The relationship among the medical components of the military services and the Defense Health Agency (DHA) comes down to one driving factor: support.
“We’re right there with you,” said Navy Vice Adm. Raquel Bono, DHA director. “My goal is to support all the services in executing what you are also directed to do from your senior leaders. The value we bring is how well we support you and your missions.”
Part of that support, said Bono, is demonstrated in ongoing reforms throughout the Military Health System the DHA is helping make a reality. One example is standardizing clinical and business practices across the services, such as how patients are admitted and transferred even within hospitals and clinics. She said while the people at DHA believe some variation might be needed on a facility-by-facility basis, it needs to be done with quality of patient care and safety first and foremost in mind. “We need to ask ourselves, ‘Does it make a difference? Have we really improved the quality of our care when we do that?’ It’s a conversation we need to have.”
Bono spoke before approximately 400 Air Force Medical Service senior leaders during an annual workshop in Leesburg, Virginia, Nov. 15. She said in an operating room near the battlefield, unless you can see their boots, no one knows, and, really, no one cares what service the doctor comes from.
“Think about what we did downrange (locations near the battlefield),” said Bono. “We had the highest survivability from the last 15 years of war than we’ve ever had in any conflict. And I’ll venture to say it’s because we did it together. Being able to take those lessons and bring them back home is the kind of effort we want to concentrate on.”
Bono said DHA is in the thick of executing policies from the top Department of Defense levels and taking care of the warfighters, along with all the services. That’s why she’s made fortifying the relationship with the services one of her top priorities.
“Each of the services has something of extreme value to offer for the support of our troops,” she said. “There are many unique things each of the services offers, but I also know there’s an awful lot we do that’s very similar across the services. My goal is to support us all collectively.”
Finally, the admiral pointed to changes in managing TRICARE worldwide and the implementation of a new modernized and interoperable electronic health record, MHS GENESIS, as some of the ways DHA is streamlining operations. Upgrading the system of benefits and improving the ways records are shared electronically also helps keep doctors and nurses current and competent on their skills.
“If we can recapture care and optimize what we’ve got internally, then we can augment and complement that with our partnerships,” said Bono. “And now we have a viable model that has applicability to all of us.”