Naval Medical Forces Pacific Announces Winners of the Captain Cheryl R. Ringer Memorial Award for Process Improvement

SAN DIEGO, CA –Naval Medical Forces Pacific (NMFP) announced the winners of the Captain Cheryl R. Ringer Memorial Award today, an annual recognition of excellence in process improvement.

The award, established in 2018, honors individuals who exemplify leadership, professionalism, and dedication to enhancing health care services through innovative process improvements.

“I am immensely proud of the awardees for their achievements and dedication to enhancing the health and readiness of our military community through continuous process improvement,” said Rear Adm. Guido Valdes, NMFP Commander. “Their projects not only reflect a deep commitment to excellence but also underscore the importance of embracing opportunities for growth and improvement. Lt. Copfer, Lt. Dutt, and Lt. Gutierrez exemplify what it means to lead through innovation.”

First Place Achievement

Leading the 2024 accolades, Lt. Megan Copfer from Navy Medicine Readiness and Training Command (NMRTC) Lemoore and a native of Chesterland, Ohio, received first place for her dual initiatives aimed at transforming patient intake procedures and clinical pharmacy operations. Her project, “Improving Access to Care Through Improved Patient Intake,” successfully streamlined the intake process, resulting in a 32% reduction in completion time and significantly improved data accuracy, saving the clinic’s team 180 minutes of work per week. This resulted in providers having more face-to-face time with their patients. Additionally, her “Clinical Pharmacy Overhaul Program” integrated a clinical pharmacist into the care team, boosting the monthly appointment rate and achieving a cost avoidance of over $130,000 in just six months.

Runner-Up and Honorable Mention

Lt. Cameron Dutt of NMRTC Oak Harbor and a native of Fargo, North Dakota, was named Runner-Up for his innovative approach to enhancing operational readiness through improved dental class ratings. From January through July 2023, on average, the dental clinic was able to fill 52% of the dental hygiene appointment failures each month, resulting in an average of 31 additional patients each month receiving dental hygiene care with 217 reclassified as a dental class 1. By reducing no-shows, creating a dental hygiene patient standby list to optimize appointment scheduling, his project notably improved dental hygiene care delivery and mission readiness.

Lt. Ara Gutierrez of NMRTC Yokosuka and a native of Caloocan City, Philippines, received Honorable Mention for her work in reducing laboratory testing times for newborn screenings and semen analysis. Her efforts led to a reduction in the average turnaround time for newborn screening tests at Navy Medicine and Training Unit (NMRTU) Sasebo from 39 days to 26 days while the average turnaround time for NMRTU Iwakuni was reduced from 46 days to 19 days. By collecting patient workload data for semen analysis and making the testing available in-house, she was able to reduce the average cycle time from 47 days to less than one day. Gutierrez’s initiatives have set new standards for efficiency across Navy Medicine.

About the Award

The Captain Cheryl R. Ringer Memorial Award was inspired by the late Capt. Ringer, whose 22-year career was marked by a relentless pursuit of excellence in process improvement. This award aims to inspire NMFP personnel to embrace innovation and continuous improvement in all facets of healthcare delivery.

A Commitment to Excellence

These winners exemplify the Navy’s commitment to health care excellence and innovation. Lt. Megan Copfer’s leadership and dedication to process improvement have set a new benchmark for operational efficiency and patient care. Similarly, the contributions of Lt. Dutt and Lt. Gutierrez reflect Navy Medicine’s enduring mission to ensure mission readiness and provide the highest standard of care to those who serve.

Naval Medical Forces Pacific (NMFP) is Navy Medicine’s regional command in the Western Pacific. NMFP provides care to more than 675,000 beneficiaries comprised of active duty personnel, retirees, and their family members. The regional headquarters is located at Naval Base San Diego, with Navy Medicine Readiness and Training Commands (NMRTC) throughout the U.S. West Coast, Hawaii, Japan, and Guam.