Healthcare delivery is in need of a significant paradigm shift to decrease the amount of preventable error. Healthcare delivery is not likely to become simpler but become more complex in the future and its complexity will likely transfer to the battlefield. The journey of the Military Health System (MHS) to become a High Reliability Organization (HRO) started when former Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel ordered the first review in the history of the MHS on May 28, 2014. This report shaped the framework for the MHS to combine the concepts of an integrated health care system with the principles of HRO. Implementation of HRO tools within healthcare the last five years have displayed in many healthcare organizations and specialties, a significant decrease in preventable errors and decrease costs associated with it. Application of HRO concepts within the MHS, will likely decrease preventable error in deployed environments across the echelons of care, save countless lives, and conserve the fighting strength and support our Armed Forces.

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