Patient records at the National Naval Medical Center in Bethesda are due for an upgrade. Thanks to a Defense Department initiative, patient records there will transition from paper to a new digital health care database in September.

The new system, the Composite Health Care System II (CHCSII), is an updated version of the original CHCS program currently used by military health care providers. A centralized database will create a comprehensive, computer-based patient record for each military health beneficiary. Laboratory, radiology and pathology test results will be part of the database. CHCSII will also provide automatic alerts of potential allergic reactions and drug-to-drug interactions.

Paper records will not be totally eliminated just yet. According to Navy Newsstand, the Navy currently maintains more than 500 military treatment facilities, each with their own records keeping department. The Naval Medical Center Portsmouth is already onboard with CHCSII and the Naval Medical Center San Diego is currently in the implementation phase. CHCSII will ultimately connect all of the departments so that the medical records of naval personnel will be available wherever they are stationed.