The Gateway

MC4 has been awarded the Army Superior Unit Award (ASUA) for efforts in advancing electronic medical recording on the battlefield and in the U.S. from 2005 to 2006.

MC4’s efforts during peacetime missions such as Joint Task Force Katrina relief efforts in New Orleans, Louisiana, proved essential to recording military and civilian medical records during a time of need. This is the first time an Army product management office and fifth time an Army acquisition organization has been awarded the ASUA.

Congratulations to the men and women who support the EMR initiative on the battlefield, and to the entire MC4 staff for helping to lead the way.

Although I have only been here a short while, a number of areas will receive much of my attention over the next several months. Since 2003, MC4 has trained more than 31,000 medical professionals and has fielded 26,000 systems to the battlefield in support of Operations Iraqi and Enduring Freedom, as well as contingency operations worldwide. As a result, more than 7.7 million electronic health records have been captured on the battlefield via MC4.

What I have heard loud and clear from you and your commanders is a need for the institutionalization of MC4 training. I believe we must also focus our energies on the use of MC4 outside of theater so that we can train as we fight.

We must renew our efforts with our partners at the AMEDD Center and School, and provide them with assistance to develop sustainment training tools commanders so badly need. We must also advocate for MC4 training to be incorporated into course curriculums where appropriate.

We are also collaborating with the medical logistics community to bring new tools to medical logisticians to allow them to provide better and more responsive medical logistics support. In 2007, MC4 deployed its new MEDLOG suite, which featured the DCAM system, replacing TCAM.

MC4 will be supporting the continued development of DCAM, unveiling three new MEDLOG computer-based training modules by the end of this year.

We are working side-by-side with logistics partners at the Defense Health Information Management System (DHIMS), the Joint Medical Logistics Functional Development Center (JMLFDC) of the Defense Medical Logistics Standard Support (DMLSS) Program, and The Surgeon General's Directorate of Logistics System to ensure a coordinated approach to bringing these MEDLOG tools to the field.

One thing is certain—we must all work together. You will see a renewed focus on the institutionalization of MC4 training and heightened medical logistics collaboration during my tenure at MC4.

It is a great honor and privilege to be named MC4’s new commander and product manager. Having shadowed Lt. Col. Ed Clayson over the past month, I realize the important role I am assuming and I am looking forward to continuing past successes, while paving the way for future improvements. To learn more about me, feel free to read my biography online.

To be relevant and viable, organizations must continue to grow and improve from within. I can assure users on the frontlines that they remain MC4’s top priority as we continue to focus on new and existing challenges.

Your use of the system is critical to meeting the digital medical recording and logistics missions on the battlefield, and your voices and concerns will continue to be heard. I will travel widely over the next several months to hear about your concerns directly. I look forward to our dialogue.

Next month, MC4 will be unveiling its new User Survey, also via the user’s helpdesk site, providing all MC4 users with a streamlined way of communicating directly with MC4 management, and allowing a forum for detailed assessments on MC4 system performance, training and support.