FORT DETRICK, Md., May 18, 2009 – Ten years of integrating, fielding and supporting the DoD’s first and most comprehensive battlefield medical recording system, Medical Communications for Combat Casualty Care (MC4), has enabled the capture of more than 10 million electronic patient encounters and 36,000 deployable medical professionals trained on medical information management systems on the front lines.

This month, MC4’s product managers, past and present, met in an open meeting in Frederick, Md., to address lessons learned and to preview plans to advance battlefield medical recording using MC4.

At the event, MC4 Product Manager Lt. Col. William E. Geesey fielded questions from various DoD stakeholders and unveiled the program’s new strategic goals, which include:

— Sustain and enhance operational support

— Provide a “state of the practice” medical information system

— Expand and institutionalize use of the MC4 system

“The move from paper to digital medical records, a transformation the new administration is striving for in the civilian healthcare industry, has been occurring on the battlefield for the past six years,” Lt. Col. Geesey said. “To continue transforming medical business practices in the war zone, we need to leverage Army partnerships and institutionalize MC4 use at home and abroad.”

Following the event, former Army Surgeon General and former Secretary of the Veterans Affairs Lt. Gen. (R) James B. Peake, M.D., relayed to the MC4 workforce the important role they have in contributing to the quality of care provided to wounded warriors and the long term issues with VA claims. “The importance of getting the electronic health record started far forward as part of the continuous record cannot be overstated,” Lt. Gen. (R) Peake said.

Chartered in May 1999, the MC4 program was established to meet presidential and congressional objectives set-forth by Title 10 in 1997, which called for a medical tracking system for all deployed Service members. Originally deployed to Kuwait, Iraq and Qatar in 2003, the once Army-only system engineered for the tactical environment has expanded its use to Air Force, Navy and Army Special Operations Forces medical personnel in 14 countries. In January, deployable medical units began using the system in battalion aid stations in the U.S., enhancing unit readiness for future deployments.

“The expanded use of MC4 in the U.S. creates a “train as you fight” Model that better prepares our medical units to use MC4 in the combat zone,” Lt. Col. Geesey said. “Engraining MC4 in Army training venues will ultimately improve system use, user proficiency and data integrity—that equates to better decision making on the battlefield and better care for our war fighters.”

MC4 integrates, fields and supports a comprehensive medical information system, enabling lifelong electronic medical records, streamlined medical logistics and enhanced situational awareness for Army tactical forces. The Army’s Program Executive Office, Enterprise Information Systems (PEO EIS), Fort Belvoir, Va. overseas the MC4 Product Management Office, headquartered at Fort Detrick, Md.

For more information on MC4, visit www.mc4.army.mil.