A GENESIS onsite instructor helps a student. Photo by Isaac Savitz ()
U.S. Naval Hospital Okinawa (USNHO) kicked off the deployment of the Military Health System's new electronic health records system, MHS GENESIS, with full steam ahead. The Indo-Pacific marks the final major region to go live with MHS GENESIS and was the eighteenth full-scale rollout. To ensure the effectiveness of the new electronic health records system, all staff members (End Users) accessing the system must undergo education in one of eleven modules (Tracks). Each track consists of at least 3 to 8 courses, totaling 58 and encompassing over 900 approved workflows.
Given that many end users have yet to gain experience with MHS GENESIS, it was crucial to provide high-quality, efficient training promptly. This training ensures that each end user follows a specific workflow tailored to their job, contributing to standardized processes that enhance health, increase readiness, and improve safety. This level of training aligns with the enterprise objectives of zero harm and maintaining a high-reliability organization.
At Naval Hospital Okinawa, the individuals responsible for training all staff members on this new process are Clinical Functions Advisors (CFAs). These CFAs deploy a regional training module in the Indo-Pacific region to eliminate training gaps across facilities. Leading this group of 32 CFAs, all qualified in 2-3 modules, is Gentry Lloyd, the Indo-Pacific Regional Project Manager (RPM). They support Army, Navy, and Air Force Military Treatment facilities in Guam, Mainland Japan, Okinawa, and South Korea. Naval Hospital Okinawa has five in-house CFAs supporting end-user training and III MEF medical assets. This particular group of CFAs, supported by the Training Roles Manager responsible for scheduling training, has exceeded expectations to meet the needs of every end user at Naval Hospital Okinawa within record time. Within two weeks of Go-Live, they conducted 54 training iterations to ensure that every end user had the necessary access to perform their job.
In addition to training, the CFAs support individual clinics and wards through daily rounding and providing over-the-shoulder assistance to their trained end users. This commitment ensures continued high-quality patient care. The success of Naval Hospital Okinawa's rapid operational readiness is attributed not only to the on-site CFAs (Robert Shird, Everett Williamson, Donald McMurtry, Xavier Bell & Carlton Jones) and the on-site Training Roles Manager (Timothy Duckworth) but also to Indo-Pacific regional trainers, particularly those in Guam, who conducted 75 virtual trainings accessible to every Army, Navy, Air Force MTF, and their geographically separated units. This achievement underscores the dedication of the Indo-Pacific team of CFAs, demonstrating that Naval Hospital Okinawa is well-equipped to provide high-quality patient care for our military members, families, retirees, and civilians.
Was it a lucky transition? Not at all! The hard work of the USNHO staff on the ground for the year prior to deployment, the IT personnel, Trainers, Pay it Forward, and the command and control on the ground all worked together to make the transition as smooth as possible. USNHO is in the third week of using MHS GENESIS and is reaping the rewards of the vast network of individuals who all came together from all over the world to make this transition a great success. Still, most importantly, we are making military medicine better at the MTFs and clinics for our beneficiaries.
The U.S. Navy Medicine Readiness and Training Command Okinawa (USNMRTCO) supports the Defense Health Agency’s U.S. Naval Hospital, Okinawa (USNHO) as the largest OCONUS Navy Medicine medical treatment facility and stands ready to respond to contingency operations to support the INDOPACOM region. It is a critical regional asset for direct care delivery, regional referrals, and medical contingency operations. The staff of USNHO understands their vital role as pre-positioned, forward-deployed naval forces within the first island chain, aligned and in support of the joint military commands and operations.
Trey Savitz, Public Affairs Officer U.S. Naval Hospital Okinawa, Japan Comm: 011-81-971-7024 DSN: (315) 646-7024 isaac.s.savitz.civ@health.mil
