Skip to main content

Military Health System

DHA IT helps beneficiaries, providers and workforce through pandemic

Image of Several military personnel, wearing masks, filling out paperwork. One woman is giving the thumbs up sign. Several military personnel, wearing masks, filling out paperwork. One woman is giving the thumbs up sign

Recommended Content:

Health Care Technology | Coronavirus & the MHS Response

Defense Health Agency information technology (DHA IT) teams demonstrated their versatility and responsiveness ensuring Military Health System patients continued to receive high quality health care during the COVID-19 pandemic and throughout 2020. The IT teams also provided innovative tools to MHS health care providers and DHA employees to enable to function during the pandemic.

For patients, they established virtual COVID-19 screenings and appointments, allowing patients to manage their health care online rather than in person at military medical treatment facilities (MTFs) where they could place themselves and others at risk of infection. For providers, they established COVID-19 protocols within electronic health record (EHR) systems and other health care applications enabling them to identify and document infections.

“As soon as the pandemic hit, our teams quickly kicked into high gear to deliver some critical updates to our systems and applications,” said Army Col. Francisco Dominicci, chief, DHA Solution Delivery Division, which sustains more than 60 different MHS health care applications. 

“We made updates to the TRICARE Online Patient Portal (TOL PP) to allow patients to make virtual visits with their providers via the portal,” he explained. “Starting in March, TOL PP facilitated more than 160,000 virtual visit appointments.”

Among other COVID-19 relief efforts, Dominicci said the IT teams worked with DHA Medical Logistics (MEDLOG) to update MEDLOG IT applications to track MHS personal protective equipment (PPE) and other critical medical equipment in real time. They also mapped strategies for tracking vaccine distribution across the Department of Defense. 

“In February, our teams created a Novel Coronavirus query tab in the Electronic Surveillance System for the Early Notification of Community-based Epidemics (ESSENCE) application,” he added. “The following month, they launched a COVID-19 dashboard in ESSENCE that allows users to monitor the number of COVID-19 lab results in real time.”

The IT teams also developed and released a progressive web-based application for Antimicrobial Stewardship with COVID-19 content in April to help providers with needed COVID-19 triage protocols, Dominicci said. 

In March, the IT teams expanded Enterprise Blood Management System-Transfusion (EBMS-T) blood availability reports to the Armed Services Blood Program to include greater inventory level details on all blood components maintained at MTFs. The teams also made configuration changes to EMBS-Donor, enabling donor sites to create labels to track COVID-19 convalescent plasma, which contains antibodies from COVID-19 survivors.   

Dominicci explained how the IT teams deployed a COVID-19 Sentinel Surveillance testing application using TOL PP in the fall. More than 250 users were provisioned across 35 military sites to use the application to gather information at the population level. Surveillance testing is used to monitor the community-level of a disease or to characterize its incidence and prevalence.

The DHA workforce was also able to transition to a telework environment after the IT teams ensured the networks could handle the heavy traffic. They also enabled multiple online collaboration tools, such as video conferencing, to keep the workforce connected.

Along with fighting COVID-19, the IT teams logged other impressive achievements last year. They completed major upgrades to in-patient EHR systems at 46 MTFs around the world in November, Dominicci added. 

In August, the DHA IT team launched the Defense Medical Logistics Standard Support (DMLSS) system at the joint DOD-Department of Veterans Affairs James A. Lovell Federal Health Care Center in North Chicago. The DMLSS launch came after several years of planning, coordination and preparation between the DHA, DOD and VA. 

“The launch represented a major step in replacing the VA’s supply chain IT infrastructure with DMLSS,” Dominicci said. “The end goal is to establish a single DOD-VA health care logistics system for acquiring medical and surgical supplies.”

IT teams also completed conversions of legacy funding systems to the General Fund Enterprise Business System (GFEBS) at 26 Navy MTFs in September, he said. The GFEBS conversions enable DHA financial and funding control of Navy, Army and DHA sites that use DMLSS. 

In December, the teams completed an initiative to migrate 140 public-facing MTF websites to TRICARE.mil. Dominicci said the IT teams worked closely with the MHS Communications office, the Defense Media Activity and MTF public affairs office on the initiative, which should ultimately reduce site sustainment and hosting costs. Returning website users experienced no disruptions, as they were automatically redirected to the new sites. 

“These are just a few of the milestones DHA IT teams achieved in 2020,” emphasized Dominicci . “The IT teams met the pandemic head on and delivered highly effective, innovative solutions across the DHA and MHS.”

You also may be interested in...

Belvoir Hospital Reaches Milestone with Robotic-Assisted Joint Replacement Surgery

Article Around MHS
3/20/2023
Fort Belvoir Community Hospital is the first military hospital in the Defense Health Agency to employ this robotic-assisted platform, and the cutting-edge technology provides the joint replacement surgeons an unparalleled amount of real-time surgical data.  (Photo by Reese Brown, Fort Belvoir Community Hospital)

Would you trust your surgical procedure to a robot? See the cutting-edge technology that's taking Belvoir Hospital's joint replacement surgery into a new era.

Recommended Content:

Health Care Technology | Research & Innovation

DHA Director: Technology Helps to “Meet the Patients Where They Are”

Article
2/17/2023
DHA Director Lt. Gen. Telita Crosland speaking at a podium

DHA Director Lt. Gen. Crosland discussed her priorities and the burgeoning role of technology at DHA and within the wider MHS.

Recommended Content:

MHS GENESIS: The Electronic Health Record | Health Care Technology | MHS Video Connect | Telehealth Program

Genome Sequencing Work at U.S. Air Force School of Aerospace Medicine

Article
2/16/2023
Military personnel posing by Wright-Patterson AFB sign

U.S. Air Force School of Aerospace Medicine technicians and scientists working in Military Health System laboratories helped to identify COVID-19 variants using special sequencing technology.

Recommended Content:

Research & Innovation | Medical Research and Development | Health Care Technology

Technology Safety Stand Out at 2023 Army Best Medic Competition

Article Around MHS
2/9/2023
U.S. Army 1st Lt. Ilnur Sibagatulin competes during the U.S. Army Best Medic Competition

This year's U.S. Army Best Medic Competition adds a technological twist! Find out about a wearable device called HRAPS, and how it tracks health data during high-risk training events and real-world operations.

Recommended Content:

Health Care Technology | Physical Fitness

Brooke Army Medical Center Using New Robotic Guidance System for Spine Surgery

Article Around MHS
2/7/2023
Military medical personnel performing spinal surgery

Groundbreaking innovations at Brooke Army Medical Center (BAMC) are taking spinal surgery to a whole new level. Hear from a surgeon and his patient about the incredible benefits of BAMC's new robotic guidance system.

Recommended Content:

Research & Innovation | Health Care Technology

Genome Sequencing Assists Research at Naval Health Research Center

Article
1/24/2023
Lab technicians doing genome research

Learn how unique samples from naval vessels, US-Mexico border populations, and DOD beneficiaries aided in the Naval Health Research Center’s sequencing efforts.

Recommended Content:

Research & Innovation | Coronavirus & the MHS Response | Coronavirus

U.S. Military HIV Research Lends Lessons Learned to COVID-19

Article
1/19/2023
Gloved hands working in laboratory

The U.S. military has engaged in HIV research for three decades, contributing critical lessons learned, knowledge, and expertise during the COVID-19 research and vaccine development effort.

Recommended Content:

Coronavirus & the MHS Response | DOD HIV/AIDS Prevention Program | Research & Innovation | Coronavirus

Naval Medical Research Center Uses Genome Sequencing for Variants

Article
1/12/2023
Military personnel pose for a group photo

NMRC’s efforts provided important support for sequencing and viral isolation to the Department of Defense and Military Health System.

Recommended Content:

Research & Innovation | Coronavirus & the MHS Response | Coronavirus

USAMRIID Focuses on Genome Sequencing to Detect Variants

Article
1/5/2023
Military medical personnel in laboratory

A connected family of laboratories across the MHS allows a more rapid response to the outbreak.

Recommended Content:

Research & Innovation | Coronavirus & the MHS Response | Coronavirus

Whole Genome Sequencing at Tripler Army Medical Center

Article
12/29/2022
Dr. Keith Fong reviews data with other lab technicians

The third installment in a 6-part series highlighting the efforts of the Military Health System laboratories and the technicians who worked to identify COVID-19 variants using special sequencing technology.

Recommended Content:

Coronavirus & the MHS Response | Research & Innovation | Coronavirus

Air Force Research Laboratory Launches Wearable Biomolecular Sensors Program

Article Around MHS
12/29/2022
Military personnel demonstrating a wearable human performance monitoring device

It's like an aircraft's "black box" - that Soldiers wear. Learn about the research collaboration that will literally "arm" warfighters with a sensor to track their well-being during critical missions, predicting performance and health issues before they occur.

Recommended Content:

Research & Innovation | Health Care Technology

Tele-Critical Care Brings New Capability to Womack Army Medical Center

Article Around MHS
12/27/2022
Military medical personnel demonstrating new tele-critical care medicine

This groundbreaking new tool gives critically ill patients access to 24/7 monitoring by deploying medical experts who can get them help immediately. See how it works, and why military medical experts are calling it the fail-safe mechanism that cannot be underestimated.

Recommended Content:

Telehealth Program | Health Care Technology | Research & Innovation

New “mCurriculum” Launched to Help Surgeons Worldwide Sharpen Skills, Improve Clinical Readiness

Article Around MHS
12/23/2022
Military personnel holding new device developed by USU

Imagine surgeons honing their skills using their smartphone, tablet, or computer. Thanks to a collaboration between the Uniformed Services University, the American College of Surgeons, the Military Health System Strategic Partnership American College of Surgeons, and the University of California, Davis, it's happening. See how this groundbreaking "mCurriculum" is helping surgeons around the globe save lives.

Recommended Content:

Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences | Education & Training | Health Care Technology

Walter Reed Army Institute of Research Implements SARS-CoV-2 Genome Sequencing

Article
12/23/2022
Military medical personnel in laboratory

This is the second article in a 6-part series that highlights the work of technicians and scientists in Military Health System laboratories who worked to identify COVID-19 variants using special sequencing technology.

Recommended Content:

Global Health Engagement | Coronavirus & the MHS Response | Research & Innovation

Protect Yourself With Respiratory Illnesses on the Rise

Article Around MHS
12/19/2022
Military medical personnel administering vaccine

"Tis the season, and respiratory illnesses are on the rise. Learn critical health guidance about the viral triple threat of COVID-19, influenza, and the common cold, and the commonsense steps you can take to protect yourself and your family.

Recommended Content:

Coronavirus & the MHS Response | Children's Health | Medical and Dental Preventive Care Fitness | Immunization Tool Kit | Influenza, Northern Hemisphere | Immunization Healthcare Division
<< < 1 2 3 4 5  ... > >> 
Showing results 1 - 15 Page 1 of 33
Refine your search
Last Updated: December 28, 2022
Follow us on Instagram Follow us on LinkedIn Follow us on Facebook Follow us on Twitter Follow us on YouTube Sign up on GovDelivery