JOINT BASE ANDREWS, Md. –
On March 25, 2023, the National Capital Region Military Health System will transition to MHS GENESIS, a new electronic health record and patient portal. The 316th Medical Group at JBA and Joint Base Anacostia-Bolling, Washington, D.C., will be impacted by this major transition.
When fully implemented, MHS GENESIS will provide a single health record for service members, veterans and their families. The new system offers enhanced security with integration of several separate systems into a single medical record. With standardization of both inpatient and outpatient medical records, these records will seamlessly follow members as they move throughout the Department of Defense during their service.
“The MHS GENESIS launch follows 15-months of extensive preparation, including staff training, internal infrastructure changes, and equipment upgrades,” said Lt. Col. Pryor Brenner, MHS GENESIS site lead. “As we adjust to the new system, appointment availability for our clinics from March until June 2023 will be reduced by half. Patients can expect to experience reduced availability of appointments and increased wait times as providers and staff adjust to new workflows, processes and clinical software.”
The MHS GENESIS Patient Portal will replace TRICARE Online. Beginning March 25, patients will be able to utilize the Patient Portal to view their electronic health records, exchange secure messages with their health care team, schedule appointments, request prescription renewals, review clinical notes, referrals, lab results and much more. Once fully implemented, records stored on TRICARE Online will automatically migrate to the MHS GENESIS Patient Portal.
Although no actions are necessary when it comes to health record transfers, there are two things beneficiaries need to do to ensure a seamless transition to MHS GENESIS.
“First they should verify their personal information in DEERS by visiting the nearest military ID card office or going online at https://milconnect.dmdc.osd.mil/milconnect/,” shared Brenner. “Updating your information in DEERS will ensure your correct personal information and eligibility for health benefits will automatically transfer to the new system."
”Second, beneficiaries will need to sign up for a DS Logon Account at https://health.mil/MHSGENESIS. A DS Log On account is required for individuals without a common access card (CAC) to access their health records in the MHS GENESIS Patient Portal. However, individuals with a CAC are still encouraged to sign up for a DS Log On account."
Col. Robert Corby, 316th Medical Group commander, shared, “To minimize challenges patients may experience as we transition to MHS GENESIS, we ask that our patients schedule routine appointments as soon as possible, maintain hardcopies of healthcare referrals and ensure they have prescription refills on hand.”
Additionally, beneficiaries have several options to conveniently access care and medical assistance if an appointment is not available. Non-active-duty patients may visit a TRICARE-authorized urgent care center for same-day acute needs, access telehealth services 24/7 from Doctor on Demand at https://www.humanamilitary.com/telemedicine, or contact the military health system nurse advice line at 800-874-2273, option 1.
Active-duty members, however, will continue to seek care in the military clinics and must have a referral, which can be obtained by calling the nurse advice line, when seeking civilian acute care services. We recommend that patients do not use the Malcolm Grow Medical Clinic emergent care center for non-emergent care. This may result in longer wait times for patients with emergent medical issues.
Corby and Brenner acknowledged that providers and patients can expect to see a short-term increase in wait times as health care teams adapt office and clinic practices to new, standardized workflows. Corby also shared, “Our staff has worked diligently over the past year to prepare for this next evolution in health care excellence. We look forward to continuing to provide safe, quality health care.”
More information can be found by visiting the 316th Medical Group's MHS GENESIS webpage or by calling their information line at 240-612-4866.