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The Coast Guard and the Defense Health Agency exercised a series of task orders Aug. 29, 2020, to support deployment of the electronic health records solution, MHS GENESIS, to Coast Guard Pacific Area sites.

The Coast Guard deployed the MHS GENESIS electronic health records system to four Coast Guard medical facility pilot sites Aug. 29, 2020.

 

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Electronic Health Records Acquisition

eHRa

On April 9, 2018, the Department of Defense (DOD) announced its intent to partner with the Coast Guard to deploy its electronic health record (EHR) capability across the service’s clinics and sick bays. On June 7, 2018, the Coast Guard and the Defense Health Agency (DHA), the agency responsible for the DOD’s health care system, signed an Inter-Agency Agreement that formally established the partnership to deploy MHS GENESIS. Under this transition, the service will access the DOD-hosted MHS GENESIS that the DOD as well as the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) are implementing enterprise-wide.

The Electronic Health Records Acquisition (eHRa) will modernize the Coast Guard’s health care data management by acquiring an EHR solution in place of its primarily paper-based health record system. Having an EHR capability will make patient record retrieval easier and faster; reduce administrative errors; and allow electronic information exchange with the DOD, the VA and commercial care providers. The Coast Guard’s EHR program, once fully implemented, will service all Coast Guard clinics and sick bays – ashore and afloat.

In September 2019, DHA awarded a task order to Leidos Partnership for Defense Health to deploy MHS GENESIS capabilities to four Coast Guard PACAREA pilot sites.

The Coast Guard deployed the MHS GENESIS electronic health records (EHR) system to four Coast Guard medical facility pilot sites Aug. 29, the first step toward service-wide adoption of an integrated EHR system.

The four medical facilities chosen as pilot sites – Training Center Petaluma, Base Alameda, Air Station Sacramento and Maritime Safety and Security Team 91105 in San Francisco – were selected because they collectively possess the full range of Coast Guard medical facility capabilities and to leverage resources from the Department of Defense, which has been deploying MHS GENESIS since 2017 in the same regional area.

The eHRa Program has segmented the acquisition into three distinct segments: A, B, and C. Segment A begins with delivery of MHS GENESIS to all pilot sites. Once testing is complete, the program will begin roll-out of the system to all ashore clinics and sick bays. Deployment will occur in two waves: Pacific and Atlantic. Segment A is scheduled for completion by the end of fiscal year 2022.

Segment B will accomplish the uploading and transitioning away from paper records and integration of radiology capabilities, along with peripherals and preferred devices. Segment B is scheduled for completion by June 2024. Coast Guard personnel can continue to use their paper records throughout this time period.

Segment C will extend an EHR capability to all afloat sickbays; the schedule is to be determined.

An EHR capability will enhance patient care and the Coast Guard’s ability to anticipate the healthcare needs of its service members. Electronic health records will also help the Coast Guard to meet government requirements and the service’s own standards for recordkeeping. Currently the Coast Guard uses paper documents for its healthcare recordkeeping, which can be challenging for service members. For instance, retrieving a patient’s health record from another location in an emergency after deployment can be complicated. The process takes time and limits real-time availability of critical health care data to the health care providers treating that patient whose drug allergies, for example, may be unknown and unverifiable.

MHS GENESIS is the chosen program for the Coast Guard’s move to electronic health records due to a number of factors that includes EHR interoperability and continuity of care throughout all military branches including the VA.

With MHS GENESIS, the Coast Guard will achieve:

  • Increased efficiencies and improved patient safety.
  • An ability to analyze health data through instant access to complete records.
  • Better standardization of care, with patients experiencing consistent and high-quality health care regardless of location.

The eHRa program management office (PMO) is working closely with DHA’s PMO to coordinate the deployment of eHRa to the Coast Guard. The program will be deployed in line with DOD’s site rollouts to ensure cross-collaboration between services.

The medical community of interest (Med-COI) implementation provides a secure network that allows for seamless electronic exchanges to ensure portability of electronic health records; allowing for the highest quality and most effective delivery of health care services for service members, veterans and eligible family members.

Also, to enable the Coast Guard’s access to the MHS GENESIS system, the Coast Guard will establish a Virtual Private Network (VPN) solution for protecting Personally Identifiable Information (PII) and Protected Health Information (PHI) that will ensure Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) compliance. This VPN capability will transit through CGOne and Department of Defense Information Network (DODIN) to serve as the Coast Guard’s gateway for MHS GENESIS.

For information on MHS GENESIS, click here.