AUGUST 5, 2026 — In a continued effort to modernize medical capabilities and improve patient outcomes afloat, the U.S. Navy conducted a comprehensive assessment of the Joint Operational Medicine Information Systems (JOMIS) Clinical Data Provider (CDP) aboard the amphibious assault ship USS Essex (LHD 2) from May 18 – 28, 2026.
The integration of advanced digital health systems is a critical step in ensuring medical providers have seamless access to patient data, even in the challenging, disconnected environments often encountered at sea. To rigorously test the new platform, the Navy relied on the expertise of the Sailors who will use it on the front lines.
The USS Essex medical department, alongside elements of Fleet Surgical Team 5 (FST-5) and the 1st Medical Battalion, participated in the evaluation as the primary end-user testers. Key personnel facilitating and participating in the event included Lt. Harley Sheffield, Naval Medical Forces Pacific chief nursing informatics officer and the JOMIS CDP assessment action officer, and Senior Chief Hospital Corpsman William Meyers, the USS Essex medical department lead chief petty officer
To prepare for the assessment, the participating medical personnel completed over seven hours of intensive training on the JOMIS CDP system. This training ensured that the medical teams were fully equipped to navigate the software and integrate it into their daily clinical workflows and simulated mass casualty scenarios.
“Getting direct engagement from the fleet during this assessment process is absolutely vital,” Sheffield said. “By working alongside the Sailors who will actually use this system, we ensure the CDP successfully supports health care delivery in an operational environment. This helps guarantee that Navy Medicine continues a legacy that has delivered quality health care and enduring expeditionary medical support to the warfighter on, below, and above the sea, and ashore.”
Throughout the 11-day testing period, these end-users provided critical, real-time user experience insights. Their direct feedback on the software’s interface, reliability, and functionality in a shipboard environment will be used by developers to refine and improve the platform prior to wider fleet implementation.
The JOMIS CDP is part of a broader Department of War initiative to deploy modern, interoperable electronic health records to operational forces. By conducting these assessments on large-deck amphibious ships like the Essex, which boasts one of the largest medical facilities afloat, the military ensures that its digital health tools are robust enough to support warfighter readiness and survivability during global operations.
Courtesy Story
Naval Medical Forces Pacific