“The Defense Department isn’t convinced that a unified health command with authority over all medical forces across the armed services makes sense right now, according to Thomas McCaffery, assistant secretary of defense for health affairs. The Defense Health Agency, established in 2013 as a support agency, is still in the midst of a consolidation that includes taking over management of medical facilities while also managing the rollout of the $5.3 billion MHS Genesis electronic health record.”
“At a Dec. 5 hearing of the House Armed Services Committee, McCaffery said there is “unanimity within the department [that] we don’t believe this is the time for us to go down that path” given the current pace of change. “Our feeling is it is better to see how does DHA function with their new responsibilities before we were…to talk about you know, would you convert that or change [DHA] into an even larger… command across the Department.”
“McCaffery said the idea of a unified health command, which Congress asked the Pentagon to explore, is “worthwhile” to examine, “but…” Read the full post here.
Source: FCW Insider – Dec. 10. FCW.
