Improvements are underway at Naval Health Clinic Patuxent River, with the goal of providing better, more convenient care to patients.

Starting Nov. 16, the clinic began offering a Walk-In Contraceptive Clinic for active duty women every Wednesday from 1-2 p.m. The clinic is a one-stop-shop for contraceptive needs, including birth control pills, implants, intrauterine devices (IUDs) and barrier methods.

Women who utilize the new service can walk-in, learn about their options, receive any necessary testing and start their selected contraceptive method right away. Active duty receive priority, but non-active duty beneficiaries will be seen if space is available.

In addition, the clinic and pharmacy recently implemented new hours. The clinics is now open Monday-Thursday from 7 a.m.-4 p.m. and Friday from 7 a.m.-2 p.m. and the pharmacy, which is located inside the Navy Exchange, is open on Monday from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. and Tuesday-Friday from 8 a.m.-5 p.m.

The new hours are designed to better serve patients while meeting the training needs of clinic staff. Training was previously conducted on Wednesday mornings.

The clinic is operated by Navy Medicine Readiness and Training Command (NMRTC) Patuxent River.

“We are a training command, and training is essential so that our staff has the skills necessary to provide the quality care our patients deserve,” said NMRTC Patuxent River Commanding Officer Capt. Jeremy Hawker. “A ready, well-trained medical force allows us to accomplish our mission, which is to provide high-quality healthcare and ensure our naval aviators are medically ready to defend our nation.”

Another big change is coming soon with the implementation of MHS GENESIS, the electronic medical records system for the Defense Health Agency (DHA). The DHA operates Military Treatment Facilities for the Navy, Army and Air Force, including Naval Health Clinic Patuxent River and its three branch clinics, Naval Branch Health Clinic Dahlgren, Indian Head and Joint Base Andrews.

MHS GENESIS will go live in March 2023 and will provide patients with a new Patient Portal, which will allow them to monitor their health information, make appointments, see laboratory and test results, and communicate securely with their healthcare team.

The NMRTC Patuxent River staff has already begun training to use the new system. However, as the DHA’s training requirements increase during the next few months, the clinic will need to reduce the number of available healthcare appointments in order to meet those demands. That reduction will continue on a temporary basis after MHS GENESIS launches to allow sufficient time for staff to enter appointment data into the system.

The goal is to minimize the disruption to patient care while ensuring a successful launch of MHS GENESIS, which is revolutionizing military medicine, said Hawker.

“Patients may experience some short-time inconveniences while we learn and implement MHS GENESIS, but the result will be improved care in the long-run,” said Hawker. “We are excited to bring MHS GENESIS on board and will do everything we can to minimize patient frustration and ensure they continue to receive the care they need in a timely manner.”

For more information on MHS GENESIS, visit health.mil/mhsgenesis. For the most up-to-date information on clinic hours and services, visit paxriver.tricare.mil.