical brigade MRO,
assisted by medical group MROs, further controls the movement of patients to prevent
the overloading of individual hospitals and the development of surgical backlog.
b. The "formal" medical regulating system begins in the hospitals assigned to
the corps.
(1) On a daily basis, physicians identify those patients who cannot be
returned to duty within the established evacuation policy; but can be sufficiently
stabilized to withstand movement to a COMMZ hospital.
(2) This information is reported by each patient care unit (ward) to the
patient administrator.
(3) The patient administrator in each hospital performs the medical
regulating function as an additional duty. He assembles all pertinent information from
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