Navy Medicine Makes House Call During Dallas Navy Week

By Valerie A. Kremer, Navy Bureau of Medicine and Surgery Public Affairs

DALLAS, Texas (NNS) -- The Veterans Affairs North Texas Health Care System (VANTHCS) and Navy Medicine examined shared initiatives focused on best practices in patient centered and veteran care as part of Dallas Navy Week, April 7.

Rear Adm. Richard C. Vinci, Navy Bureau of Medicine and Surgery, deputy chief, Logistics and Installations, met with leadership, staff, and patients, and toured the VANTHCS facility during the visit.

"We are grateful Rear Adm. Vinci visited our facility during Dallas Navy Week," said Mark Doskocil, acting director, VA North Texas Health Care System. "The opportunity to share information about best practices, advancements, and the exceptional health care we provide to our Nation's veterans was a bonus," said Doskocil. "Our patients and employees were also honored to salute and meet the Admiral."

During the visit, leadership from VANTHCS and Vinci shared similarities and best practices in the Navy's Medical Home Port model. In this model, patients are assigned a team of health care providers that monitor their needs and continued care of the patient. The model leads to better coordination of health care services and decreased emergency room visits.

VANTHCS's similar initiative is called Patient Aligned Care Team (PACT). The model is comparable to the Medical Home Port model, assigning the veteran with a professional health care team that plans care and life-long health and wellness needs for the patient.

"Gaining this shared knowledge and learning best practices from the VANTHCS PACT model provides insight as to how both organizations are providing the same type of care and moving in the same direction when it comes to patient centered care," said Vinci. "As Navy Medicine fully implements the Medical Home Port model across the Navy Medicine enterprise, we will continue to share these best practices with the VANTHCS."

As the Department of Veterans Affairs' second largest health care system, VA North Texas Health Care System serves more than 100,000 veteran patients each year, delivering more than one million outpatient visits. The award-winning facility prides itself on providing exceptional care to America's heroes in 38 North Texas counties and two counties in southern Oklahoma.

Dallas Navy Week is one of 21 Navy weeks to take place across the country this year. Navy Weeks are designed to show Americans the investment they make in their Navy and increase awareness in cities that do not have a significant Navy presence.