Gerry Cox

Experience

• 

  USS ENTERPRISE (CVN-65)

  Jun 1992 - Jun 1994

  Senior Medical Officer

  • Led the medical department on a nuclear-powered aircraft carrier, supervising 40 employees including four health care providers.• Responsible for providing routine, emergency, preventive, and occupational medical services to a crew of 3,200 people.

• 

  Naval Operational Medicine Institute

  Jul 1994 - Sept 1997

  Head, Medical Corps Programs

  • Program director and curriculum manager for the Navy’s 6-month long flight surgeon training course. Taught, mentored and supervised approximately 100 student physicians annually.• Served as the organization’s advisor for continuous quality improvement initiatives, principal advisor for strategic planning processes, and facilitator of executive leadership team meetings.• Led the team that conceived and planned the Navy’s annual operational and aerospace medicine symposium in 1994, 1995, and 1996, each attended by 375-450 medical professionals.• Coordinated medical student clerkships in aerospace medicine. Show less

• 

  Bureau of Medicine and Surgery

  Oct 1997 - May 1999

  Director, Clinical Operations Division

  • Principal advisor to the Surgeon General of the Navy on policy matters relating to clinical practice at the corporate headquarters level. Supervised staff of 18 clinicians, analysts, risk managers, case managers, and health care administrators.• Developed and implemented Navy-wide policies concerning quality of medical care, health outcomes measurement, utilization management, case management, and disease management. Oversaw Navy's risk management program including credentials and privileging, medicolegal investigations, and National Practitioner Data Bank reporting.• Collaborated with VA and DoD on adaptation and implementation of clinical practice guidelines. Led Navy's participation in Tri-Service "Population Health Improvement" working group. Championed effort to develop a birth product line which increased capacity and reduced costs across Navy's 28-hospital system. Oversaw management of breast care program, ensuring support of Congressional intent to improve early diagnosis, prevention, and education. Show less

• 

  Tulane University School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine

  Jan 1998 - Jan 2002

  Adjunct Assistant Professor

  • Created and taught 4-credit hour graduate course in “Quality and Outcomes Management” in Executive Master of Health Administration program (1998-2001)

• 

  The White House

  Jun 1999 - Jun 2001

  White House Physician

  • Competitively selected and carefully screened for Presidential support duty as Navy Physician to the White House. Provided medical care to the President of the United States, the Vice President, their families, White House Military Office, United States Secret Service, White House staff members, and visitors. Accompanied Presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush and Vice Presidents Al Gore and Dick Cheney on diplomatic missions and other official travel. • Appointed to head White House Medical Unit occupational health clinic; supervised four other physicians, five nurses, three physician assistants, and four enlisted medical technicians. Designed quality improvement program to ensure White House staff and visitors received safe, high quality care. • Collaborated with U.S. Secret Service to plan medical support needs associated with Presidential travel including medical capabilities of foreign countries, special requirements, and contingency planning in event of illness or injury. Developed comprehensive orientation and training programs for White House medical unit staff. Collaborated with Secret Service and Attending Physician to Congress to develop emergency medical support for the 2001 Presidential Inauguration. Show less

• 

  National Naval Medical Center

  Jul 2001 - May 2003

  Head, Primary Care Service Line and Chief, Emergency Medicine

  • Led the largest service line at the Navy's flagship academic medical center, including internal medicine, family medicine, emergency medicine/acute care, occupational medicine, preventive medicine, industrial hygiene, and health education departments plus 15 branch ambulatory care clinics. Managed more than 600 employees and combined budget of $17.8M per year. • Director of primary care and wellness services for 26,000 enrolled patients. Achieved 12.5% increase in enrollment in less than one year, expanding capacity by 3,000 primary care enrollees. Designed and implemented "One Call" initiative to recapture more than 400 specialty referrals that had been lost to civilian health care network.• Built high performance, customer focused emergency department (ED) management team, resulting in empowerment of all staff and dramatic improvement in customer satisfaction. Revised staffing to save $300K/year while enhancing patient safety and increasing ED visits by 5%, daily admissions by 30%, and average visit acuity above national benchmarks. Revitalized emergency medicine graduate medical education programs for house staff, medical students, and allied health professionals. Provided expert oversight for $1.5M ED renovation project. Show less

• 

  Headquarters, U.S. Marine Corps

  Jun 2003 - Jul 2006

  Director, Medical Programs and Deputy to the Medical Officer of the Marine Corps

  • Hand-selected as Deputy Medical Officer of the Marine Corps at Service headquarters level. Initiated, planned, and developed health care policy and doctrine for 180,000 Marines worldwide. • Oversaw $20M annual investment in biomedical science and technology to advance the future needs of the Marine Corps. Collaborated with senior Department of Defense health care leadership to champion funding and fielding of electronic deployment health assessments, combat trauma registry, and first employment of electronic medical record by Marines in combat.• Facilitated multidisciplinary team establishing realistic training for medical professionals deploying into combat environments. • Championed efforts to prevent, identify, and treat combat stress casualties before and after deployments. Show less

• 

  U.S. Naval Hospital Okinawa

  Aug 2006 - Jun 2008

  COO/Executive Officer

  • Competitively screened and selected as second-in-command of U.S. Navy's largest overseas hospital. Managed 1,100 employees and annual budget of $52M. • Championed alliance with two other naval hospitals in western Pacific to share subspecialty resources, increase patient satisfaction, and realize higher levels of efficiency, resulting in estimated annual cost avoidance of $6M. Integrated physical therapy, mental health, and substance abuse services at clinics across Okinawa, improving quality of care for Marines in garrison. • Led transformation of dashboard metrics that aligned readiness, productivity, and quality of care measures. Established culture of continuous quality improvement and patient safety by partnering with Institute for Healthcare Improvement and developing meaningful performance scorecards. Show less

• 

  Naval Hospital Camp Lejeune

  Jul 2008 - Jul 2010

  CEO/Commanding Officer

  • Competitively screened and selected for major command position. Managed $120M/year budget and supervised 1,900 employees (50% military service members and 50% government civilians) serving 150,000 beneficiaries in rural eastern North Carolina. • Transitioned organizational climate from productivity focus to a culture emphasizing safe, patient-centered, high quality care. Drove population health measures above 90th percentile benchmarks, earning largest performance-based budget award of any Navy hospital. Promoted organizational philosophy focused on patient safety and professional collaboration, allowing obstetric capacity to safely grow from 120-140 to 175-200 births/month (3rd busiest of 26 Navy hospitals). • Expanded services for returning combat veterans in response to rapid growth in beneficiary population of 20,000 individuals. Implemented VA/DoD integrated disability evaluation system pilot project to streamline transition processes for wounded warriors.• Communicated organizational vision, goals, and expectations to multiple internal and external stakeholders including senior leadership, the larger health care community, and Federal, state and local agencies. Guided organization through successful accreditation and inspection surveys. Spearheaded design and planning for $122M, 109,000 sq.ft. hospital expansion and renovation project. Show less

• 

  U.S. Naval Forces Central Command/U.S. FIFTH FLEET

  Aug 2010 - Jun 2012

  Chief Medical Officer/Force Surgeon

  • Hand-selected as senior medical advisor to the commander of U.S. Navy forces in the 20-nation Central Command area of responsibility, including Iraq and Afghanistan. Planned and implemented medical support operations for national security contingencies in the Arabian Gulf and Middle East region. • Oversaw quality standards and programs and mentored senior health care executives at two combat trauma hospitals in Afghanistan, an expeditionary Naval hospital in Kuwait, and a primary care clinic in a remote desert area of Bahrain. Provided clinical and administrative support to more than 600 Navy medical professionals deployed in combat across the region. • Strategically planned, directed, and coordinated procedures for medical evacuation of ill and injured crew members from Naval vessels. Partnered with U.S. State Department, other military service branches, and host nation hospitals to assure Western-standard quality of care for U.S. Navy members and families throughout the Middle East. Show less

• 

  Office of the Naval Inspector General

  Jul 2012 - Jun 2013

  Assistant Inspector General for Medical Matters

  • Hand-picked as assistant IG for medical matters at highest echelon in U.S. Navy, reporting to Secretary of Navy. Assessed effectiveness and efficiency of Navy's global health care system and its impact on quality of life for service members and families.• Conducted inspections to ensure that Navy has established effective health care policies, programs, and initiatives to provide high quality, safe, reliable care. Investigated allegations of fraud, waste, abuse, and mismanagement by senior Navy health care officials. Led review of Navy's compliance with VA/DoD integrated disability evaluation system. Show less

• 

  In transition following military retirement

  Jul 2013 - Jan 2014

  Retired at the rank of Captain, Medical Corps, U.S, Navy effective July 1, 2013
• 

  U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs

  Jan 2014 - now

  (Acting October 2017 - September 2018) The Office of the Deputy Under Secretary for Health for Organizational Excellence brings together the vital pieces of the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) that focus on assessing and improving quality and safety; providing analytics and tools to assess how VHA is performing as an organization; building and supporting the capability in the field to assess risks and achieve and sustain high performance; promoting health equity; and addressing issues related to public trust and integrity. The Deputy Under Secretary provides national executive leadership for VHA's policies and programs related to health care quality improvement, patient safety, systems redesign, external accreditation, evidence-based practice, product effectiveness, credentialing and privileging, risk management, medicolegal affairs, utilization management, business compliance, ethics, and internal/external oversight activities.• Plans, directs, coordinates, and evaluates programmatic initiatives aimed at ensuring high quality healthcare for Veterans; improved efficiency in VHA clinical and business operations; an environment of continuous learning and improvement; and promotion of a just culture.• Provides leadership in establishing a stronger foundation for consistency, high performance, and high reliability across all VHA, in accordance with applicable laws, regulations, and standards. • Partners externally with government, academia, private sector, and non-profits to develop and review national policy associated with our top priorities. • Partners internally with VHA Central Office leadership and the field to introduce, implement, and disseminate new learning and best practices. • Aligns the offices of the Assistant Deputy Under Secretary for Health for Quality, Safety, & Value and the Assistant Deputy Under Secretary for Health for Integrity under a single management authority to ensure effective integration for inspection and quality. Show less • Provides national leadership in the formulation and establishment of effective health care policies, programs, and initiatives to ensure health system integrity and to carry out related compliance and oversight activities across the Veterans Health Administration.• Provides day to day management of a highly complex office composed of five interrelated and fully aligned functional areas: the Office of the Medical Inspector (OMI), Office of Compliance and Business Integrity (CBI), Office of Internal Audit and Risk Assessment, Management Review Services (MRS), and the National Center for Ethics in Health Care (NCEHC).• Serves as Principal Advisor to the Under Secretary for Health and the Principal Deputy Under Secretary for Health on policy and procedures pertaining to internal oversight and compliance functions including investigations, inspections, audits, and assessments, and as such significantly impacts multiple Administration-wide policies and programs.• Proposes and oversees VHA’s corporate audit and inspection plans to assure that the organization complies with applicable laws and regulations and that Veterans receive high quality, effective, and efficient health care services.• Serves as VHA’s liaison to external oversight agencies including the Office of the Inspector General (OIG), Office of Special Counsel (OSC), and Government Accountability Office (GAO).• Represents top leadership to external entities, including Congress, OMB, and White House staff Show less • Appointed Interim Medical Inspector by the Acting Secretary of Veterans Affairs in July 2014 in response to VA's national access and scheduling crisis and the unscheduled departure of several VHA senior executives.• At the direction of the Office of the Secretary or the Under Secretary for Health, conducted health care investigations, documents findings, and produces reports containing recommendations for quality improvements. • Assembled and lead expanded VA teams made up of clinical investigators, subject matter experts, and human resource specialists. Performed site visits, meets with VA medical center leadership, conducts record reviews, reviews applicable policies and other documents, and interviews staff members to determine validity of complaints. Briefed VHA leadership on site visit findings, and documents findings, conclusions, and recommendations in comprehensive reports.• Conducted national assessments and audits of VHA health care to inform leaders of system-wide issues and opportunities for improvement. Collected and analyzed data generated by assessments and audits, and submits reports to VHA leadership with recommendations for corrective actions.• Promoted evidence-based best practices and cross-fertilization of ideas between VHA Central Office and field facilities to improve patient care outcomes. Identified system risks and vulnerabilities across the VA health care system by observing patterns and trends among the findings of investigative reports. Show less • Provided day-to-day executive leadership and management of seven distinct major program offices, including the Office of Policy and Planning, Office of Informatics and Analytics, Office of Public Health, Office of Patient Care Services, Office of Interagency Health Affairs, Office of Ethics in Health Care, and Office of Research and Development.• Served as the principal assistant and alter ego to the Deputy Under Secretary for Health for Policy and Services (DUSHPS). Acts as senior policy and strategy advisor, responsible for policy guidance and interpretation to support top level decision making. Serves as a principal advisor to the Under Secretary for Health and Principal Deputy Under Secretary for Health on policy and procedures pertaining to delivery of health care services.• Functioned as the chief clinical operating officer for the DUSHPS responsible for oversight and operations. Worked with all clinical programs to form an active, coordinated interdisciplinary team able to articulate an integrated overview of the health care needs of Veterans as well as polices and plans to address these needs.• Represented VA leadership to external entities including Congress, Office of Management and Budget, and White House staff. Served as the chief DUSHPS office liaison and advisor to the Clinical Operations branch at Veterans Health Administration headquarters.• Coordinated interactions and assures widespread, active participation among clinical care services, basic and health systems research efforts, organizational ethics needs, health care informatics and analysis, public health, and planning with the overall Department's strategic plan. Show less

  • Associate Deputy Under Secretary/Assistant Under Secretary for Health for Quality & Patient Safety

    Jun 2020 - now

  • Deputy Under Secretary for Health for Organizational Excellence

    Oct 2017 - Jun 2020

  • Assistant Deputy Under Secretary for Health for Integrity

    Mar 2016 - Sept 2018

  • Interim Director, Office of the Medical Inspector

    Jul 2014 - Oct 2016

  • Assistant Deputy Under Secretary for Health for Policy and Services

    Jan 2014 - Mar 2016