Seven months ago, we began fielding the latest EMR upgrades (EMR 2.1.1.1) and hardware refreshes. Today, we’re 75 percent complete and our technical support teams are currently working the last mile to upgrade units in remote theater locations. We have equipped all level III facilities, as well as units supporting the Multinational Forces and Observers effort in Egypt and units throughout Europe and South Korea.
The feedback I’ve received from theater has been positive. In February, Maj. Daniel Bridon, assistant chief of staff, signal (G6) for Task Force 30th Medical Command presented tangible evidence of the upgrade’s impact at the AMEDD Information Management Conference in Atlanta, Ga. He reported that staff can now transfer outpatient medical records from MC4 systems to the clinical data repository in less than three minutes, as opposed to the two to 24-hour timeframe previously required.
He also stated that incidents of duplicate patient records in Afghanistan dropped from approximately 20 per month to about two per month. This is a result of scanning common access cards and electronically validating the information against a trusted or authoritative data source of military personnel and contractors. He also said the ability for users to view patient diagnoses by the types of injuries admitted and treated is a marked improvement.
I’d like to encourage your feedback on the latest system training and fielding efforts by completing the MC4 User Survey. Your input will be shared in confidence with DHIMS, the EMR software developers, and among our staff for continuous improvement to training and support services.