An informational overview on the new Department of Defense (DoD) electronic health record MHS GENESIS was recently provided to attendees at the August Naval Base Kitsap Ombudsmen Assembly.

Naval Hospital Bremerton (NHB) leadership, Leidos Partnership for Defense Health representatives, and Program Executive Office and Defense Healthcare Management Systems communications team members were on hand to explain and answer questions.

NHB, along with Branch Health Clinics at Naval Station Everett, Naval Base Kitsap-Bangor, and Puget Sound Naval Shipyard are following Naval Hospital Oak Harbor (NHOH) as the initial Navy healthcare facility to receive and use MHS GENESIS. The new electronic health record is specifically tailored to keep pace with medical advances and innovations in technology, and enhance the Navy's ability to provide high quality healthcare to all patients.

"We are rolling out MHS GENESIS at NHB in September. We expect some delays as we get more efficient, but, are urging those with routine appointments such as preventive health screens, back-to-school physicals, and annual exams to schedule appointments as soon as possible," said Capt. Kim Zuzelski, NHB's Executive Officer.

The intent, he said, is to share important updates and information at events such as the monthly ombudsmen assembly as much as possible. "We will keep coming to these and other events to present and answer questions."

MHS GENESIS will replace a handful of healthcare systems used by DoD military treatment facilities (MTF). It will provide a single health record for service members, veterans and their families that will integrate inpatient and outpatient medical and dental information across the continuum of care, from point of injury - whether ship, shore, submarine, squadron - to MTF.

Some of the key features and benefits for patients include being a one-stop shop for viewing personal healthcare and history; two-way communication between patient and provider; a secure website for around-the-clock access to individual and family health information including visit notes, test results, x-rays, and prescriptions, along with online prescription renewal.

There are three different ways to access the new patient portal. To prepare, visit the official site at https://patientportal.mhsgenesis.health.mil and once there use one of the three options, Department of Defense Self-Service, Common Access Card, or Defense Finance Accounting Service to logon.

Patients who transfer out of the area to another military hospital or clinic not using MHS GENESIS will resume using Secure Messaging - previously called RelayHealth - and TRICARE Online. MHS GENESIS is expected to deploy across the entire MHS enterprise by 2022.

"We also want our patients to know that along with transitioning to MHS GENESIS, NHB Pharmacy is also going through a construction phrase that includes expanding our windows from six to 12 to better serve our beneficiaries. Pharmacy services will be impacted so we urge everyone to get their refills ahead of time, or use the Mail Order Pharmacy option," said Zuzelski, adding that for those with conditions that need advice and not necessarily an appointment, the Nurse Advice Line - 1-800-TRICARE, option 1 - is a handy resource.

For those who need a timely appointment, NHB's Urgent Care Clinic remains an option.

As a tri-service system, MHS GENESIS first deployed at Fairchild Air Force Base in February 2017, followed by NHOH in July 2017, and will be introduced at Madigan Army Medical Center in October.

Additional information about MHS GENESIS may be found at http://www.health.mil/mhsgenesis

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For more news from Naval Hospital Bremerton, visit http://www.navy.mil/.