In the upcoming year, Navy Medicine will look to medical informatics, the use of telemedicine solutions and technology, as well as standardize clinical, nonclinical and business practices and improve strategic communication and message alignment to accomplish these goals.

Moving forward, we must innovate, position our direct-care system to recapture private sector care and deliver best value to our patients. We must integrate the incredible strides we have made in combat casualty care in the Iraq/Afghanistan theater to be deployable to any scenario or region.

Mission readiness for our sailors and Marines at home and abroad is our first priority, and, beyond that, there is no greater honor than the opportunity to provide care to our wounded, ill and injured. They are heroes, and we who are fortunate enough to care for them understand this great responsibility. As our wounded warriors return from combat to begin the healing process, they deserve a seamless and comprehensive approach to their recovery. We help them to heal in body, mind and spirit. Our focus is multi-disciplinary-based care, bringing together medical treatment providers, social workers, case managers, behavioral health providers and chaplains.

Family-centered medicine is a Navy Medicine core concept of care. This identifies each patient as a participant in his or her own healthcare and recognizes the vital importance of the family, military culture and the chain of command in supporting our patients. Navy Medicine will accomplish this through its Medical Home Port model and improved access to care at Navy Medicine facilities. Since its implementation, we have seen a decrease in wait times, increase in access to care, and a decrease in emergency room visits.

Over the past several months, Navy Medicine leaders have prioritized organizational opportunities and challenges to build a better and more integrated command around Navy and Marine Corps priorities. As a result, we are executing a realignment plan for the Navy Medicine enterprise that will continue to evolve to meet these requirements. The realignment is designed to enhance accountability, command and control, and ensure representation of Navy equities both across the enterprise and throughout the fleet.

The most significant example of the reorganization involved re-scoping the organization, responsibilities and structure of what was Navy Medicine Support Command (NMSC). NMSC and its leadership did an outstanding job throughout their existence, but as the needs of our customers change and the dynamics of the environment we operate in changes, we also had to flex and adapt to meet those shifting requirements.

SAN DIEGO (Sept. 5, 2012) Lt. Larry Burns, a medical physicist, assigned to Naval Medical Center San Diego (NMCSD), operates the Varian Trilogy system after the Linear Accelerator (LINAC) grand opening ceremony in NMCSD's radiation oncology department. The linear accelerator is used to care for cancer patients with radiation, treating superficial to deep tumors. NMCSD's LINAC was first used Aug. 9, and currently treats approximately 20 patients per day. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Chad A. Bascom/Released)

In July 2012, NMSC was renamed and rescoped from a regional command into Navy Medicine Education and Training Command (NMETC) with a primary focus on education and training. The command is headquartered in San Antonio, TX, and has detachments in Jacksonville, FL, and Bethesda, MD. NMETC now works closely with the Bureau of Medicine and Surgery’s (BUMED) new education and training department to ensure our medical personnel continue to be equipped with the best training military medicine can provide. They  also work closely with leadership at the Medical Education and Training Campus (METC) in San Antonio to ensure our Navy personnel are well-supported and that we maintain seamless and focused training for our corpsmen who keep our sailors and Marines medically fit and ready. Embodying Navy Medicine’s priority of jointness, METC is the largest consolidation of training facilities in the history of the Department of Defense, centralizing all Army, Navy and Air Force enlisted medical training.

Another major initiative of the Navy Medicine reorganization was to create another new department within BUMED dedicated solely to research and development and appoint a flag officer to oversee it. Navy Medicine would not be able to accomplish its mission without a robust research and development community. It sets the groundwork for all of the innovative research we provide, whether on the battlefield or on our humanitarian assistance missions around the world. The ongoing work of our researchers also has a direct impact on the treatment we are able to provide. Many wounded warriors are walking, talking and leading productive lives today because of the research and medical advancements in wound management, wound repair and reconstruction, as well as extremity and internal hemorrhage control and phantom limb pain in amputees. Our R&D programs are truly force multipliers to Navy Medicine’s success and enable us to remain agile in the world-class healthcare we provide to our servicemembers and beneficiaries. How military medicine takes on this challenge will set the stage for decades to come, especially with respect to the quality, accessibility and reliability of support veterans and their families receive.

In closing, Navy Medicine is an agile and powerful healthcare team because of our professional and dedicated shipmates, all of whom are working around the world to provide outstanding healthcare and support services to our beneficiaries. As we turn the corner on more than a decade of war, our heroes are celebrated and our losses are mourned. We have been all in, heavily deployed, and Navy Medicine remains strong, capable and mission-ready to deliver world-class care, anytime, anywhere. I have never been more proud of the men and women of Navy Medicine. In any corner of the world or any sea state, when you need them, they will deliver.