The Gateway

On 14 April, Army Secretary John M. McHugh presented Bill Weed, MC4's director of program management and business transformation, the Decoration for Exceptional Civilian Service (DECS) Award during a ceremony at the Pentagon. The DECS is the highest award granted by the Secretary of the Army to Army civilian personnel and comparable to the military's Distinguished Service Medal.

Weed's leadership played an integral role in transforming deployed medical business practices from paper to the digital age. His efforts helped MC4 to successfully field systems to Southwest Asia two years ahead of schedule. He also established a worldwide fielding, training and support infrastructure that supports MC4 customers 24-7.

While the DECS Award highlights an individual, MC4 appreciates the tireless dedication and effort performed by users and MC4 staff worldwide. Your commitment to the electronic medical record mission makes this recognition possible.

MC4 has two new pocket-sized reference booklets to help users better utilize the inpatient application, TC2, on the MC4 system. The quick reference guides (QRGs) were first developed in response to user requests for portable reference material. The new additions, nursing and providers, complete the inpatient library of QRGs.

Act quickly to collect the entire set. Test friends and family members on their knowledge of TC2. Actually the QRGs are only available on a limited basis for authorized personnel. Simply request your copies via the online request form.

Last month, MC4 personnel supported the 86th Combat Support Hospital (CSH) during a split-based field training exercise (FTX) held at Fort Campbell, Ky., and Fort Gordon, Ga. The exercise reflects the hospital’s upcoming mission when the unit returns to Southwest Asia later this year.

The unit has a storied history with MC4 and electronic medical records (EMRs). In 2005, under the direction of MG (Ret.) Elder Granger, the 86th CSH was the first deployed hospital to electronically chart patient care via MC4 in Iraq.

During the week-long exercise, hospital staff improved their skills with EMR systems by utilizing TC2 and AHLTA-T for inpatient and emergency room scenarios.

Unique to MC4 involvement in exercises, observer controllers (OCs) were on hand throughout the exercise. The OCs followed an MC4 checklist, in addition to other checklists, to ensure medical personnel followed the proper processes and procedures to use MC4 throughout the treatment facility.

This is the first instance where OCs tracked a CSH’s business processes in regard to MC4 during a FTX. It is also an example of a unit taking their training requirements to the next level, so that medical personnel remain ready to fulfill their medical recording mission in theater.

In May, the Army Medical Command (MEDCOM) released a new MC4 equipping policy that ensures deployed medical forces are adequately prepared to utilize MC4 in their health service support missions.

Along with the latest list of reference documents, the policy enables MC4 to provide active duty combat support hospitals (CSHs) with MC4 training sets. CSH commanders will now have the tools needed to insert MC4 into collective unit training scenarios, better preparing their medical staff and system support personnel to use the system deployed downrange.