Navy's New Surgeon General Settles In
Navy Vice Adm. Matthew Nathan became the top uniformed medical professional for the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps on Nov. 18. He heads a global health care network of 63,000 Navy medical personnel.
Navy Vice Adm. Matthew Nathan, who became the top uniformed medical professional for the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps on Nov. 18, outlined some of his priorities in a Nov. 29 commentary written for Navy Medicine Live, a blog for the global health care network of 63,000 Navy medical personnel to provide care to more than 1 million eligible beneficiaries.
Nathan, who also serves as chief of the Navy Bureau of Medicine and Surgery, thanked the community for its service, leadership, and accomplishments.
"Though numerous challenges abound, I sleep better at night given the leadership team I inherited," Nathan wrote. He mentioned several issues, including combat casualty care, readiness, and health care IT. "We will not make true headway on the cost or access to health care without continued leverage of IM/IT, both at the micro level (patient care, PHR, Medical Home, etc.) and the macro level (EMR, CPOE, DOD/VA/Referral Care transparency)," he wrote. "Good people are doing hard work on this, but make no mistake, get on this bus and create that expectation at the deck plate while I work strategically at headquarters to find enterprise solutions.
"I am encouraged by the opportunities and the shaping that will occur as we find our equilibrium with the evolving tactical and strategic imperatives," he concluded. "I am grateful we are shipmates and I look forward to rolling up our sleeves together and doing what we do best, providing 'World-Class Care … Anytime, Anywhere!'"