JOINT BASE SAN ANTONIO-FORT SAM HOUSTON, Texas -- The San Antonio Market will celebrate its one-year anniversary as a unified military health care system this week.
San Antonio’s military treatment facilities officially united as a market with the Defense Health Agency during a ceremony at Brooke Army Medical Center on July 16, 2021.
“We’ve made remarkable strides in the past year,” said U.S. Air Force Brig. Gen. Jeannine Ryder, San Antonio Market director and commander, 59th Medical Wing. “I am impressed with this team’s agility and flexibility, no matter how difficult the task.”
Over the past year and in the midst of an unprecedented pandemic, the market sustained its readiness and health care missions while improving system-wide collaborations and supporting military operations around the world, Ryder noted. Additionally, military medical personnel deployed across the nation to bolster care in areas hard-hit by the pandemic.
“We also aced our Joint Commission inspection, earning the Gold Seal of Approval for health care quality and safety, and successfully launched MHS GENESIS this year,” she added. MHS GENESIS is the Military Health System’s new electronic health record aimed at creating better continuity of care for military members, retirees and their families.
These successes are due to the market’s most valuable resource - its people, noted U.S. Army Brig. Gen. Deydre Teyhen, San Antonio Market deputy director and BAMC commander. “Our people are and will remain our greatest asset,” she said.
The San Antonio Market is the Defense Health Agency’s largest multi-service market. It’s sprawled across the region, encompassing Brooke Army Medical Center, Wilford Hall Ambulatory Surgical Center, 10 stand-alone military treatment facilities, seven dental treatment facilities, the DoD’s only Level I Trauma Center and Burn Center, and over 100 specialty services – staffed by about 14,000 Army, Navy, Air Force, civilian and contract personnel.
Working alongside TRICARE partners, VA hospitals, and federal and civilian health care partners, the market operates as a single system to optimize personnel and resources and improve access to care for more than 240,000 military beneficiaries across the region.
“The San Antonio Market is truly unique in its size, complexity of care, and readiness training capabilities,” Ryder said.
Additionally, the market structure enables optimized care for service members and their families, whether they move here or to installations around the world during their time in service.
“Our warfighters should have the best outcome and the best of all services, no matter where they go and whether they see a provider from the Army, Navy or Air Force,” Teyhen said.
Moving forward as a market, beneficiaries will see more common processes and a simplified means to access care, whether that’s in a military or civilian setting, Ryder said.
“We are continually seeking ways to optimize our resources to improve the overall experience for our patients and our team,” she said.
While the market will be celebrating its first anniversary this week, San Antonio’s military treatment facilities have been collaborating to deliver safe, quality care for decades, Ryder said.
“I can’t express the pride I feel, being part of an outstanding and cohesive market team working toward the purpose of unified effort for an integrated health system - to enhance the care we provide and to be prepared to provide it in combat,” she said. “I have no doubt the San Antonio Market will continue to mature with sustained collaboration within the San Antonio Market team, the DHA, and our military and community partners.”