TRICARE
2009-08-02

The Military Health System (MHS) is leading the charge with the groundbreaking implementation of a dental component to AHLTA, the military’s electronic health record, and service members are reaping the benefits.

For the first time in the history of the MHS, AHLTA-Dental consolidates the uniformed services’ dental records into a single, secure electronic resource, creating worldwide access to a service member’s integrated medical and dental record.

“AHLTA-Dental ushers in a new era for medical readiness,” said Charles Campbell, MHS chief information officer. “With such extensive capabilities, AHLTA-Dental improves the sharing of patient information, allowing clinicians easy access to patient information anytime. It creates opportunities to reinforce health promotion and disease prevention activities.”

Starting in the mid-Atlantic region, the staffs at 377 dental clinics will train on and implement AHLTA-Dental by the end 2010. The Defense Health Information Management System’s Deployment Operations team is working closely with service representatives to ensure all military treatment facilities are ready and prepared for a successful launch at each site.

Approximately 11,500 personnel are slated to complete two interactive Web-based lessons to prepare for on-site training. The on-site training includes eight hours in the classroom, followed by up to six hours of on-the-job training.

The MHS is a unique partnership of medical educators, medical researchers, healthcare providers and all support personnel worldwide. This Department of Defense enterprise consists of the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Health Affairs; the medical departments of the Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force, Coast Guard, and Joint Chiefs of Staff; the Combatant Command surgeons; and TRICARE providers including private sector healthcare providers, hospitals and pharmacies.

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