Walter Reed to form integrated health system

Walter Reed Medical Center will join with the North Atlantic Regional Medical Command to form an integrated military health system in the D.C. area. The integration, a $1.5 billion project, comes as part of the military's larger Base Realignment and Closure plan. As part of the integration, which will be fully implemented in 2011, a new hospital will be built at Fort Belvoir and renovations will take place at Bethesda's National Naval Medical Center and Uniformed Services University. In addition, 540 Air Force personnel will be added to the system, saving money that might otherwise be spent on contractors.

The integration will include a shared calling center that will help military personnel and their families navigate the system. Walter Reed and Bethesda will also share patient medical records and have a standard set of medical by-laws.

- see this report from The Journal