The objective for Defense Health Agency’s (DHA) www.health.mil Innovation and Advanced Technology Development (IATD) Division is to manage and rapidly identify health technology with the potential to provide tangible benefits to the military health program.
The IATD program oversees the military’s Pacific Joint Information Technology Center (JITC) www.health.mil/PJITC) based in Hawaii. JITC is the military health system’s center for joint concept technology development, prototyping, and piloting of IM/IT products and services to support DOD medical readiness requirements and IT modernization.
The Pacific JITC has two major components called the “Integrated Test and Evaluation Center” (ITEC) and the “Biotechnology Hui”.
A few of the ITEC specialized projects include:
- Optimal Vision Care Prototype project—the project is exploring alternatives for vision care documentation by collecting data quickly and accurately to do an initial assessment, triage, and follow-up care. The prototype is to be inter-operable with the DOD/VA EHR
- Electronic Surveillance System for Early Notification of Community (ESSENCE) enables public health practitioners to observe abnormal behavior of health indicators across jurisdictions and to view the geographical spread of outbreaks that span across regions
- Mobile Computing/Care En-route—the project has determined the most appropriate mobile computing software and hardware platform to serve medically on the battlefield in terms of the best combination of software/hardware, communications methodology needed for point-of-care treatment, and clinical documentation
- Janus Joint Legacy Viewer (JLV)—the JLV links the DOD EMR systems to the VA EMR system. The system was developed to enable seamless interoperability of standards-based health data to provide data on both wounded service members and veterans
The “Biotechnology Hui” located in Honolulu, supports biotechnology and telehealth research and manages several successful SBIR research projects. One project involves self-powered biosensors.
The Hui’s Phase II SBIR program has developed a biomonitoring sensor that is powered by simple respiratory activity of the user. The sensor can monitor vital signs, such as activity level, breathing, heart rate, blood pressure, and sleep quality. The sensor can be used to monitor soldiers, athletic training, and first responder diagnostics.