ALCOAST 439/22 - NOV 2022 DIGITIZATION AND LONG-TERM STORAGE OF USCG PAPER HEALTH RECORDS (PHR)

R 031302Z NOV 22 MID600052433437U
FM COMDT COGARD WASHINGTON DC
TO ALCOAST
BT
UNCLAS
ALCOAST 439/22
SSIC 6300
SUBJ: DIGITIZATION AND LONG-TERM STORAGE OF USCG PAPER HEALTH
RECORDS (PHR)
A. COMDT COGARD WASHINGTON DC R 151229Z NOV 21 ACN 123/21
B. Paper Health Records Data Digitization Procedural Guidance,
EHRAPMO-PG-23-001
C. Coast Guard Medical Manual, COMDTINST M6000.1F
D. Military Personnel Data Records (PDR) System, COMDTINST
M1080.10I
1. This ALCOAST announces the kickoff of the data migration effort
for Paper Health Records (PHR) at all clinics and sickbays in the
Coast Guard. In accordance with REF (A), the Coast Guard has
successfully migrated to an Electronic Health Record (EHR) and is
undergoing the next phase to digitize and migrate all legacy PHR to
a National Archives-approved central repository managed by the
Defense Health Agency called the Health Artifact and Image
Management Solution (HAIMS). This process will combine electronic
and paper records into a single repository significantly simplifying
access to patient records across the Coast Guard, Department of
Defense, and Department of Veteran Affairs.
2. This effort is scheduled to begin in November 2022 and conclude
August 2023. REF (B) provides the Coast Guard healthcare community
guidance in the collection, inventory, and local scanning of paper
Service Treatment Records (STR), Non-Service Treatment Records
(NSTR), and Occupational Health Treatment Records (OHTR). The
Electronic Health Record Acquisition (eHRa) Program Management
Office (PMO), in coordination with HSWL-SC will complete
informational sessions with all clinics and sickbay personnel by 31
October to ensure familiarity REF (B) and readiness to support this
effort. No PHR will be destroyed during this process. All PHR will
be placed into long-term storage following final quality assurance
review and validation of successful upload to HAIMS by the data
migration team.
3. Who will facilitate the data migration process?
The eHRa PMO has established an Interagency Agreement with the
Defense Logistics Agency (DLA) to support the digitization effort.
An additional contract has been awarded to Iron Mountain to provide
local on-site support to all clinics and ashore sickbays with the
collection, inventory, and shipping of PHR to the DLA central hub.
The clinics and sickbays will create and maintain a local electronic
copy of the record prior to shipment of the original PHR file
offsite. Designated ashore clinic/sickbay representatives shall be
responsible for implementing REF (B) and ensuring their respective
clinic and subordinate Unit Health Record Custodians (UHRC) properly
execute the process. This is a distinct process from the management
of Official Military Personnel Files (OMPFs), as outlined in
REF (D), Representatives shall implement this guidance and ensure
their respective clinic and attached sickbays properly execute the
procedures herein.
4. All clinics and sickbays have been trained with the specifics of
the Procedural Guidance. REF (B) is now available at the below
Microsoft Teams Channel:
(Copy and Paste URL Below into Browser)

MHS Genesis Segment B Field Team:
https://uscg.sharepoint-mil.us/sites/mhsg-segb-fieldteam

5. If your clinic/sickbay has not already contacted you to acquire
any paper records in your possession, please ensure that all paper
health records are returned to the appropriate UHRC for proper
accountability and digitization. This step is critical to ensure the
health records can be accessed by any CG, DoD, and VA treatment
facility. PHRs are the property of the United States Government IAW
REF (C). All patients with records presently not properly stored at
their local UHRC shall return their records immediately, unless the
record is authorized to be checked out for the purposes of ongoing
care.
6. Patients should refrain from contacting their local UHRCs for
copies of their PHRs unless otherwise established under local
command policy or within 90 days of separation. Unnecessary requests
to check out records may potentially delay the digitization and
patient care efforts.
7. For more information please refer to the eHRa Paper Health Record
Digitization Procedural Guidance or contact the eHRa PMO program
team at SMB-COMDT-eHRa-Logistics@uscg.mil.
8. These changes will be made to the next revision of REF (C), which
will be released within the next year.
9. eHRa POC: LCDR George Cabanas, COMDT (CG-9333),
SMB-COMDT-eHRa-Logistics@uscg.mil.
10. RADM Dana L. Thomas, Director, Health, Safety, and Work-Life,
(CG-11) sends.
11. Internet release is authorized.