Qualifying Military Health Care Officers as "Joint": Weighing the Pros and Cons

This research, part of a larger project examining the preparation and support of leaders in the medical field, evaluates the need for and feasibility of qualifying health care officers as "joint" officers. An extensive policy review and assessment of data from the 2005 Joint Officer Management survey suggest that such officers are indeed serving in billets that need and provide joint duty experience for which they should receive credit.
Over the past few years, there has been increasing recognition that the Military Health System (MHS) has to transform itself and the way it does business. This is driven by the rapid escalation in health care costs, a changing environment with a growing emphasis on performance management, the unprecedented challenges facing the U.S. military at home and abroad that require new roles and responsibilities, and the need to transform the medical force so that future medical support is fully aligned with joint concepts. For example, the 2006 MHS Quadrennial Defense Review (QDR) Roadmap for Technical Transformation highlighted the importance of preparing health care leaders to succeed in joint, performance-based environments.