FORT POLK, La.  –   The Department of Defense Military Health System is transitioning to MHS GENESIS, the new electronic health record. Bayne-Jones Army Community is preparing to go live with MHS GENESIS on Mar. 19 and is training staff and personnel to deliver patients what they need, when and where they need it. The pathology and emergency medical departments conducted super user and end user training at the Joint Readiness Training Center and Fort Polk, Louisiana, Jan. 10-12.

Lt. Col. Kevin Goke, chief of behavioral health services for BJACH is the MHS GENESIS transition information steering committee chair. Goke has gone through the MHS GENESIS transformation while stationed at Madigan Army Medical Center, Joint Base Lewis-McChord in 2017 and understands the importance of training departmental staff on the new EHR.

“We are moving to a new era of technology with MHS GENESIS, understanding the impacts on overall patient care is very important,” he said. “Bar code scanning and other factors will impact our day to day operations.”

Goke said MHS GENESIS training ensures a better understanding of EHR workflow and yields system efficiencies.

“The system is very different than the current systems in place,” he said. “Our current systems are essentially an electronic version of a paper chart. MHS GENESIS is an evolution in health care delivery. Everyone will be able to share and access information. For example when I see a new patient I will see what the primary care manager has annotated in their records.”

Goke said MHS GENESIS will eliminate duplication of effort by providers.

Ryan Bradford, supervisory laboratory scientist, is an MHS GENESIS super user and attended the end user training with the pathology department.

“I think MHS GENESIS will make our jobs easier because all medical records will be in one place as opposed to now with three separate systems,” he said. “Overall this will increase our effectiveness.”

Bradford said in the short term there will be some challenges for his department as they embrace new workflows.

“With any new technology there will always be a learning curve going from the old to the new,” he said. “As long as our team is open to change and willing to work through the issues it should be smooth sailing and will benefit the organization and our beneficiaries in the long run.”

Bradford said once fully deployed, patient care and satisfaction will be enhanced. Beneficiaries can log into the patient portal to get lab results, message their provider and much more.

The BJACH public affairs office has begun messaging beneficiaries through social media and other outlets about what to expect during the transition. MHS GENSIS at JRTC and Fort Polk will go live on Mar. 19.

Patients can take steps now to prepare for the MHS GENESIS transformation.

PRIMARY CARE: Primary care appointments between February and April 2022, should be made as soon as possible to avoid delays during the MHS GENESIS transition.

SAME-DAY CARE: BJACH recommends first calling the appointment line, 337-531-3011, to check for open or re-opened appointments due to cancellations. If there is no availability, another option for retirees and Families is to visit a TRICARE-authorized urgent care center for same-day, acute needs. Beneficiaries, other than active duty service members, DO NOT need a referral to receive care at a TRICARE-authorized urgent care center.

CALL THE NAL! The Nurse Advice Line can triage and assist with obtaining appropriate care. Call the NAL: (800) 874-2273, Option 1.

SPECIALTY CARE: BJACH may need to temporarily defer specialty care to the network. For questions regarding a network referral, patients should contact their clinic or PCM team via secure message. Please ensure the clinic has a correct contact number on hand for referral purposes.

PHARMACY: Beneficiaries should be sure to have prescription refills on hand or look into using a TRICARE network retail pharmacy or the mail-order service. For more information on home delivery, visit https://www.tricare.mil/homedelivery.

Patients requiring prescription refills in March should submit their refill requests prior to the GENESIS go live date on Mar. 19, 2022. For faster refill prescription pickup services, the Pharmacy recommends patients use the ScriptCenter kiosk located inside BJACH Entrance A. The ScriptCenter, can be accessed 24 hours a day. Patients can ask the pharmacy staff for more information on how to use the ScriptCenter kiosk.

LAB: Patients may experience longer wait times in outpatient sample collection areas while staff adjusts to the new processes.

RADIOLOGY: Patients should make sure to get their routine radiology appointments taken care of early to avoid extended wait times. Screening mammograms do not require referrals to obtain care.

MHS GENESIS PATIENT PORTAL: The MHS GENESIS Patient Portal will replace TRICARE Online after the records transfer using the same DS Logon access, https://myaccess.dmdc.osd.mil/. Patients can also access their online health record by using a Common Access Card or DFAS account credentials. The Portal will provide 24/7 secure access to personal health information, to include lab results, prescription refills, secure messages with care teams, and more.

Beneficiaries are encouraged to register for access to the new Patient Portal if they have not used DS Logon previously. Visit https://patientportal.mhsgenesis.health.mil.

The Defense Health Agency recommends keeping personal copies of paper records. If feasible, scan the hardcopy documents to digital and back up on an external hard drive, ensuring proper physical and digital storage safeguards to protect personal information.

Editor’s Note: Follow the BJACH Facebook Page @BayneJonesACH and visit the BJACH website, bayne-jones.tricare.mil, to stay up-to-date MHS GENESIS related topics.