Clayson: “I’ve got systems experts here. The skills I really need are in management, and you get those by dealing with people over a long period of time.”

In the early deployment days of the Army’s Medical Communications for Combat Casualty Care (MC4) system, there were quite a few hiccups.

The software ran slowly. It was fielded in 2003 to support warfighters in Kuwait and Iraq, although key components weren’t tested and approved. Training was often conducted in real-life battlefield circumstances.

“The program had pushed forward very quickly and when the system first got out there, it wasn’t running at full speed,” says Army Lt. Col. Edward Clayson, product manager for MC4 since 2005. “We were fielded before we were a fully approved system because of the need.”

MC4 lets a soldier’s medical record be captured electronically and that data is then integrated into a complete automated medical records picture for deployed forces. The tactical system runs on ruggedized notebook PCs and handhelds, and offers surveillance, tracking and logistical information on a patient’s whereabouts and condition.

These days, MC4 has passed all of its critical tests, has surpassed the 1 million mark in electronically capturing medical records on the battlefield, and has extended into Afghanistan while opening up a training hub in Europe. Additionally, the program won a coveted IT award last year—the Defense Department CIO Team Award for outstanding achievement in information management.

“Now we’re training them here so they’re not learning the system when they are on the battlefield, getting shot at,” Clayson says. “The good news is everyone wants MC4. The bad news is everyone wants MC4 right now.”

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