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WASHINGTON, D.C. (July 21, 2008) - The Defense Department is
looking for input from the enlisted medical community as it sets up
a new Web portal that will enable medics and corpsmen to share
lessons learned and suggest ways to improve patient care.
The portal will provide a forum for the estimated 80,000
enlisted medical professionals to exchange insights as they share
experience and expertise, Dr. Michael E. Kilpatrick, director of
strategic communications for the Military Health System, said today
during an interview with the Pentagon Channel and American Forces
Press Service.
The site will serve enlisted active-duty and reserve-component
members of the Army, Navy, Air Force and Coast Guard. Navy corpsmen
serve the Marine Corps.
"This portal is going to be an effort led by the military
medical enlisted population for the military medical enlisted
population," Kilpatrick said. "It is really going to be an
opportunity for this community to talk among themselves ... [about]
what really works and how we can continue to improve the care for
the patients we are here to serve."
The emphasis will be on improving both patient care and the
efficiency of the health care system, he said. "We want not only to
increase efficiency, we want to increase quality."
Input from enlisted medical professionals is key to balancing
these seemingly competing agendas, "because they are the ones doing
the hands-on work," he said.
Kilpatrick said he sees the new portal as a way for medics and
corpsmen to suggest everything from how to get patients through the
X-ray process faster to how to speed up the way pharmacy
technicians fill prescriptions. The site also could provide the
venue for medics to suggest better ways of loading a severely
injured patient onto a helicopter, along with other lessons learned
through operational, on-the-ground experience.
Enlisted medical professionals also will be able to comment on
the training they received - what proved valuable and where it
needs to be beefed up, Kilpatrick said.
But first, the Defense Department wants to hear what enlisted
medical professionals would like in the new site.
"We want them to be the architects," Kilpatrick said. "What are
the features and design elements they want in there?"
A short online survey will be available starting July 24 at
www.health.mil will give servicemembers an opportunity to weigh in
with their thoughts. "This is their opportunity to shape something
brand new," Kilpatrick said.
Health Affairs officials will compile input received as they
start building the new portal in mid-August. The new site is
expected to be online before Oct. 1, and it will be
password-protected to serve the enlisted military medical
community, Kilpatrick said.
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