The New(ish) Military Electronic Healthcare System MHS GENESIS Deploys for the Eighteenth Time To The Indo-Pacific Region

Photo By Isaac Savitz | Sailors from USNMRTC Okinawa enjoys cake the morning of the MHS GENESIS launch.  

GINOWAN, OKINAWA, JAPAN

11.03.2023

Story by Isaac Savitz 

U.S. Naval Hospital Okinawa

Navy Medicine
U.S. Navy Medicine Readiness and
Training Command Okinawa



The New(ish) Military Electronic Healthcare System MHS GENESIS
Deploys for the Eighteenth Time To The Indo-Pacific Region

Okinawa, Japan- Just like seventeen times before, U.S. Naval Hospital Okinawa “flipped the switch” and sunset an aging system to bring on MHS GENESIS, the new electronic health record and business process. MHS GENESIS is the next-generation electronic health record (EHR) launched across the Department of Defense (DoD). When deployment is complete, it will provide patients with a single record of care throughout their military service, from recruitment through separation. The EHR also integrates inpatient, outpatient, and dental records. It improves communication not only with military hospitals and clinics but also with the Department of Veterans Affairs and civilian providers. Patients will benefit from a record that allows seamless, secure messaging with providers and access to their medical history through a new patient portal. MHS GENESIS is a historic transformation in the delivery of health care across the Military Health System (MHS). - MHS GENESIS Brand Style Guide

Stories like this have been written seventeen times before this one with the same information, the same basic process, and for the most part, the same outcome; it works. What makes this different is the people. The Sailors here on the ground have put in hundreds of hours of work for more than a year to make this happen. MHS GENESIS was a massive lift for the IT department that literally flipped the switch but also managed and maintained the vast array of new equipment and systems needed to make this all work. The GENESIS team coordinated with Staff Education and Training (SEAT) for all the end-user-required training, and there were TEAMS meetings a lot of TEAMS meetings.

One advantage to being last is learning from those who went before you; here comes the difference! A large group of people flew across the world who came to spend time here and help make the transition easier. At 0600 on Saturday, 28 October, people started filing into the galley in the basement of USNHO. There were plenty of hugs and "I haven't seen you since" going around, but regardless of the few familiar, this group of Pay It Forward (PIF) folks were primarily strangers, and they were here to help us through the transition. You don't always see this type of collaboration and support in large organizations. There are people here who set up in the Pharmacy waiting area to help beneficiaries sign up for the MHS GENESIS Patient Portal. The PIFs traveled all over Okinawa to the six branch clinics associated with the hospital. What should be a very stressful situation is much more manageable when you have a person there to help you out. It doesn't have to all be bad either; even coming in early on a Saturday morning, people's spirits were high. You can choose to make any situation fun, and the little stuffed unicorn pictured next to the cake is an example of that. It has been present for every "Go Live" event since the first rollout. With all the preparation and training, people were ready to get started. USNHO appreciates all the help these strangers turned friends provided and ultimately supported our primary mission of providing high-quality healthcare to our patients.

The U.S. Navy Medicine Readiness and Training Command Okinawa (USNMRTCO) supports the Defense Health Agency’s U.S. Naval Hospital, Okinawa (USNHO) as the largest OCONUS Navy Medicine medical treatment facility and stands t ready to respond to contingency operations to support the INDOPACOM region. It is a critical regional asset for direct care delivery, regional referrals, and medical contingency operations. The staff of USNHO understands their vital role as pre-positioned, forward-deployed naval forces within the first island chain, aligned and in support of the joint military commands and operations.

Trey Savitz, Public Affairs Officer
U.S. Naval Hospital Okinawa, Japan
Comm: 011-81-971-7024
DSN: [phone]
[e-mail]

• Date Taken: 11.03.2023
• Date Posted: 11.02.2023 22:38
• Story ID: 457104
• Location: GINOWAN, OKINAWA, JP