Joint Task Force National Capital Region/Medical

The Joint Task Force National Capital Region Medical (JTF CapMed), located on the Naval Support Activity Bethesda campus in Bethesda, Maryland, also known as the JTF CapMed headquarters, was established by the Deputy Secretary of Defense, Gordon R. England, as a fully functional Standing Joint Task Force with authority to ensure the effective and efficient delivery of military healthcare within the National Capital Region (NCR).

National Capital Region Medical is the premier health care system serving the unique needs of our Wounded, Ill and Injured, Active Duty, retired Service members and their families. It is the Military’s first Integrated Health Care Delivery System (IDS) serving all of the patients in the NCR. It provides the world’s best care and rehabilitation for our nation’s most severely injured Warriors. Our number one priority is care for our Wounded Warriors and their family members. With new and enhanced infrastructure, new technologies, best clinical and business practices, we will meet the congressional mandate for world-class care. Walter Reed National Military Medical Center (WRNMMC) and Fort Belvoir Community Hospital (FBCH) have proud traditions based on those of Walter Reed Army Medical Center (WRAMC), the National Naval Medical Center (NNMC) and the DeWitt Army Community Hospital (DACH).

Establishment
Effective September 14, 2007, Deputy Secretary of Defense Gordon England established the JTF CapMed under command of RADM John Mateczun, MC, USN. This joint task force was established to ensure effective and efficient delivery of world-class military healthcare within the National Capital Region (NCR) using all available military healthcare resources and oversee the consolidation and realignment of military healthcare within the joint operating area (JOA) in accordance with the 2005 Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) Act.

Authority
The Commander of the JTF CapMed will act as the senior medical officer in the JOA. The Commander will organize staff and reporting organizations to execute the mission. The Commander shall have the authority to compile budgets for the units assigned to JTF CapMed and distribute and direct resources as needed within the JOA to accomplish mission objectives.

Leadership
JTF CapMed is commanded by Army Major General Steve Jones, who assumed command in March 2011. Prior to Jones, Navy Vice Admiral John Mateczun, MD, served as the first JTF CapMed commander from Sept. 2007-March 2011.

On-Going Mission
Serving Our People. JTF CapMed’s success depends on the combined contributions of our active, reserve, civilian, and contract personnel and their families. Their personal readiness is essential to our mission. JTF CapMed’s priority is caring for the caregivers. The people at JTF CapMed, the MTFs, the clinics and the centers provide healthcare often under trying circumstances, but it remains a covenant responsibility to care for them. Interoperability and Leadership. Leadership is key to service. JTF CapMed is currently in a unique situation to be able to draw leadership potential from all Services. Each Service brings unique and critical capabilities to the team, and provides JTF CapMed with the “best of the best.” Yet, with interoperability, the fusion of working together on all levels must come with teamwork and trust. These are the keys to agile leadership and interoperability between the Services. Regional Health Care Delivery. Integrated planning for the efficient and effective delivery of services on a regional basis is the key to quality and to mission success. JTF CapMed will use common business standards and clinical processes to maximize region-wide growth and potential.

Objectives
Deliver integrated healthcare in the NCR, ensure readiness, and execute the BRAC business plans to achieve the vision.

JTF CapMed objectives are to ensure effective and efficient delivery of world-class military healthcare in the National Capital Region; oversee execution of the NCR Medical Base Realignment and Closure; and conduct other missions as assigned to improve management, performance and efficiency of the Military Health System. Establishing a clear and concise vision, Navy Vice Adm. John Mateczun, former JTF CapMed commander, proposed that the future Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda, MD would be: “A world-class medical center at the hub of the nation’s premier regional health care system serving our military and our nation. We will deliver integrated health care in the NCR, ensure readiness, and execute the BRAC business plan to achieve the vision.” To accomplish this unified medical mission, the medical services of the Army, Navy and Air Force in the NCR integrated to ensure the best utilization of resources available. This eliminated redundancies, enhanced clinical care, promoted health profession education and joint training, and enhanced military medical research opportunities. This integration furthered the growth of transformative efforts with government, community and private sector partners.

JTF CapMed aligns to the Military Health System’s Quadruple Aim of: Readiness, Population Health and Per Capita Cost.

Readiness: Ensuring that the families and individuals that make up the total military force is medically ready to deploy and that the medical force is ready to deliver health care anytime, anywhere in support of the full range of military operations, including humanitarian missions.

Experience of Care: Providing a care experience that is patient- and family- centered, compassionate, convenient, equitable, safe, and always of the highest quality.

Population Health: Reducing the generators of ill health by encouraging healthy behaviors and decreasing the likelihood of illness through focused prevention, chronic care management and the development of increased resilience. Per Capita Cost: Creating value by focusing on quality, eliminating waste, and reducing unwarranted variation; considering the total cost of care over time, not just the cost of an individual health care activity.

BRAC Results
BRAC consolidated four NCR inpatient hospitals into two (Walter Reed National Military Medical Center). To date, this was the most complex and largest Base Realignment and Closure project in the history of the Department of Defense. The end result for the combined projects at the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center and Fort Belvoir Community Hospital was $2.8 billion in construction and outfitting of more than 3 million square feet of new and renovated medical and administrative space; consolidation of more than 4,400 civilian personnel; relocation of 224 Wounded Warriors and their families; and migration of 9,600 medical staff.

Integrated Delivery System
JTF CapMed working in conjunction with the three Service Commands and the NCR MTFs executed $19.3M installation of an Integrated Healthcare Data Network (JMED) which provides a common desktop and a standardized suite of IT tools for providers across the NCR. This improves visibility of patient information (patient data, radiology images, and email), and reduces sustainment costs throughout all NCR medical facilities.

Joint Military Treatment Facilities (MTFs) provide the foundation for the NCR Medical Integrated Delivery System. This is the DoD’s first foray into a multi-service system under a single authority. The intent of the IDS is to Improve Quality, Reduce Costs, Provide Consumer Responsiveness and Benefit the DoD Beneficiary Community.

Operations
JTF CapMed has both operational and fiscal control over both – WRNMMC & FBCH, as well as tactical control over the 32 medical clinics within the National Capital Region. This pertains to a staff of more than 9,700 and annual operating budget of $1.35B.

The Future
Since the successful completion of BRAC, new construction and facilities were installed at the renamed Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, and a brand new facility was opened in Fort Belvoir, VA — the Fort Belvoir Community Hospital. In March 2012, Army Major General Steve Jones, became the acting Commander of JTF CapMed, having most recently served as the Deputy Commander for JTF CapMed. As Commander of JTF CapMed, Jones assumed responsibility for providing world-class health care to more than 280,000 enrolled beneficiaries within the NCR.

In his new role, Jones has vowed that “NCR Medical will operate as a single entity with a regional, unified perspective for all aspects of healthcare delivery in the Joint Operations Area—to optimize the health and healthcare services for our beneficiary population. There will be one standard of care and access, regardless of where an individual is enrolled or treated, emphasizing a patient and family-centric commitment.”

Constituent commands
U.S. Army: Walter Reed Army Medical Center; DeWitt Army Community Hospital; Kimbrough Ambulatory Care Center; Dunham U.S. Health Clinic; Barquist Army Health Clinic; Kirk U.S. Army Health Clinic; Fairfax Family Health Clinic; Rader Army Health Clinic; DiLorenzo TRICARE Health Clinic; Woodbridge Army Health Clinic

U.S. Navy: National Naval Medical Center; Naval Health Clinic Quantico; Naval Health Clinic Patuxent River; Naval Health Clinic USUHS; Naval Health Clinic Carderock; Naval Health Clinic Lakehurst; Naval Air Facility Health Clinic Andrews; Naval Health Clinic Willow Grove; Naval Health Clinic Mechanicsburg; Naval Health Clinic Dahlgren; Naval Health Clinic Indian Head; Naval Health Clinic Washington Navy Yard; Naval Health Clinic Earle; Naval Health Clinic Sugar Grove; Philadelphia Naval Business Center Health Clinic

U.S. Air Force: Malcolm Grow Medical Center; 79th Medical Wing; Bolling Air Force Base 579th Health Clinic; 11th Medical Group Flight Medicine Clinic