Suvarna Garge (Editor)

Defense Health Agency

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Formed
  
October 1, 2013

Website
  
http://health.mil/dha

Headquarters
  
Falls Church, Virginia


Agency executive
  
Vice Adm. Raquel C. Bono, U.S. Navy, Director

The Defense Health Agency (DHA) is a joint, integrated Combat Support Agency that enables the U.S Army, U.S Navy, and U.S Air Force medical services to provide a medically ready force and ready medical force to Combatant Commands in both peacetime and wartime. The DHA supports the delivery of integrated, affordable, and high quality health services to MHS beneficiaries and is responsible for driving greater integration of clinical and business processes across the MHS by:

Contents

  • Implementing shared services with common measurement of outcomes;
  • Enabling rapid adoption of proven practices, helping reduce unwanted variation, and improving the coordination of care across time and treatment venues;
  • Exercising management responsibility for joint shared services and the TRICARE Health Plan; and
  • Acting as the market manager for the National Capital Region (NCR) enhanced Multi-Service Market, which includes Walter Reed National Military Medical Center (WRNMMC) and Fort Belvoir Community Hospital (FBCH).

    • History

    The United States Department of Defense established the DHA as part of a larger effort meant to reorganize its health care programs and services. The reorganization was based in part on the recommendations of a task force that issued a report on the management of U.S. military health care in 2011. Under the old system, many aspects of military health care were managed by the individual armed services (Army, Navy, and Air Force). DHA's mission is to "achieve greater integration of our direct and purchased health care delivery systems so that we accomplish the Department's Quadruple Aim: achieve medical readiness, improve the health of our people, enhance the experience of care, and lower our healthcare costs."

    Organizational structure

    The DHA operates under the authority and oversight of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Health Affairs. Assistant Secretary Jonathan Woodson, M.D., established the DHA's organizational structure, including six directorates (see organization tree at right).

    The Joint Task Force National Capital Region Medical is a medical directorate within the DHA.

    References

    Defense Health Agency Wikipedia
    (Text) CC BY-SA