The military medical system's new EHR platform, MHS Genesis, has improved the exchange of medical images at Naval Hospital Bremerton and Fairchild Air Force Base, Navy Cmdr. Afshin Afarin says. The integrated, unified EHR system "has laid the foundation of real time, collaborative provider-to-provider consultation on radiology studies, no matter which military department or sector of the world as long as there is internet connectivity," Afarin said.

The networks, computers, printers and medical devices in use at military medical facilities must be mapped and tested to support the military's unified EHR platform, MHS Genesis, says Jon Scholl, president of Leidos Health Group, which is overseeing the transition. Scholl says Leidos has also strengthened its training curriculum, and Cerner, on whose platform MHS Genesis is based, is deploying its EHR system to Veterans Affairs health facilities, training VA employees and collaborating with the DOD, Cerner Government Services President Travis Dalton says.

Health care providers are working with Chaplain Robert Searle at the Canandaigua VA Medical Center's Center of Excellence for Suicide Prevention to help veterans heal from moral and spiritual injuries inherent in armed combat. The program has enabled at least one Vietnam veteran to let go of shame, forgive himself and recover a lost sense of spirituality.

The US Preventive Services Task Force recommended that pre-exposure prophylaxis medication be offered to healthy patients at high risk for HIV infections, particularly those with HIV-positive partners, people who inject illegal drugs and those who have unprotected sex with at-risk people. The guidelines, published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, also reiterated the recommendation of HIV screenings for all individuals ages 15 to 65 and all pregnant women.

Nurse practitioners and physician assistants provide similarly high quality diabetes care as physicians do at VA medical facilities, according to an analysis of data on more than 600,000 VA patients with diabetes. The study, published in the Journal of the American Academy of Physician Assistants, supports "the role of NPs and PAs as primary care providers," senior author George Jackson said.

Recognition of superior performance and service is important for the professional development of our federal health professionals. The AMSUS Annual Awards Program recognizes these achievements at an Awards Dinner at the AMSUS Annual Meeting. Please be sure to review the guidelines for 2019; some of the criteria has changed. Don't wait till the last week to submit. Submissions for 2019 Awards accepted through 30 June. View the 2018 AMSUS Annual Award winners. AMSUS is also seeking volunteers to review and score award nominations. The timeframe for reviewers to complete their task is mid-July to mid-August. The entire process is online and instructions are provided. If you are interested volunteering, please contact Diane Condrick.

Exhibit sales now open! Come register as an exhibitor for the 2019 AMSUS Annual Meeting and get a prime position in the Exhibit Hall! Make direct contact with physicians, nurses and key leadership in federal health care. Contact Stacie McArdle for more details.