Defense Logistics Agency Is Building an EHR to Track Occupational Health

The Defense Logistics Agency is developing a new process for monitoring the health safety of its facilities and launching a new electronic health record system to support this effort.

The agency issued a draft performance work statement for a “consolidated, enterprisewide occupational health medical services and electronic health record system” through a contract to manage those services and build out the new EHR system.

The documents outline a future state in which DLA industrial hygiene leads and safety and occupational health program managers at all agency installations coordinate with the contracted occupational health services program managers. The contractor’s tasks will include medical exams for DLA civilian employees and local nationals, surveillance and testing work areas for proper medical and safety measures, and documenting compliance with military standards, as well as laws of the host country for installations abroad. The surveillance work will be done through spot inspections of facilities and data, as well as following up on patient and management complaints.

The data generated by the occupational health services providers and the agency leads will be fed into a new electronic health record system to track medical issues, on-site accidents and unsafe working conditions and exposures to hazardous materials.

The EHR system will be a “web-based digital interface application” that will connect and be interoperable with current DLA IT systems, the documents state, including existing EHRs for hazardous exposures and hearing. “All exams will be documented utilizing a single electronic health record with a summary dashboard available to the government.”

In preparation, the contractor will be charged with scanning or otherwise entering all current paper-based records into the system. That work will include uploading around 5,000 medical files within the first six months of the contract.  

The draft document also notes the contractor will be expected to assist with “contingent public health services.”

“During periods of general public health risks that affect all or part of the DLA workforce … the OH service provider will fully support DLA’s implementation of workplace public health programs,” the PWS states. “Workplace services may include providing vaccinations, screening tests, serum antibody tests, exams, or other procedures as appropriate to the situation,” such as recent COVID-19 vaccination mandates.

The draft documents also include a full list of installations and the number and types of yearly exams to be performed at each.

The agency expects to make a single award for this program, with a one-year base period and four one-year add-on options.

DLA officials plan to release the final RFP on Oct. 1, with final bids due by 2 p.m. Nov. 1.