Army Battlefield Medical Records Program Director Earns Decoration for Exceptional Civilian Service Award

MC4’s William H. Weed received the Decoration for Exceptional Civilian Service Award during the Secretary of the Army Awards ceremony on April 14, 2010, at the Pentagon Auditorium. (click image to zoom by 2.4x)

On April 14, Army Secretary John M. McHugh personally awarded Medical Communications for Combat Casualty Care (MC4) Program Management and Business Transformation Director William H. Weed with the Decoration for Exceptional Civilian Service (DECS) Award during a ceremony at the Pentagon. The DECS, comparable to the Military's Distinguished Service Medal, is the highest award granted by the Secretary of the Army to Army civilian personnel.

The award citation states Weed's “leadership overseeing the deployment of an electronic health record system [MC4] worldwide in support of deployed service members is unprecedented” and his “achievements reflect great credit upon himself and the Department of the Army.” His leadership and multiple deployments to the combat zone helped MC4 successfully field systems to Southwest Asia two years ahead of schedule and established a worldwide fielding, training and support infrastructure.

MC4 enables tactical medical units the ability to digitally document health care of Service members, consistent with Title 10 requirements and congressional and presidential directives. The deployment of MC4 systems in the U.S. and abroad ensures every Soldier will have an electronic medical record documenting care and provides commanders critical medical surveillance capabilities. From 2004 through 2009, Weed's service as MC4's director of operations spanned three product managers.

“Weed's contribution to the electronic medical record initiative goes beyond the scope of a typical operations lead in an acquisition program,” MC4 Product Manager LTC William Geesey said. “He's helped transform deployed medical business practices from paper to the digital age, placing technology into the hands of medical units to improve the overall heath care of our Soldiers.”

Weed has 23 years of federal government service and is a certified acquisition professional in program management. Prior to MC4, Weed spent 16 years with the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA) where he received the Meritorious Civilian Service Award, comparable to the military's Legion of Merit.

With ten years of experience managing the DOD's first and most comprehensive battlefield medical recording system, MC4 has enabled the capture of more than 13 million electronic patient encounters in the combat zone. MC4 has also trained 46,000 medical staff and commanders, and fielded 38,000 systems to 750 units with medical personnel, to include Army National Guard and Reserve units, and active component divisional units throughout 17 countries.

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.