ALCOAST 161/21 - APR 2021 TRANSITION TO MHS GENESIS ELECTRONIC HEALTH RECORD SYSTEM

R 261422Z APR 21
FM COMDT COGARD WASHINGTON DC
TO ALCOAST
BT
UNCLAS
ALCOAST 161/21
SSIC 6000
SUBJ:  TRANSITION TO MHS GENESIS ELECTRONIC HEALTH RECORD SYSTEM
A. COMDT COGARD WASHINGTON DC 191050 AUG 20/ACN 097/20 
1. This ALCOAST announces the rollout timeline and deployment
plan for the Coast Guard’s new Electronic Health Record (EHR),
MHS GENESIS, to all Coast Guard clinics, ashore and afloat
sickbays.
2. The Coast Guard has joined forces with the Department of
Defense (DOD) to implement MHS GENESIS, a new EHR capability.
MHS GENESIS will provide a modern health record system for
the Coast Guard’s active duty personnel, reservists and other
beneficiaries who are eligible to receive care through the
Coast Guard Health Service program. Once fully deployed, MHS
GENESIS will be interoperable between the DoD, Veteran Affairs
(VA), and authorized commercial health care providers. Using
MHS GENESIS will make patient record retrieval easier, faster
and more accurate, allowing for the seamless exchange of health
care information between providers.
3. The Electronic Health Record Acquisition (eHRa) program
management office (PMO), COMDT (CG-9333), will deploy the
new EHR system in three distinct segments: A, B, and C.
Once the program is fully deployed, the Coast Guard’s 43
clinics, 67 ashore sickbays and 58 afloat sickbays will
have all access to the new electronic health record
capability. Members entering service starting in FY22 will
have a complete, single military treatment record stored
electronically for the rest of their life, starting with
their recruitment physical through separation, retirement
and beyond.
    a. Segment A consists of the delivery of MHS GENESIS to all
Coast Guard ashore clinics and sickbays. On August 29th, 2020
four initial west coast sites went live with the new EHR to help
prepare the Coast Guard for the launch of MHS GENESIS Coast
Guard-wide. Deployment of MHS GENESIS to the rest of the Coast
Guard will occur in two waves; the Pacific Wave began February
2021 kicking off with a Command Executive Brief. Pacific Wave
“go-live” is scheduled for the final week of August 2021. The
Atlantic Wave will kick-off deployment with their Command
Executive Brief in May 2021. Atlantic Wave is targeting “go-live”
towards the end of November 2021. Specific deployment activity
dates will be communicated separately.
    b. Segment B will integrate radiology capabilities and
convert existing, paper medical records into an electronic
format. Once digitized, legacy paper records will be uploaded
into the DOD Health Artifact and Image Management Solution
(HAIMS) repository and available for viewing electronically,
transitioning the Coast Guard away from paper records. Segment
B is scheduled to be completed by September 2024.
    c. Segment C will extend the electronic health record
capability to all afloat sickbays. The Segment C schedule
is still to be determined.
4. PATIENT EXPERIENCE AND HEALTH RECORD ACCESS. MHS GENESIS is
expected to improve patient’s experience of care. It will offer
better management of chronic, complex, and time-sensitive conditions
and automated, real-time clinical decision support for doctors and
care providers. Each member will have 24/7 secure access to personal
health information, notes and lab results. Members will also be able
to securely communicate with their providers, complete pre-visit
health questionnaires and request medication refills. Once fully
implemented, paper health records will be transitioned to an
electronic format. Electronic storage of our paper health records
will ensure records are comprehensive and globally accessible in
a secure format. MHS GENESIS will also seamlessly share information
across DoD, VA and other commercial providers participating in the
Joint Health Information Exchange network.
5. IMPACT OF MHS GENESIS TO PATIENTS: During deployment of MHS
GENESIS, certain events and training sessions may affect appointment
and staff availability. Allowing medical and dental staff to have
the proper time to train and build familiarity with the system is
critical for ensuring the transition is successful. Patients may
notice additional time added to their appointments as part of the
transition during 4-week period post “go-live”. Patients need to
plan for this impact by scheduling appointments a month or two in
advance of their clinic’s transition to MHS GENESIS to minimize
impact to their healthcare and medical readiness needs. The Coast
Guard will adopt a balanced implementation approach to mitigate
healthcare service impacts while ensuring continued delivery of
high quality care. Coast Guard healthcare facilities will
communicate with patients once they begin to transition to
MHS GENESIS.
6. IMPACT OF MHS GENESIS TO PROVIDERS: During the course of
deployment the MHS GENESIS vendor will be scheduling key activities
and events that require provider participation. These activities
and events include, but are not limited to, role reviews for
training assignments, in-person or virtual trainings, and clinical
walkthroughs of the new system to improve understanding how processes
will change daily operations. Provider participation will be vital
in the understanding and adoption of MHS GENESIS. It is critical
that clinics and sickbays plan for the max participation of providers
and staff. While post go-live impacts will be universal, the specific
impacts during deployment of MHS GENESIS will depend on factors such
as what type of clinic, personnel available, and local dynamics that
make the clinic/sickbay unique. Details on these impacts can be
viewed on the Pacific Wave Patient Load/Operational Impact document
https://www.dcms.uscg.mil/Our-Organization/Assistant-Commandant-for-
Human-Resources-CG-1/Health-Safety-and-Work-Life-CG-11/Office-of-
Health-Services-CG-112/Electronic-Health-Records/.
7. TRAINING/TRANSFER SEASON: End-users will receive system training
through a combination of computer-based and instructor-led modules,
followed by a competency exam to certify the end user for access and
use of the system. Transfer season poses some challenges for the
deployment and training of MHS GENESIS. Members PCSing from LANTAREA
to PACAREA sites will need to complete Computer Based Training
prior to arrival at their new units. This will allow for them
to be prepared for the instructor led training and ensure full
access to the MHS GENESIS system.
8. POLICY/PROCEDURE: REF (A) delineates policy associated with
health record transition to MHS GENESIS until such time as it is
incorporated into a directive. REF (B) enumerates specific procedural
guidance for health services staff. In instances where specific
policy or procedural guidance is absent, the Coast Guard EHR
Functional Steering Committee, chaired by the Chief Medical
Informatics Officer (CMIO), will serve as the governance body to
determine appropriate action.
9. FAQs: To find out more specifics about MHS GENESIS, frequently
asked questions and responses are posted at:
https://cg.portal.uscg.mil/units/cg9/3/3/eHRa/Pages/Home.aspx 
10. Deployment timeline information, information for patients
and providers visit the USCG Electronic Health Record Website:
https://go.usa.gov/xAbXm.
11. POC: LCDR Swati Singh, Chief Medical Informatics Officer
(CMIO), at 703-681-5957, swati.singh@uscg.mil.
12. RADM Dana L. Thomas, Director Health, Safety and Work-Life
(CG-11), sends.
13. Internet release is authorized.