Chief among the recommendations from the GAO in its recent report on Genesis: Set goals for improving satisfaction and build a plan to achieve those goals.
“We do think that is a very important recommendation that they should take very seriously,” Harris said.
Similar to the “MyChart” system used by the Premier and Kettering health systems in the Dayton area, MHS Genesis offers a way to send secure electronic messages to physicians, request prescription refills, make appointments, check test results and more.
In 2022, the DOD began surveying users of MHS Genesis. “User satisfaction rates have improved over the past two years, but these rates are still lower than the rates for DOD’s old health records systems,” the GAO said.
“It doesn’t seem like the DOD is very interested about how accepting the users are of the system,” Harris said. “Because I think for the DOD it’s really about that command-and-control culture. They’re very hierarchical. They’re going to push down an order.”
Last June, MHS Genesis went live for patients at the Wright-Patterson Air Force Base Medical Center, the Air Force’s second-largest hospital, replacing the TRICARE Online system.
Credit: Ty Greenlees
Credit: Ty Greenlees
Based on consumer feedback received via surveys and social media, the user experience has been positive at Wright-Patterson, Col. Dale Harrell, commander of the 88th Medical Group, said in an email in response to questions from the Dayton Daily News.
Genesis has strengthened communication with patients and the sharing of health information with other military hospitals, the Department of Veterans Affairs and local hospitals, Harrell added.
One early drawback was the inability to request prescription refills through Genesis, he said. But that was corrected in March this year, Harrell said.
“While all new systems have challenges, offering patients the level of technology they expect from their healthcare providers, helps us solidify the foundation for continuous improvements,” the commander said.
The DOD hasn’t yet set user satisfaction goals. “Without goals for improving satisfaction, the department is really going to … have their hands tied in terms of what they can do to measure progress and actually plan for improvement,” the GAO’s Harris said.
It’s not unusual for new users to be unsatisfied with new systems. Change is difficult. “You expect those numbers to be low,” Harris said.
But users have been surveyed two years in a row, in theory giving them enough time to get to know the system. And there have only been minimal improvements in their user experience, she said.
Only 29% of respondents think the new system is helping to provide adequate care. Said Harris, “That’s a huge problem.”
MHS Genesis is slowing military recruiting work, some critics have said, including two U.S. senators, leaving some recruits with identified medical issues unable to join the ranks as soon as they would like.
In some cases, recruits “walk away” from the recruiting process, Harris said.
Questions about the report were sent to Department of Defense representatives. A representative said they were working on a response.
About the Author
