The Naval Medical Forces Atlantic was established August 2005 as Navy Medicine East and is a flag level command reporting directly to the Bureau of Medicine and Surgery. Naval Medical Forces Atlantic is responsible for administrative command over its subordinate commands, and for the provision of health and dental care within its area of responsibility. As of 2017, Navy Medicine East oversees over 100 medical facilities and a staff in excess of 26,000 in the eastern United States as well as overseas.

The Bureau of Medicine and Surgery (BUMED) is an agency of the United States Department of the Navy that manages health care activities for the United States Navy and the United States Marine Corps. BUMED operates hospitals and other healthcare facilities as well as laboratories for biomedical research, and trains and manages the Navy's many staff corps related to medicine. Its headquarters is located at the Defense Health Headquarters in Fairfax County, Virginia. BUMED has 41,930 medical personnel and more than a million eligible beneficiaries.