Photo By Susan McGovern | BATDOK-J Soldier touchpoint at Fort Campbell, Kentucky, April 2025... read more read more
FORT DETRICK, Md. – U.S. Army Program Executive Office Enterprise’s Operational Medicine Information Systems – Army (OMIS-A) developed and piloted a web-based application that eliminates key challenges associated with the deployment and maintenance of the current Health Assessment Lite Operations (HALO) electronic health record (EHR) platform.
U.S. Army medical personnel stationed in Poland and Germany began testing OMIS-A’s new Patient Health, Operational Electronic Network Information Exchange Medical (PHOENIXMed) application in August 2025.
HALO’s limitations drive innovation
The HALO system must be installed and configured by qualified 8140-compliant system administrators. Not all medical units deploy with certified system administrators. When HALO is not configured correctly, medical staff resort to paper SF 600 forms.
PHOENIXMed is entirely web-based and requires no local installation or specialized IT personnel to maintain. Army healthcare providers, nurses and medics in operational environments can access PHOENIXMed anywhere with internet access.
OMIS-A maintains PHOENIXMed in the cArmy cloud and automatically updates it when new features are added. Hosting PHOENIXMed in the cloud represents a significant enhancement in operational medicine. “PHOENIXMed marks the first time the Army has delivered an EHR capability in the operational environment that doesn’t burden S6 staff with sustainment requirements,” said James Beach, OMIS-A’s acting deputy product lead.
PHOENIXMed’s “ease of use is a game-changer,” said U.S. Army Maj. (Dr.) Andrew Jackson, command surgeon for 1st Brigade, 1st Infantry Division. “With HALO, we often struggle to get it up and running and keep it running. PHOENIXMed is ready to go from the moment we log in.”
Soldier-centered design
OMIS-A's development approach prioritizes direct input from operational personnel. “We identified a significant operational gap with HALO last year and responded after speaking with Soldiers and commanders in the field,” said Col. Matthew Paul, project manager for the O-6 project management office overseeing OMIS-A. “We collaborate closely with our customers to deliver real-time solutions for real-time challenges. By embracing Agile software development, we adapt rapidly, incorporate customer feedback continuously and ensure our solutions evolve with their needs.”
This Soldier-centered design philosophy permeates every aspect of PHOENIXMed's functionality. “Every feature in PHOENIXMed exists because an operational medic, nurse or physician identified a specific need,” said Ami Bryant, OMIS-A's acting product lead.
Offline capability under development
OMIS-A continues to enhance PHOENIXMed's capabilities. OMIS-A’s development team is currently creating offline functionality to enable PHOENIXMed to operate in denied, degraded, intermittent and limited connectivity environments and transfer locally stored data when an internet connection is available.
About OMIS-A
OMIS-A was established to modernize the Army’s EHR software capabilities to operational Soldiers worldwide.
| Date Taken: | 08.26.2025 |
| Date Posted: | 08.28.2025 14:26 |
| Story ID: | 546493 |
| Location: | US |
| Web Views: | 34 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, OMIS-A pilots PHOENIXMed, by Susan McGovern, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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