The 2024 Defense Health Information Technology Symposium kicked off in Dallas, Texas, with Patrick (Pat) Flanders, Chief Information Officer for the Defense Health Agency, discussing the Department of Defense’s efforts to modernize health care, provide enterprise intelligence and data solutions, and look to the future.
“DHA is on a transformational journey to rethink, reinvent and reenvision our health care delivery model,” Flanders said. “This means moving to a people-centered approach to health and building a lasting framework for future change.”
“Everything we do is to support this goal. Our strategic plan, accelerator ventures and resources are all designed to drive this change,” he added.
DHA CIO Pat Flanders discusses modernizing the health system at 2024 DHITS.
The DHA-sponsored Information Technology Symposium will feature the latest in health IT information, research and surveys with the theme, “Leveraging Interconnected Military Health Systems.”
Flanders outlined current priorities for MHS IT systems, including providing technical and engineering support for the digital health strategy, standardizing and supporting IT operations and training for military hospitals and clinics, providing acquisition lifecycle support for multiple programs, and protecting DHA's data and networks.
Health IT leaders from government and industry attended this annual event to present on topics related to military health IT. The symposium provides an opportunity to share knowledge and innovative ideas, discuss lessons learned, and showcase new IT developments within the MHS.
“Last year, I shared my vision for the importance of an aggressive digital health strategy in military healthcare,” said U.S. Army Lt. Gen. Tereta Crossland, director of DHA. “Now it's about executing on that vision. Our My Military Health campaign is about patients. It's about making people's lives better. It's about helping individuals stay healthy and giving them more control over their vehicle when they're sick or injured – anywhere, anytime,” Crossland said.
She explained that while technology is crucial to the future of healthcare, “it's an enabler, not an end goal. Our competitors in the U.S. healthcare industry are modernizing just as fast or faster. And make no mistake, we're competing for beneficiaries.”
“Our health care modernization isn't just about competing for market share,” Crossland reminded the audience. “It's a race to win on the battlefield. The Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, Space Force, Coast Guard — they all count on DHA to be there to help, wherever they are in the world. Every member of our team must be skilled in using the technology we're deploying. We need digital transformation to connect people in the most remote and austere places on the planet to leading medical centers and combat care experts.”
Senior leaders addressed the current state and future of DHA, and breakout session speakers addressed a range of topics, including artificial intelligence in healthcare, cybersecurity, enterprise standardization, data analytics, health informatics, innovation and operational medicine.
“We take a systems approach to military health care and understand our role as a vital part of the larger national defense system,” said Dr. Lester Martinez Lopez, Department of Defense Undersecretary for Health. “Thinking about ourselves as a system helps us determine where digital technologies are most needed and how those advancements can have a positive systemic impact overall, improving both efficiency and effectiveness.”
“We must always put the patient first,” Martinez said. “Technology is not standing still, and the pace of advancements is accelerating every day. Our patients are exposed to new technologies in every aspect of their lives. More and more patients are digital natives who embrace technology and expect us to provide the most effective and reliable technological solutions.”
This annual event brings together more than 2,500 professionals from DHA, the military, other federal agencies and industry.
