Defense Planners Eye Unified Medical Command Concept

American Forces Press Service ^ | Donna Miles

[SandRat]

WASHINGTON, May 22, 2006 – Defense Department officials are weighing the potential benefits of merging the three military medical commands into one, unified command that would oversee all military health care as well as the training of military medical professionals.

The concept, if adopted, would bring together the Army, Air Force and Navy medical commands, enabling DoD to provide better care while keeping costs in check, Dr. David Tornberg, deputy assistant secretary of defense for clinical and program policy, told American Forces Press Service.

The DoD medical community is generally supportive of such a realignment, which Tornberg said would ensure more efficient use of health-care assets and programs and eliminate redundancies. It would also boost DoD's buying power so it gets more goods and services for its acquisition dollars, he said.

The plan "would also recognize that each of the service has service-unique requirements and cultures," said Tornberg.

The concept of a unified DoD medical command isn't new; in fact, it was first raised in 1942 and has resurfaced off and on over the years.

But with Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld pushing "jointness" to new levels, Tornberg said there's a strong indication the idea of a unified medical command may move beyond the talking stage.

Defense planners are putting together options for implementing the concept, and plan to present them to senior leadership within the next several months, said Tornberg, who co-chairs the working group. If approved, the plan will be included in the fiscal 2008 budget request, he said.

Throughout the process, the biggest litmus test will be how much such a merger would improve the military health-care system, Tornberg said. "No change would ever come at a price of quality," he said. "We are always striving to provide a higher-quality product, and this has the potential to help us."

Already, several examples of a unified approach to medical care are operating or in the works. For example, Landstuhl Regional Medical Center in Germany is a joint medical facility.

The 2005 Base Realignment and Closure plan, with big changes to military medicine in Washington and San Antonio offers a snapshot of what's likely to be ahead, Tornberg said.

It establishes the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center on the grounds of the National Naval Medical Center in nearby Bethesda, while closing the existing Walter Reed campus in Washington and Malcolm Grow Medical Center at nearby Andrews Air Force Base, Md.

BRAC 05 also creates the joint San Antonio Regional Medical Center at Brooke Army Medical Center and makes San Antonio the training hub for all enlisted medical technicians.

[SandRat]

Changes to Military Medical Care Structure???

[Seruzawa]

You'd think that someone like Rumsfeld would understand the importance of tradition in the military. No more Navy Meidal Corpsmen? A sad thing indeed.

That's what happens when you have MBAs pretending to run the military. Bean counters.

[ASOC]

"No change would ever come at a price of quality"

Bawhahaha (gasp, snort) Bawhahahaha - where have I heard this bit of noisome offal before? Tricare perhaps?

I will admit with the ramp-up in the ops tempo and huge retiree pt loads, something must be done.