On Monday, Aug. 12, the California Medical Detachment team participated in training led by subject matter experts from the Defense Health Agency and Department of Defense Healthcare Management System Modernization prior to Sept.7 Go-Live that simulat...
PRESIDIO OF MONTEREY, Calif. -- On Monday Aug. 12, "super users" of MHS GENESIS, the Department of Defense's new electronic health record system, from the California Medical Detachment began participation in a 2-week long training activity that simulated charting a patient's journey in MHS GENESIS. The training, led by subject matter experts from the Defense Health Agency and DoD Healthcare Management System Modernization, allowed interdisciplinary care teams to follow high-impact workflows and document within MHS GENESIS in a controlled environment. The teams gained hands-on experience within MHS GENESIS prior to CAL MED's scheduled Sept. 7 Go-Live.
Sgt. Napoleon Gonzaga, Behavioral Health and Optometry noncommissioned officer-in-charge and an Ambulatory Care super user who attended the training, shared his experience and its relevance to the upcoming Go-Live.
"I thought the training went pretty well, overall," said Gonzaga. "The majority of the feedback was that they're excited -- some anxiety still, obviously, just anticipation on the Go-Live date and how it will actually play out on the very first day. But, primarily, the feeling is excitement on the end-user part."
This simulated patient-journey scenario provided the opportunity for MHS GENESIS super users to gain experience and confidence providing elbow-to-elbow support. These users are key staff who are fully involved in the training and implementation of MHS GENESIS, and will be able to provide support throughout the transition.
One of the important benefits of this training is that it replicated complex workflows with frequent handoffs, which is a hands-on approach that uniquely recreated real-world scenarios. This also demonstrated actual work activities within MHS GENESIS, thus enhanced end-user confidence in the system.
"We were able to pull off some really, really good training with our end-users," added Gonzaga. "I think that's really the common weather around CAL MED right now -- yes, we're anxious still, understandably so, however, we feel confident because we did receive some beneficial training."
MHS GENESIS launched initially at a collection of pilot sites including Fairchild Air Force Base in February 2017 and then to other initial fielding sites in Washington State, including Naval Health Clinic Oak Harbor, Naval Hospital Bremerton, and Madigan Army Medical Center. CAL MED is now in the first wave of military treatment facilities, along with Travis and Mountain Home AFBs and Naval Air Station Lemoore, to transition to it.
Similar to launches at previous pilot sites, as the staff learns the system, appointments will be preemptively limited to ensure CAL MED staff have crucial post Go-Live, practical usage of the system. This is mainly to ensure patient safety while also providing the highest quality care during the potential learning curve for staff. During this time, use of the Patient Portal will be an important option for beneficiaries for non-emergent care issues.
CAL MED has approximately 9,000 enrolled patients and supports the Defense Language Institute Foreign Language Center, U.S. Army Garrison Presidio of Monterey, the Naval Postgraduate School, Naval Support Activity Monterey, the Fleet Numerical Meteorology and Oceanography Center, and U.S. Coast Guard Station Monterey.
CAL MED also operates the Major General William H. Gourley VA-DoD Outpatient Clinic in Marina, Calif., which opened in June 2017. The clinic replaced the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Palo Alto Health Care System's existing clinic to meet the growing healthcare need for veterans in the region. It is only the second fully integrated VA-DoD facility in the nation.
For more information on CAL MED's transition to MHS GENESIS, visit: https://www.calmed.health.mil/patients/mhs-genesis.aspx
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