FORT POLK, La. –
Bayne-Jones Army Community Hospital hosted MHS Genesis super user training Nov. 29 – Dec. 2 at the Joint Readiness Training Center and Fort Polk, Louisiana.
MHS Genesis is the new electronic health record that is being deployed across the Defense Health Agency. BJACH, along with eight other military treatment facilities will transition to the new platform in March 2022 as part of Wave Hood. MHS Genesis will replace multiple legacy systems and will transform records management and health care delivery for Department of Defense beneficiaries.
Sergio Benitez, MHS Genesis point of contact for BJACH said the training is for all super users from Fort Polk, Barksdale Air Force Base and Belle Chase Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base New Orleans.
“This super user training is very important,” he said. “Once trained the super users will be the foundation, tier-one support for their organization providing technical expertise to the end users when we go live in March.”
Benitez said BJACH hosted the super user training because it is the largest and closest military treatment facility in the area.
“Collaboration with our sister services for this training and as we shift to MHS Genesis is very exciting,” he said. “Genesis will give us worldwide access to our electronic health record.”
Benitez said MHS Genesis will replace several clinical applications and allow for enhanced, secure technology to manage health information across the DHA.
Capt. Marsha Bennett, nurse manager for the flight medicine clinic at Barksdale AFB, said she came to the training to learn more about MHS Genesis.
“Under DHA, the entire military health system will be using this program and have the same electronic health and dental record,” she said. “MHS Genesis will be interchangeable no matter where you go; for us, as health care professionals and the beneficiaries.”
Bennett said the training was a positive experience and her first with the Army.
“It’s always good to collaborate and this is a great networking opportunity” she said. “We will all be using the same system, we will face the same trouble shooting issues. If I run into a problem, I can pick up the phone and call one of my classmates for assistance.”
Petty Officer 2nd Class Brandon Springston, a pharmacy technician at Naval Branch Health Clinic Belle Chase will be a super user for his organization and is prepared to train and assist as needed.
“I will be there to mentor end-users and be a point of contact to assist as we roll out the new system,” he said. “Genesis will connect all branches of service. I think this will be beneficial for continuity and standards of medical care.”
Benitez said BJACH has been preparing for the deployment of MHS Genesis for more than a year and there will be more training at the MTF for everyone who has access to medical records.
In preparation for this transformation, change champions from BJACH will visit Fort Riley, Kansas and Fort Irwin, California later this month where MHS Genesis is already being used.
“The upcoming trip will allow our team to discuss issues created during the changeover and how other MTFs were able to successfully adapt to them,” he said. “The entire transition is a collaborative process across the military health system. MHS Genesis is bringing everyone under DHA together because it will provide continuity of operations and more importantly, standardized business practices.”
According to health.mil, MHS Genesis integrates inpatient and outpatient solutions that will connect medical and dental information across the continuum of care, from point of injury to the military treatment facility. This includes garrison, operational, and enroute care, increasing efficiencies for beneficiaries and health care professionals. When fully deployed, MHS Genesis will provide a single health record for service members, veterans, and their families.