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News | Nov. 15, 2024

USMEPCOM and DHA Collaborate to Connect Key Data Systems

By Derrik Noack

USMEPCOM’s Innovation Facilitation Team (IFT) hosted a hackathon with the Program Executive Office Defense Healthcare Information System’s (PEO DHMS) Enterprise Intelligence and Data Solutions (EIDS) team, Nov. 13 – Nov. 15. The IFT and EIDS hackathon brought key players together to begin building a connection between MHS GENESIS (MHSG) and USMIRS 1.1, two platforms used by MEPS personnel to qualify and process military applicants.

The two systems have operated independently since MHS GENESIS was adopted for applicant processing by USMEPCOM in March 2022, requiring duplicate data entry and resulting in thousands of extra man hours each year along with a higher risk of data errors. Participants of the hackathon immediately began working together toward the first goal of the project: create a secure pathway for applicant demographic information thereby allowing for automated registration into MHS GENESIS.

“This is going to be a good partnership,” said Army Lt. Col. Peter Nesbitt, USMEPCOM IFT and Command Advisory Group director. “We have three days to break off into groups and work in focused areas. Understanding what’s necessary and determining next steps here will lead to the development of the MVP (minimum viable product).”

Discussions within the groups stemmed from developing naming conventions, defining how the process will affect certain MEPS roles, functional requirements and plans for testing and validating the connection program.

“Learning terminology and specific workflows used at the MEPS has been very beneficial for our team,” said Jesus Caban, EIDS chief data scientist. “It’s time to optimize those existing workflows and find ways to improve by applying advanced analytics.”

While the hackathon narrowed the scope of the project, there is still a lot of work to complete before launch. The MVP is expected in late FY25.

“The defense of our nation relies on people at the MEPS manually entering data,” said Col. Frankie Cochiaosue, USMEPCOM commander. “By reducing the burden of duplicated entries, MEPS personnel can focus on delivering outstanding service to applicants, their families and recruiting partners.”