[{"innerBlocks":[],"name":"core\/freeform","postId":2202,"blockType":{"name":"core\/freeform","keywords":[],"attributes":{"content":{"type":"string","source":"raw"},"lock":{"type":"object"}},"providesContext":[],"usesContext":[],"selectors":[],"supports":{"className":false,"customClassName":false,"reusable":false},"styles":[],"variations":[],"apiVersion":3,"title":"Classic","description":"Use the classic WordPress editor.","category":"text"},"originalContent":"The Department of Defense contends that its deployment of MHS GENESIS\u2014a new Cerner electronic health record system\u2014at four military sites in the Pacific Northwest was a success as part of the EHR\u2019s initial implementation phase.

\u201cWe reached an important milestone last year, completing full deployment to all four initial operational capability (IOC) sites, culminating with Madigan Army Medical Center in Tacoma, Wash.,\u201d testified Stacy Cummings, program executive officer for Defense Healthcare Management Systems, on Thursday before a Senate appropriations subcommittee. \u201cOur immediate focus is to gain approval to continue to deploy MHS GENESIS beyond the Pacific Northwest beginning in 2019.\u201d

Cummings, the executive responsible for the technology modernization program, added that the \u201csuccessful deployment of MHS GENESIS to our four IOC sites was an important milestone in implementing what will be the largest integrated inpatient and outpatient EHR in the United States.\u201d

Also See<\/b>: DoD rolls out Cerner EHR to Madigan Army Medical Center<\/a>

However, Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash.), ranking member of the Senate health committee, expressed her concern that the initial rollout has generated a \u201cbacklog of issues\u201d that remain unresolved.

\u201cI was very concerned when I started hearing at home about disturbing reports about the rollout plagued by technical problems,\u201d Murray told Cummings. \u201cI was out there. I heard issues about inaccurate prescription submissions, misdirected patient referrals, long waits to resolve problems in the program that were identified by the clinicians, and some practitioners reported that they couldn\u2019t even open the program in a timely manner. And, worse, I received reports that staff have received inadequate training on the system and fear they may have to take money out of their own operating budget to pay for that training.\u201d

According to Murray, all of these problems with MHS GENESIS combined have had a \u201csignificant morale impact on the practitioners in my state, not to mention serious concerns about putting patients\u2019 lives at risk.\u201d

Cummings responded that DoD conducted an eight-week optimization period starting this past January that included resolution of \u201ctrouble tickets,\u201d or complaints, and support requests from users at the initial fielding sites. \u201cWhen we began the optimization period, we had about 7,000 trouble tickets,\u201d she testified. \u201cOut of those 7,000 tickets, we\u2019re in the process of closing about 1,000 of them\u2026and, depending on the level of complexity and how much work needs to be done directly with the user, those changes will be made over the remainder of the year.\u201d

However, Murray made the case that a lot of these problems \u201cwere identified long before deployment and should have been addressed prior to people all of a sudden using (MHS GENESIS), when people\u2019s lives are at stake.\u201d

Cummings acknowledged in her written testimony that the \u201cconfiguration of MHS GENESIS deployed for IOC provided a minimally suitable starting point to assess the system, as well as the infrastructure prior to full deployment.\u201d However, armed with \u201ca great deal of feedback and lessons learned from those deployments,\u201d she said DoD can now \u201cmake adjustments to software, training, and workflows and be confident the changes are positive and impactful.\u201d

In 2015, DoD awarded a $4.3 billion contract to prime contractor Leidos to modernize the military\u2019s EHR system, which is slated for deployment worldwide to support healthcare delivery for 9.4 million DoD beneficiaries. The Leidos-led team includes consultancy Accenture, dental software vendor Henry Schein, and Cerner which provides the core Millennium capability.

\u201cWe are on track to fully deploy by 2022,\u201d Cummings told the senators. \u201cAnd, while we still have a few challenging areas,\u201d she concluded that \u201cwe are on track to begin our next deployments on the West Coast in 2019.\u201d

\u201cWe\u2019re following this very closely,\u201d warned Murray. \u201cI just don\u2019t want everybody to think this is happy-dappy, rosy\u2014because there are a lot of issues that need to be addressed and we need to stay on top of this.\u201d","saveContent":"The Department of Defense contends that its deployment of MHS GENESIS\u2014a new Cerner electronic health record system\u2014at four military sites in the Pacific Northwest was a success as part of the EHR\u2019s initial implementation phase.

\u201cWe reached an important milestone last year, completing full deployment to all four initial operational capability (IOC) sites, culminating with Madigan Army Medical Center in Tacoma, Wash.,\u201d testified Stacy Cummings, program executive officer for Defense Healthcare Management Systems, on Thursday before a Senate appropriations subcommittee. \u201cOur immediate focus is to gain approval to continue to deploy MHS GENESIS beyond the Pacific Northwest beginning in 2019.\u201d

Cummings, the executive responsible for the technology modernization program, added that the \u201csuccessful deployment of MHS GENESIS to our four IOC sites was an important milestone in implementing what will be the largest integrated inpatient and outpatient EHR in the United States.\u201d

Also See<\/b>: DoD rolls out Cerner EHR to Madigan Army Medical Center<\/a>

However, Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash.), ranking member of the Senate health committee, expressed her concern that the initial rollout has generated a \u201cbacklog of issues\u201d that remain unresolved.

\u201cI was very concerned when I started hearing at home about disturbing reports about the rollout plagued by technical problems,\u201d Murray told Cummings. \u201cI was out there. I heard issues about inaccurate prescription submissions, misdirected patient referrals, long waits to resolve problems in the program that were identified by the clinicians, and some practitioners reported that they couldn\u2019t even open the program in a timely manner. And, worse, I received reports that staff have received inadequate training on the system and fear they may have to take money out of their own operating budget to pay for that training.\u201d

According to Murray, all of these problems with MHS GENESIS combined have had a \u201csignificant morale impact on the practitioners in my state, not to mention serious concerns about putting patients\u2019 lives at risk.\u201d

Cummings responded that DoD conducted an eight-week optimization period starting this past January that included resolution of \u201ctrouble tickets,\u201d or complaints, and support requests from users at the initial fielding sites. \u201cWhen we began the optimization period, we had about 7,000 trouble tickets,\u201d she testified. \u201cOut of those 7,000 tickets, we\u2019re in the process of closing about 1,000 of them\u2026and, depending on the level of complexity and how much work needs to be done directly with the user, those changes will be made over the remainder of the year.\u201d

However, Murray made the case that a lot of these problems \u201cwere identified long before deployment and should have been addressed prior to people all of a sudden using (MHS GENESIS), when people\u2019s lives are at stake.\u201d

Cummings acknowledged in her written testimony that the \u201cconfiguration of MHS GENESIS deployed for IOC provided a minimally suitable starting point to assess the system, as well as the infrastructure prior to full deployment.\u201d However, armed with \u201ca great deal of feedback and lessons learned from those deployments,\u201d she said DoD can now \u201cmake adjustments to software, training, and workflows and be confident the changes are positive and impactful.\u201d

In 2015, DoD awarded a $4.3 billion contract to prime contractor Leidos to modernize the military\u2019s EHR system, which is slated for deployment worldwide to support healthcare delivery for 9.4 million DoD beneficiaries. The Leidos-led team includes consultancy Accenture, dental software vendor Henry Schein, and Cerner which provides the core Millennium capability.

\u201cWe are on track to fully deploy by 2022,\u201d Cummings told the senators. \u201cAnd, while we still have a few challenging areas,\u201d she concluded that \u201cwe are on track to begin our next deployments on the West Coast in 2019.\u201d

\u201cWe\u2019re following this very closely,\u201d warned Murray. \u201cI just don\u2019t want everybody to think this is happy-dappy, rosy\u2014because there are a lot of issues that need to be addressed and we need to stay on top of this.\u201d","order":0,"get_parent":{},"attributes":[],"attributesType":{"content":{"type":"string","source":"raw"},"lock":{"type":"object"}},"dynamicContent":""}]

DoD initial rollout of Cerner EHR comes under fire from senator

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