Photo By Jason Bortz | Lt. Cmdr. Mark Wakefield, director of Resource Management, NHP, was named the 2012...... read more read more
NAVAL HOSPITAL PENSACOLA, Fla. - Lt. Cmdr. Mark Wakefield, director of Resource Management, Naval Hospital Pensacola, was named the 2012 Under Secretary of Defense Comptroller of the Year on June 17. Wakefield was one of five Navy comptrollers to receive an award from the Office of the Secretary of Defense, but he was the only one below the Secretary of the Navy Headquarters level.
Wakefield was recognized for his efforts in reducing the growth in the cost of care at NHP by approximately 12 percent without a reduction in the care provided to beneficiaries. He was also recognized for innovations to improve contract management and audit readiness. This award is particularly significant this year as the DoD is currently facing financial restraints that make the work of a comptroller all the more difficult and important.
“Lt. Cmdr. Wakefield’s expertise benefits the command daily,” said Capt. Christopher Quarles, executive officer, NHP. “He has been key in putting Naval Hospital Pensacola on the best footing possible to deal with the current fiscal environment. He has led his team to help the command appropriately identify funds to buy some new equipment, maintain our facilities and efficiently manage our many contracts.”
Despite his recent recognition, Wakefield was a somewhat late bloomer into the world of financial management. Originally from Duluth, Minn., Wakefield joined the Army Reserve in 1986 after graduating high school.
“I wanted to be a hockey player, but when that didn’t work out, I joined the [Army] Reserve to be an infantryman.”
Over the next 15 years, Wakefield had an interesting career journey until he found his true calling as a comptroller. He went from a reserve infantryman in the Army to an active duty personnel specialist in the Navy before going to college to earn degrees in political science and criminology from the Universities of Wisconsin and Florida State. After school, he investigated computer crimes and robberies with the Florida Department of Law Enforcement and then opened his own corporate dry cleaning business, which he later sold for a significant profit. He went on from there to become an account executive at Xerox.
While working at Xerox, Wakefield was approached by a Navy recruiter who suggested he come back to the Navy as an officer. After discussing it with his wife, he decided to try the Navy again.
“The biggest reason I came back into the Navy was the health care for my family,” said Wakefield, who ironically chose health care administration for his new Navy career.
The Navy sent him to North Florida University where he earned a second master’s degree, this time in health care administration. From there, he would serve as a comptroller at Naval Hospitals Great Lakes, Ill.; Corpus Christi, Texas; and Rota, Spain, before reporting to NHP in 2011.
When Wakefield arrived at NHP, he immediately began to implement program changes, some of which weren’t popular at first.
“I started working on building a staff that could accomplish more with less, as increased fiscal constraints and workload was imminent,” said Wakefield.
The results from improved decision-support came quickly for NHP, which was able to lower the cost to care for enrolled beneficiaries without effecting the operation of the hospital. The hospital saw a negative 1.2 percent inflation of per member per month costs in 2012, which is lower than the Navy average of a 4.4 percent increase. In 2012, inpatient and outpatient care direct costs were reduced by 10 percent and 17 percent respectively and travel costs were reduced by 16 percent. All of these reductions occurred at a time when most Military Treatment Facilities are experiencing an increase in health care costs for patients.
“Having a subject matter expert like Lt. Cmdr. Wakefield on the staff is the difference between succeeding and failing in this environment,” said Quarles. “His ability to break down the complex processes of fiscal management are helping our middle managers be better stewards of our resources and contributing to their development as the leaders of tomorrow.”
With fiscal restraints likely to continue, Wakefield is committed to building upon the successes he has already started at NHP.
“The job is definitely harder with less money, but I want to make NHP the business model for delivering health care in the military,” said Wakefield.
Despite his accomplishments in business and financial management, Wakefield has several unusual goals he would like to accomplish when he does retire from the Navy.
“I would love to have anything to do with the Minnesota Twins, even to be a grounds crew member if that’s all there was for me,” said Wakefield. “Short of mowing grass for the Twins, I also dream of becoming a tug boat captain. “
| Date Taken: | 06.17.2013 |
| Date Posted: | 06.21.2013 10:06 |
| Story ID: | 109030 |
| Location: | PENSACOLA, FL, US |
| Web Views: | 183 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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