"The status quo is just not enough—DHA is fundamentally transforming the way we deliver care–enabled by technology—to improve our patients’ and your lives,” said U.S. Army Lt. Gen. Telita Crosland, Director, Defense Health Agency, as she kicked off the DHA Network and MTF Directors Symposium in Leesburg, Virginia.
More than 450 attendees—DHA Network directors and leadership teams from military hospitals and clinics from across the globe, along with DHA headquarters subject matter experts—participated in the symposium, designed to provide health care leaders with realistic solutions to their local challenges.
The theme of the symposium, “Redefining Value: Empowering our Leaders to Deliver on our Promises to our Patients & Teams,” reflected the agency’s desire to alter the collective mindset, empowering staff to lead the way in transformative change.
The symposium was an opportunity for “leaders to understand the DHA strategy, their role in it, with success measured by attendees leaving this room with the clarity to row in the same direction and with a sense of optimism that we’re capable of building on our health system of greatness,” said Crosland.
Crosland spoke to the DHA Strategic Plan, a forward-thinking framework to strengthen the foundation of military hospitals and clinics and harness the best technology has to offer.
She noted, “This is not a final strategy. We’re on a trajectory. We need to come together as a team and adopt an agile mindset.”
DHA senior leaders explained that the strategy embodies a transformation of the current health care delivery model. The change is reflected by My Military Health, a brand new set of digital tools that enhances the patient experience, making health care more convenient, flexible, and personalized.
Leaders at the symposium participated in demonstrations of the My Military Health digital tools currently available at several DHA hospitals. The new tools are expected to be available to all DHA locations in 2025.
The symposium also featured renowned experts sharing their experiences in leading change, including:
- Dr. Jag Singh, professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School and the former clinical director of the cardiology division at Massachusetts General Hospital, spoke to the future of artificial intelligence in health care.
- Dr. Toby Cosgrove, the former president and chief executive officer of the Cleveland Clinic, spoke to the patient-first ideology in modern medicine.
- Dr. Jamie Coleman, a trauma surgeon and expert in holistic wellness, spoke to how the DHA can address provider burnout.
- Dr. Namrata Rastogi, a strategic leader and family medicine physician, talked about her own experience introducing digital transformation to the United Kingdom’s National Health Service.
For more about the mission and vision of the Defense Health Agency, key priority areas, and enterprise support to the Joint Force, visit: www.health.mil/DHA.