Hagel orders review of military health system

Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel has ordered a 90-day review of the military healthcare system amid a nationwide investigation into treatment delays and secret waiting lists at Veteran Affairs facilities.

{mosads}Hagel has tapped Jonathan Woodson, assistant Secretary of Defense for Health Affairs, to lead the review assessing the quality of healthcare at military treatment facilities and care that the department purchases from civilian healthcare providers.

Hagel will meet Wednesday with senior Pentagon leaders to discuss the review’s parameters. He also expects to receive recommendations on how to improve the system once the review is complete, Pentagon press secretary Rear Adm. John Kirby told the Associated Press on Tuesday.

The announcement comes after the Army removed the commander at Womack Army Medical Center at Fort Bragg, N.C., and three top dep­u­ties Tues­day, following reports that two pa­tients unexpectedly died in the past two weeks after treatment at an Army hospital, according to The New York Times.