HERstory | LTG (Retired) Patricia Horoho

LTG (Retired) Patricia Horoho sits down with MWM President Phyllis Wilson to discuss her service in the United States Army and her time as the 43rd U.S.Army Surgeon General. She will also talk about the upcoming Women Veteran appreSHEation Day on June 12.

WATCH HERE

LTG Patricia (Patty) D. Horoho, Retired, is the Chief Executive Officer of OptumServe, the end-to-end federal business of Optum and UnitedHealth Group. Since forming OptumServe in 2017, Patty has grown the business by nearly 90%, resulting in an annual growth rate of 25%. This growth includes securing the $55 billion Veterans Affairs Community Care Network Third Party Administrator contract. Patty is a values-based servant leader whose life’s calling is to improve the U.S. health care system, focused in the areas of health care delivery and health disparities.

Under Patty’s leadership, OptumServe emerged as a nationally recognized thought leader for its expertise in the management of COVID-19 testing; and now serves as the operational arm for UnitedHealth Group’s philanthropic support to citizens living in vulnerable communities.

In addition to its COVID-19 services, OptumServe continues to grow and expand its support of technology, health services, data analytics and consulting initiatives for customers that include the Defense Health Agency, Department of Health and Human Services, Department of Veterans Affairs and other federal agencies.

Patty’s distinguished professional career includes 33 years with the U.S. Army, retiring as a Lieutenant General, the 43rd Army Surgeon General and Commander of the U.S. Army Medical Command. She made history being the first woman, first nurse and non-physician to hold these posts. In these roles, Patty led the third largest health care system in the world, a global logistics, research and care network across five continents, with a multibillion-dollar budget and staff of more than 156,000. An expert in health care transformation, Patty moved the entire Army Medicine organization from a disease model of care to a system for health. She implemented groundbreaking and long-lasting initiatives around behavioral health, while improving health care considerations and force protection measures for military women. Patty has been humbled to serve and lead during pivotal moments in Army Medicine and in defense of the nation, including serving in the emergency room during the Green Ramp Disaster in 1994; standing up triage at the Pentagon on Sept. 11, 2001; transforming care at the Walter Reed Health Care System from 2007 to 2008; and serving as the Special Assistant to the Commander, International Security Assistance Force Joint Command, Afghanistan.

Prior to joining Optum, Patty led Accenture’s military health business as the client account lead and managing director for military health.

Currently, Patty holds positions on the UnitedHealth Group Equity Advancement Board, Schultz Family Foundation Board of Trustees, University of Pittsburgh Board of Trustees and Chair of the Diversity and Inclusion Committee, Home Base Honorary Board and Leadership Council, CLF Veterans Advisory Board, and CADA. Patty is also a fellow in the American Academy of Nursing, Women of Impact and a member of the  international Women’s Forum.

Patty is a native of Fayetteville, North Carolina. She earned her Bachelor of Science degree in nursing from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and her Master of Science degree as a clinical trauma nurse specialist from the University of Pittsburgh. Patty has served as a Distinguished Professor at the Uniformed Services University of Health Sciences Graduate School of Nursing, and holds a Master of Science degree in national resource strategy from the Industrial College of the Armed Forces. Patty holds five honorary doctorates and has received numerous recognitions from the University of Pittsburgh and the University of North Carolina, including a distinguished alumni and fellow award and a scholarship in her name.

Patty’s military awards and citations include the Distinguished Service Medal, Legion of Merit, Bronze Star Medal, France’s National Order of the Legion of Honour Chevalier (Knight), Japan’s Defense Cooperation Award Second Class, and the President’s Lifetime Achievement award.