“… In July 2015, DOD awarded the MHS Genesis contract to Leidos Partnership for Defense Health (LPDH). The contract includes a potential 10-year ordering period and an initial total award ceiling of $4.3 billion. DOD selected several MTFs in Washington to serve as Initial Operational Capability (IOC) sites and began fielding MHS Genesis in 2017. The designated IOC sites included: Madigan Army Medical Center, Fairchild Air Force Base, Naval Hospital Bremerton, and Naval Health Clinic Oak Harbor. The purpose of fielding MHS Genesis at the IOC sites before full deployment was to observe, evaluate, and document lessons-learned on whether the new EHR was usable, interoperable, secure, and stable.”
“During initial deployment, DOD evaluators and IOC site personnel identified numerous functional and technical challenges. In particular, the Defense Department’s Director of Operational Testing and Evaluation found that MHS Genesis was “not yet effective or operationally suitable.” Technical challenges included cybersecurity vulnerabilities, network latency, and delayed equipment upgrades and operational testing. Functional challenges included lengthy issue resolution processes, inadequate staff training, and capability gaps and limitations. DOD acknowledged these issues, implemented follow-on testing ongoing corrective actions, and revised its training approach for future fielding.”
“DOD plans to implement MHS Genesis at all military treatment facilities (MTFs) in 23 waves through 2024. Each wave spans 18 months, with a new wave commencing every three months at designated MTFs. The first deployment wave began in September 2019 at MTFs in California, Oregon, and Idaho.”
“As DOD moves to fully implement MHS Genesis, Congress may choose to address various issues including:
- how oversight can be conducted on a program that spans three federal departments;
- what kind of interdepartmental governance structure is needed to implement the program; and
- how to ensure fair and open competition in future procurement decisions.”Read the full article here.
Source: MHS Genesis: Background and Issues for Congress – October 28, 2019. EveryCRSReport.
