AMSUS 2026 Panel Discussion: Eliminating Gaps for Military Health Readiness

The military healthcare landscape is shifting fast. From the rapid evolution of Combat Casualty Care to the integration of artificial intelligence in triage, the mandate for the Defense Health Agency and the Department of Veterans Affairs is clear: modernizing healthcare delivery is no longer a luxury—it is a mission-readiness requirement. 

At the recent 2026 AMSUS Annual Meeting, eVisit CEO Sachin Agrawal sat down with a panel of experts to discuss the friction points and breakthroughs in federal health technology and the future of healthcare delivery within the military.

The Geography of Care: Closing the Military Wait-Time Gap

Dr. Lynn Van Airsdale, DO, MPH, LCDR (Preventive Medicine Physician, US Navy Bureau of Medicine and Surgery) highlighted the extreme variability in timely access to care across different military bases. She noted a stark contrast in wait times for a provider, citing that in Okinawa, a Marine who couldn’t get care within seven days would prompt intervention, while in San Diego, the wait could be as long as three months. This inconsistency points to a deeper, systemic workflow issue that prevents service members from receiving prompt, standard care simply due to their location. Addressing this geographical disparity in wait times is essential for maintaining consistent mission readiness.

Another major contributor to lag time is disconnected electronic health record data. Dr. Van Airsdale noted a significant lag where critical patient data exists in MHS Genesis but fails to populate in the Medical Readiness Reporting System. The panel revealed that this is not a simple connectivity issue; it is a complex web involving multiple entities like the Defense Enrollment Eligibility Reporting System and varied data coding. Panelists agreed that a centralized readiness dashboard is needed to coordinate data from all sources to provide a real-time “knowledge of the force”.

Digital Infrastructure as a Bridge: Ensuring Seamless Veteran Transitions

This “knowledge” is especially important with respect to mental health treatment. Dr. Stephen Hunt, MD, MPH (VA National Director, Post Deployment Integrated Care Initiative), reminded the room that “you don’t come back from war; you come back with war”. For returning service members, the most critical technology isn’t always a complex algorithm; it’s the digital infrastructure that ensures they aren’t lost in the transition between the DoD and the VA. With nearly 50 percent of veterans receiving care outside the VA system, interoperability is the only way to ensure concierge-level care. Virtual care is the bridge, providing the “connection and integration” required to manage the complex humanness of post-deployment health.

The recurring theme of the panel was the difficulty of enterprise-wide implementation. Jeremy Pamplin, MD, FCCM, FACP, COL (Ret) advocated for an opportunistic, industry-style approach to innovation by seeding projects at local facilities. By field testing a technology – like ambient listening or AI-triage – the DHA can create a “best practice” that spreads naturally rather than being forced from the top down. 

At eVisit, we believe that digital care transformation isn’t just about technology, it’s about combining innovation with partnership to advance mission readiness. Whether it’s streamlining the transition for the VA or architecting resilient systems for the DoD, the goal is to shorten the time-to-care for those who serve.

Want to learn more about how eVisit is driving federal healthcare modernization? Visit our Government Solutions page.