FALLS CHURCH, Va. –
Defense Health Agency Director Vice Adm. Darin K. Via has formally established regional centers of excellence to deliver premier specialty care supporting critical warfighting capabilities.
Emerging in response to the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2023, the new Specialty Care Centers of Excellence are designed to enhance warfighter medical readiness and improve healthcare quality for all Military Health System beneficiaries, aligning with Via’s Lines of Effort to reinforce DHA as a combat support agency.
In expanding the Centers of Excellence, DHA will mirror the successful models of established centers within the enterprise in oncology, traumatic brain injury, and ocular trauma. The new Centers of Excellence combine expertise, resources, and patient referrals to serve as specialized facilities providing “integrated, interdisciplinary care for complex medical and surgical conditions,” said Dr. Chin Hee Kim, action officer for Specialty Care Centers of Excellence and deputy chief of the medicine clinical service line at DHA. This effort underscores the agency’s commitment “to modernizing the MHS through this now larger network of cutting-edge facilities,” she added.
“We’ve had many years of experience with Centers of Excellence with a primary focus on research. This new initiative is focused on how we can optimize patient care delivery,” she elaborated. Formal designation of these centers “helps us communicate and highlight the great work that's been going on for decades, so that our beneficiaries choose to receive care within military hospitals and clinics.” The military hospitals and clinics receiving Center of Excellence designation are:
In May 2026, fifteen military hospitals received an “A” from the nationally recognized Leapfrog safety assessment. Kim noted, “This formal designation validates all of the great work our military hospitals and clinics have been doing and also makes patients aware of the options they have.”
The formally designated Centers of Excellence include specialties in:
“Our Centers of Excellence provide the best possible care, convenience and cost savings to patients, empowering them to seek leading-edge, innovative care,” said Dr. Paul R. Cordts, deputy assistant director for medical affairs at DHA. “Implementing the Centers of Excellence across military hospitals and clinics will advance care for warfighters to be safe, healthy, and fit to fight.”
The expansion of the centers aims for service members and families to have access to first-rate, expert healthcare for any injury or illness, no matter the complexity, to bolster a ready medical force.
The strategic shift will ensure “all beneficiaries — past, present, and future — have more robust choices in access to timely, high-quality specialty care, leading to improved health outcomes and a stronger, healthier military community,” Kim said.
Cost savings for patients, complex cases for providers
The new Specialty Care Centers of Excellence presents potential financial advantages for both patients and the enterprise.
“Beneficiaries have the choice to receive care at a world-class Center of Excellence within the MHS, which may reduce out-of-pocket financial impact,” Kim said. Beyond individual savings, she noted that keeping complex cases inside the MHS lends further benefits “since providing healthcare is an inherent requirement, treating patients within our Specialty Care Centers of Excellence allows us to maximize existing clinical talent to deliver excellent care and significantly reduce private-sector costs.”
Treatment through Specialty Care Centers of Excellence attracts beneficiaries requiring complex multidisciplinary care to the MHS, which ensures military providers maintain their medical warrior currency and readiness for future operations. Kim noted consolidating multidisciplinary care teams for each specialty at the military hospitals and clinics will provide care teams with the capability and capacity to accept the most complicated cases within each discipline. “Centers of Excellence are uniquely positioned to treat complex diagnoses and conditions while supporting patient recovery across the continuum from diagnosis to rehabilitation.”
The establishment of Centers of Excellence “positions the MHS as a global leader, particularly in fields like maxillofacial restoration where no civilian equivalent exists,” Kim said, noting the agency’s “commitment ensures service members receive treatments that minimize lifelong maintenance and maximize long-term health.”
An example of benefits from a Specialty Care Center of Excellence, Kim said, is the pilot program in maxillofacial restoration demonstrating remarkable success. The study showed “94% of active-duty service members returned to full duty within 16 weeks of their operations,” directly reducing nondeployable days.
Streamlined referrals and partnerships
To ensure this expansion is seamless for military hospital and clinic healthcare providers, as well as TRICARE network providers, standardized referral processes are being implemented, solidifying a joint warfighting effort through data sharing and clinical cohesion.
All referrals to the Centers of Excellence will be managed by central referral management centers, according to Kim. “Each specialty has developed specific referral eligibility criteria that will soon be available to providers, referral managers, and managed care support contractors.”
The initiative also draws on flourishing partnerships between the Department of War and the Department of Veterans Affairs to share patient data, best practices, and clinical guidelines.
“Many beneficiaries we serve may transition at some point to the VA,” Kim said. “There is synergy between the two systems to mutually refer patients based on which side has the right set of expertise and resources to provide the care.”
At the foundation of the expansion is accessible, specialty care for the warfighter no matter the condition, she added. “This expansion will improve access because we're getting the right patients to the right location to get the right care that they deserve.”