Army implementing ‘major’ upgrade to EMR system

The Army is upgrading its EMR system so wounded soldiers on the battlefield will have detailed permanent accounts of the scenario and treatment received. The new version of the Medical Communications for Combat Casualty Care (MC4 system) is being fielded through April, according to an announcement.

Under the upgraded system, each MC4 system and server will utilize PKI-E certificates that will enhance security and assure the integrity of information transmitted through networks. The MC4 update also includes capture of data on allergies and medication history.

“The documentation becomes available to any provider in the world with access to the system," Lt. Col. Keith Harley, assistant product manager for MC4, said in a statement. "In theater, we capture data in a repository known as the theater medical data store. That allows all information to be available to providers anywhere in the treatment of that soldier from the time of point-of-injury all the way to the time he's evacuated to places like Walter Reed or San Antonio."

All medical information moves to a clinical data repository which contains all medical care from the time a soldier enters the service until discharged from the Army, he added.

More than 500 active, National Guard and Army Reserve deployable medical units use the MC4 system in 16 countries, according to the release.