Wave CARSON+ deploys new EHR to 25 more MTF commands
Marion Kimani, Military Health System MHS GENESIS trainer, gives instruction to Air Force Airman 1st Class Jenna Slaughter, 355th Mental Health technician, at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Arizona, April 7, 2021. MHS GENESIS is a modernized electronic health record system being implemented across the Department of Defense that enables a more streamlined care experience for patients (Photo by: Air Force Senior Airman Blake Gonzales, Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Arizona)
Over the weekend, the Military Health System deployed the MHS GENESIS electronic health record (EHR) to 25 military medical treatment facility (MTFs) commands more sites in 12 states.
"MHS GENESIS allows us as medical professionals to have a single system providing faster access to healthcare information, enabling a more efficient and timely delivery of healthcare," explained Air Force Col. Mark Reynolds, 509th Medical Group commander at Whiteman Air Force Base, Missouri.
The Evans Army Community Hospital commander concurred "Our service members and families deserve the best care," said Army Col. Kevin Bass, commander of the Fort Carson, Colorado MTF. "MHS GENESIS will modernize military health care and enhance our ability to better serve our beneficiaries."
The DHA works in close coordination with the Program Executive Office, Defense Healthcare Management Systems and MTF staffs to deploy the new EHR across the MHS. The plan is to have the new system deployed across the enterprise by the end of 2023.
"This wave is particularly significant as it featured the highest number of MTF commands deployed simultaneously - 25," explained Holly Joers, acting program executive officer, Defense Healthcare Management Systems (PEO DHMS). "Wave CARSON+Evans Army Community Hospital at Fort Carson, CO; 21st Medical Group at Peterson Space Force Base, CO; 60th Medical Group, Buckley Space Force Base, CO; 10th Medical Group, U.S. Air Force Academy, CO; 21st Medical Group at Schriever Space Force Base, CO; Munson Army Health Center at Fort Leavenworth, KS; Gen. Leonard Wood Army Community Hospital at Fort Leonard Wood, MO; Irwin Army Community Hospital, Fort Riley, KS; 28th Medical Group at Ellsworth Air Force Base, SD; 90th Medical Group at F.E. Warren Air Force Base, WY; 22nd Medical Group at McConnell Air Force Base, KS; 509th Medical Group at Whiteman Air Force Base, MO; Raymond W. Bliss Army Health Center at Fort Huachuca, AZ; 27th Special Ops Medical Group at Cannon Air Force Base, NM; 355th Medical Group at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, AZ; 319th Medical Group at Grand Forks Air Force Base, ND; 49th Medical Group at Hill Air Force Base, UT; 377th Medical Group at Kirtland Air Force Base, NM; 56th Medical Group at Luke Air Force Base, AZ; 341st Medical Group at Malmstrom Air Force Base, MT; 5th Medical Group at Minot Air Force Base, ND; 55th Medical Group at Offutt Air Force Base, NE; Naval Health Clinic Yuma at Marine Corps Air Station Yuma, AZ; Dugway Proving Grounds, UT; Tooele Army Depot Army Health Center at Tooele Army Depot, UT; and Yuma Proving Grounds Health Clinic at Yuma Proving Grounds, AZ.Wave CARSON+ involved facilities across 12 states, and places us at approximately 30% completion."
The Munson Army Health Center’s command team, pulls the lever to symbolize the Go-Live of the new Electronic Health Record, MHS GENESIS, at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas on 24 April. Munson prepared for the transition 18 months from an older system to the state of the art MHS GENESIS system. Pictured l-r Army Maj. Maxwell Carroll, deputy commander for administration; Army Lt. Col. Elisa O’Hern, deputy commander for clinical services; Army Col. Garrick Cramer, commander; Army Sgt. Maj. Jay Shearer, health center sergeant major; and Army Lt. Col. Ira Waite, deputy commander for nursing (Photo by: Tracy McClung, Army Regional Health Command - Central).
These 25 MTF commands within Wave CARSON+Evans Army Community Hospital at Fort Carson, CO; 21st Medical Group at Peterson Space Force Base, CO; 60th Medical Group, Buckley Space Force Base, CO; 10th Medical Group, U.S. Air Force Academy, CO; 21st Medical Group at Schriever Space Force Base, CO; Munson Army Health Center at Fort Leavenworth, KS; Gen. Leonard Wood Army Community Hospital at Fort Leonard Wood, MO; Irwin Army Community Hospital, Fort Riley, KS; 28th Medical Group at Ellsworth Air Force Base, SD; 90th Medical Group at F.E. Warren Air Force Base, WY; 22nd Medical Group at McConnell Air Force Base, KS; 509th Medical Group at Whiteman Air Force Base, MO; Raymond W. Bliss Army Health Center at Fort Huachuca, AZ; 27th Special Ops Medical Group at Cannon Air Force Base, NM; 355th Medical Group at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, AZ; 319th Medical Group at Grand Forks Air Force Base, ND; 49th Medical Group at Hill Air Force Base, UT; 377th Medical Group at Kirtland Air Force Base, NM; 56th Medical Group at Luke Air Force Base, AZ; 341st Medical Group at Malmstrom Air Force Base, MT; 5th Medical Group at Minot Air Force Base, ND; 55th Medical Group at Offutt Air Force Base, NE; Naval Health Clinic Yuma at Marine Corps Air Station Yuma, AZ; Dugway Proving Grounds, UT; Tooele Army Depot Army Health Center at Tooele Army Depot, UT; and Yuma Proving Grounds Health Clinic at Yuma Proving Grounds, AZ.Wave CARSON+ include:
- Fort Carson Army Base, Colorado
- Fort Riley Army Base, Kansas
- Fort Leavenworth Army Base, Kansas
- Fort Leonard Wood Army Base, Missouri
- U.S. Air Force Academy. Colorado
- FE Warren Air Force Base, Wyoming
- Buckley Air Force Base, Colorado
- Ellsworth Air Force Base, South Dakota
- Peterson Air Force Base, Colorado
- McConnell Air Force Base, Kansas
- Whiteman Air Force Base, Missouri
- Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Arizona
- Fort Huachuca Army Base, Arizona
- Luke Air Force Base, Arizona
- Malmstrom Air Force Base, Montana
- Grand Forks Air Force Base, North Dakota
- Minot Air Force Base, North Dakota
- Cannon Air Force Base, New Mexico
- Offutt Air Force Base, Nebraska
- Kirtland Air Force Base, New Mexico
- Hill Air Force Base, Utah
- Brooke Army Medical Center, Texas
- Fort Irwin Army Base, California*
- 1st Dental Battalion, California*
- Camp Pendleton, California*
(* denotes subordinate sites to larger parent sites in other waves)
Gwen Elam, administrative officer for medical readiness service line and physical performance service line at the General Leonard Wood Army Community Hospital, is a super user for MHS GENESIS—which provides a single electronic health record for service members—in-processes trainees at the Combined Troop Medical Clinic on Fort Leonard Wood April 24 for GLWACH’s Go-Live with the new system (Photo by: Chad Ashe, Gen. Leonard Wood Army Community Hospital).
As is the case with any new technology adoption, it will take time for clinic staff at each MTF command to learn how to efficiently navigate the new system. This may cause a temporary increase in routine wait times and a temporary reduction in available daily appointments. With each successive deployment, sites have been seeing faster returns to normal operations.
"The goal for MHS GENESIS is to consolidate health information into single platform and provide a continuum of care from point of injury to definitive treatment at any military treatment facility worldwide," added Army Col. Garrick Cramer, Commander Munson Army Health Center at Fort. Leavenworth in Kansas. "MHS GENESIS will greatly increase efficiencies for both beneficiaries and healthcare professionals through a DOD-wide, unified system that will also continue into the Veterans Affairs medical care system."
With the addition of the U.S. Coast Guard and the VA, this new EHR system has now been established as a federal program spanning three different departments - Defense, Veterans Affairs and Homeland Security.
"I'm very pleased with the hard work that each hospital and clinic has made leading up to our MHS GENESIS Wave CARSON+Evans Army Community Hospital at Fort Carson, CO; 21st Medical Group at Peterson Space Force Base, CO; 60th Medical Group, Buckley Space Force Base, CO; 10th Medical Group, U.S. Air Force Academy, CO; 21st Medical Group at Schriever Space Force Base, CO; Munson Army Health Center at Fort Leavenworth, KS; Gen. Leonard Wood Army Community Hospital at Fort Leonard Wood, MO; Irwin Army Community Hospital, Fort Riley, KS; 28th Medical Group at Ellsworth Air Force Base, SD; 90th Medical Group at F.E. Warren Air Force Base, WY; 22nd Medical Group at McConnell Air Force Base, KS; 509th Medical Group at Whiteman Air Force Base, MO; Raymond W. Bliss Army Health Center at Fort Huachuca, AZ; 27th Special Ops Medical Group at Cannon Air Force Base, NM; 355th Medical Group at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, AZ; 319th Medical Group at Grand Forks Air Force Base, ND; 49th Medical Group at Hill Air Force Base, UT; 377th Medical Group at Kirtland Air Force Base, NM; 56th Medical Group at Luke Air Force Base, AZ; 341st Medical Group at Malmstrom Air Force Base, MT; 5th Medical Group at Minot Air Force Base, ND; 55th Medical Group at Offutt Air Force Base, NE; Naval Health Clinic Yuma at Marine Corps Air Station Yuma, AZ; Dugway Proving Grounds, UT; Tooele Army Depot Army Health Center at Tooele Army Depot, UT; and Yuma Proving Grounds Health Clinic at Yuma Proving Grounds, AZ.Wave CARSON+ Go-Live," stated Army Maj. Gen. George Appenzeller, MHS EHR functional champion.
"Our success in transitioning to MHS GENESIS is only because of the time and effort that users of the system have put into understanding and improving this new electronic health record system and the benefits it brings to our patients, our staff and the Military Health System," Appenzeller added. "As our deployment teams wrap up activities and Wave CARSON+, I'm excited to see how we can continue building off our lessons learned to continue making future improvements to our deployment strategy."
This fall, Wave TRIPLERTripler Army Medial Center in Honolulu, HI; Naval Health Clinic Hawaii, Makalapa at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, HI; 15th Medical Group at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, HI; Desmond Doss Clinic at Schofield Barracks, HI; and Branch Health Clinic Kaneohe Bay at the Marine Corps Base Hawaii, HI.Wave TRIPLER in Hawaii will go live.