Photo By Petty Officer 2nd Class Kristina Rasco | 151113-N-PZ223-054 AGANA HEIGHTS, Guam (Nov. 13, 2015) – Sailors from U.S. Naval...... read more read more
U.S. Naval Hospital Guam has earned a 5-star rating in the TRICARE Inpatient Satisfaction Survey for the fourth quarter of fiscal year 2025, the eighth time in the past three years the hospital has received the survey’s highest distinction.
This sustained performance reflects the hospital’s deeply embedded culture of teamwork, communication and patient partnership in one of the military’s most operationally important locations.
The TRICARE Inpatient Satisfaction Survey measures patients’ perceptions of their hospital experience, from communication with clinicians to discharge planning and overall confidence in in the care they receive. In a forward-deployed setting like Guam, hospital staff say those experiences are what build the confidence that encourages service members and families to seek care early, stay engaged with their treatment, and return when new health concerns arise – all factors that directly support medical readiness. That confidence starts with transparency.
Throughout the hospital’s inpatient units, interdisciplinary teams meet repeatedly during the day to ensure every member of the care team, and every patient, understands the plan of care. Clinicians present options, explain risks and benefits, and invite patients to make informed decisions based on their personal goals and values.
“All members of our staff meet and discuss regularly during the day to keep all parties informed on the plan of care, and so patients are able to get consistent and accurate updates on their plan,” said Lt. Alexander Pazevic, a Navy physician and the Multi-Service Unit director. “Plans are made through shared decision making, outlining the risks and benefits, allowing the patient to make a personalized and informed decision on how they want to proceed based on their goals and preferences rather than blanket decisions that leave them out of the loop.”
Pazevic said that approach is particularly important for active-duty patients who may delay seeking care if they fear how a diagnosis could affect their careers. By focusing on clear communication and long-term health, the team helps patients understand that medical decisions are made in partnership with them, not for them.
Across the inpatient units, that approach is most visible in the one-on-one interactions that patients and their families remember long after they leave the hospital.
“Our nurses and corpsmen bringing a positive attitude and a passion for helping those in need, despite reprioritization of tasks throughout the day or night, are what make the biggest difference to patients and their families,” said Lt. Alysa Valdez, a Navy clinical nurse specialist in the Multi-Service Unit. “Seeing staff members take a moment to sit, listen and even provide a warm embrace has helped to ease the heartfelt burdens of the unexpected circumstances families face.”
Valdez described a pediatric case in which the entire care team coordinated to minimize a painful procedure, retrieve medications for the family, and conduct discharge teaching together in a seamless, patient-centered process that ensured the family left the hospital feeling confident and supported.
For the hospital’s junior Sailors, that kind of experience helps them grow from corpsmen fresh out of training into skilled and caring medical professionals.
Hospital Corpsman 1st Class Sara Barreda, directorate leading petty officer for nursing services, said watching new corpsmen “fresh from Corpsman A school” grow into confident caregivers is one of the most rewarding parts of her role.
“From assisting in a patient’s first labor to supporting end of life care, our corpsmen are entrusted with significant responsibility early in their careers,” Barreda said. “Their ability to combine clinical competence with genuine compassion reflects the strength of our training and the culture we cultivate within our directorate.”
In the Mother-Baby Unit, that culture is sustained through constant collaboration across departments and a strong emphasis on mentorship. Nurses, corpsmen, and clinicians train together, learn from one another, and maintain continuous communication so patients experience a single, unified team.
When asked what specific actions by nurses make the biggest difference to patients and their families, U.S. Navy Lt. Katherine Leonard, perinatal clinical nurse specialist, said it is “their willingness to go the extra mile for their patients, not only to keep them safe and provide competent care, but to make them feel connected to their care team and ensure that they have a special birth experience.”
She recalled a high-risk patient whose care required coordination among multiple specialties and whose primary nurse returned on her day off to remain at her bedside during a transfer off island. For Leonard, this moment captured the spirit behind the hospital’s repeated 5-star performance.
In the intensive care unit, the same principles take on an added urgency.
“Clear, effective communication is always imperative to create and maintain a cohesive team needed to provide high-quality care to patients,” said Lt. Cmdr. Evan Rutherford, Navy nurse and ICU department head. “A highly functioning, highly reliable department depends on collective ownership and effort.”
That collective ownership means any staff member responds to a call light, any team member steps in to help, and every patient is treated as the unit’s shared responsibility – an approach Rutherford said ensures patients feel seen, heard, and cared for even in the most demanding environments.
Rear Adm. Kevin Brown, director of Defense Health Network Pacific Rim that has oversight of the hospital, said their sustained success demonstrates how the patient experience directly supports the operational mission.
“U.S. Naval Hospital Guam’s continual 5-star performance demonstrates how a patient-centered, team-oriented culture strengthens the health of the force and ensures our medical teams are mission-ready to support operations across the Indo-Pacific,” Brown said.
In addition to its most recent recognition for fiscal year 2025, quarter four, the hospital also earned 5-star ratings in fiscal year 2025, quarters three and one; fiscal year 2024, quarters four, three and one; and fiscal year 2023, quarters three and two.
For U.S. Naval Hospital Guam’s Director Capt. Joel Schofer, the milestone reflects the consistency of a team that delivers ready reliable care every day, regardless of the operational environment.
“This recognition belongs to our doctors, nurses, corpsmen, and support staff who show up every day with compassion, professionalism, and a relentless focus on safe, high-quality care,” Schofer said.
As the Defense Health Agency continues to transform military medicine to meet the needs of a dynamic operational landscape, U.S. Naval Hospital Guam’s performance stands as a model of how empowered teams, strong partnerships, and a commitment to patient-centered care build both trust and readiness across the region.
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U.S. Naval Hospital Guam U.S. Naval Hospital Guam is a 282,000 square foot military treatment facility that supports the joint forces and strengthens the island by projecting forward-deployed medical power, delivering high-quality care, and forging strategic partnerships. The hospital and its staff of nearly 700 offers a broad range of primary and specialty medical services in support of more than 27,000 beneficiaries.
Defense Health Network Pacific Rim Defense Health Network Pacific Rim (DHN-PR) is one of the Defense Health Agency’s nine networks of hospitals and clinics that deliver integrated, high-quality health care to more than 280,000 enrolled beneficiaries, supporting major operational units through the Indo-Pacific. The DHN-PR headquarters is located in San Diego, overseeing military hospitals and clinics along the U.S. West Coast and overseas in Guam and Japan. The network supports the Defense Health Agency’s mission to improve health and build readiness by enabling ready medical forces and a medically ready force.
| Date Taken: | 03.11.2026 |
| Date Posted: | 03.11.2026 13:55 |
| Story ID: | 560301 |
| Location: | US |
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