Medical Inspector General Evaluates Readiness at Naval Medical Forces Atlantic

“We are excited to have the MEDIG team visit our command,” described Carolyn Medina, the NMFL regional medical inspector general. “We have worked hard this past year and it has been more challenging with the transition of clinical staff and operations to the Defense Health Agency, which affected what programs would be inspected.”

About 12 inspectors and augments provided 50 evaluations of command programs and collateral duties over three days to improve performance and processes. The MEDIG team worked with command program managers to verify optimal functionality of inspected programs through the employment of self-assessments developed by Navy Medicine program owners.

“We inspect to ensure the programs are serving the command’s needs,” explained Capt. Trent L. Outhouse, the MEDIG. “It is the program managers who are responsible for the program’s functionality at all times.”

The information gleaned from the inspection will help validate and inform Rear Adm. Darin K. Via, the acting Navy Surgeon General, of NMFL’s readiness posture and command climate. The insights gained from this evaluation will also help hone the command’s best practices and procedures across NMFL’s area of responsibility.

“The MEDIG team really liked our structure of the programs,” stated Hospital Corpsman 1st Class John Gorey, the primary lead for the command indoctrination and sponsorship programs. “They wished for us to push our processes down to the region to implement.”

During the visit, there were open-door opportunities and focus groups for staff to provide an avenue to address concerns and communicate them with members of the MEDIG team. The focus groups included civilians, active duty and Reserve members of all ranks and grades.

“The focus groups were an opportunity for everyone to provide feedback on what they see within the command and how they feel about it,” said Hospital Corpsman 1st Class Charles M. Nallie, Jr., an action officer for planning, operations and medical intelligence.

The MEDIG team identified 24 exceptional programs that were of superior performance and the program managers were recognized for their attention to detail and keen organizational skills that provided a positive impact on the command’s inspection results.

“You are setting the standard, and your echelon four commands are following through,” expressed Outhouse during an all-hands debrief. “So that right there shows effective leadership and communication from the program managers at this level that is being promogulated down, and that is exactly what we want to see.”

The NMFL IG team worked for 8-months to ensure the command had enough time to address any program discrepancies before the 30-day inspection notification. As a result, out of the 50 programs inspected, 47 were fully compliant and exceeded the MEDIG goal by receiving a 96% score.

“We have been empowered by our leadership to solve problems and conduct self-assessments,” articulated Medina. “We understand our strengths and shortcomings, but through our teambuilding principles we continue to improve.”

MEDIG inspections take place approximately every three years to assess a command’s effectiveness, capability, and quality of programs in accordance with the Secretary of the Navy, Office of the Chief of Naval Operations and BUMED directives and instructions.

“We are so proud of our teams for their hard work,” concluded NMFL Commander Rear Adm. Matthew Case. “They put in tireless efforts to ensure our programs are running smoothly.”

NMFL, headquartered in Portsmouth, Virginia, delivers operationally focused medical expertise and capabilities to meet Fleet, Marine and Joint Force requirements by providing equipment, sustainment and maintenance of medical forces during combat operations and public health crises. NMFL provides oversight for 21 NMRTCs, logistics, and public health and dental services throughout the U.S. East Coast, U.S. Gulf Coast, Cuba, Hawaii, Europe, and the Middle East.

Navy Medicine – represented by more than 44,000 highly-trained military and civilian health care professionals – provides enduring expeditionary medical support to the warfighter on, below, and above the sea, and ashore.