University selected to innovate military health care logistics

The W. P. Carey School of Business at Arizona State University has announced plans to provide strategic recommendations to the nation’s military to improve patient care for service members.

ASU is partnering with Active Innovations, Global Healthcare Exchange (GHX), and Expression Networks to develop recommendations for a fully integrated supply chain organization model to include dashboards and simulations. The Medical Technology Enterprise Consortium (MTEC) research project award will provide $2.4 million in funding under the guide of principal investigator Eugene Schneller, a professor of supply chain management. It’s the largest research contract received by ASU’s W. P. Carey School of Business to date.
The core mission is to identify emerging technology and operational methods that can improve overall performance and function of Defense Medical Logistics Enterprise Solution (DML-ES) and the future LogiCole system, as it moves toward a more integrated cloud-based system.

Among the problems health care systems face is delivering supplies — everything from pharmaceuticals to devices to equipment — to people in remote places. This is especially true for troops supporting combat operations, said Schneller.
At the end of the project, researchers hope that U.S. military medical logistics will be recognized as a fully integrated supply chain organization — a concept developed by ASU researchers to describe the most progressive nonmilitary health care supply chain organizations.

“One thing we’ll be considering is the use of drones in delivering supplies. Another technology that’s being talked about a great deal is the use of 3D printing for items on-site that aren’t available immediately,” said Schneller, whose goal is to design a conceptual system model that’s not just responsive to what’s needed today, but a roadmap that is good for the next two decades.

“We will also be considering the use of blockchain for supply chain enhancement — an area where other industries are considering the impact of this technology on performance. Professor Dale Rogers, who will serve as co-investigator, has done extensive research in this area,” said Schneller. “Health care technology is moving so quickly. How do you purchase and procure products and manage new technologies that a hospital might use as they come into use? What we’re going to be looking at is end-to-end supply chain optimization.”

The Department of Defense operates one of the nation’s largest health care systems with 9.4 million beneficiaries served by almost 900 treatment facilities worldwide. Daily, this equates to nearly 20,000 supply requisitions, 4,000 work orders on $8.1 billion worth of biomedical equipment and 3,000 work orders for more than 4,000 medical and dental facilities and buildings.

Phase one

Researchers will review current systems at Fort Detrick, Maryland, home of the medical logistics agencies for the United States Army, Navy and Air Force. Data that’s gathered will help assess the potential adoption of emerging technologies like 3D printing, predictive modeling for logistics pre-positioning, blockchain for cybersecurity and data integrity, drone delivery and tracking.

Phase two

Prototypes of dashboard and simulations will be developed, depending on phase one recommendations. Researchers will provide a roadmap on how the Defense Health Agency, Medical Logistics Division can develop and implement future LogiCole capabilities.

Expression Networks, which has provided state-of-the-art systems capabilities and dashboards to numerous government and private organizations will be critical in phase two.

“We are thrilled to be part of the ASU military health care logistics innovation project team. We will bring technology, analytics and advanced visualization techniques together to build meaningful situational awareness dashboards for the Defense Health Agency,” said Abir Ray with Expression Networks.

GHX is known internationally for its cloud-based supply chain technology exchange and solutions that help hospitals streamline purchasing by maximizing automation, efficiency and accuracy of business processes.

“The opportunity to help our military deliver the best, most efficient and effective patient care to millions of service members through a best-in-class supply chain is a privilege we are embracing. Working with ASU and these other partners should yield incredible value to the DoD but also to supply chain leaders throughout healthcare,” said Tina Vatanka Murphy, chief revenue officer with GHX.

Active Innovations will bring together its relationships with health care supply chain management and information technology planning experts to provide input and document review.

“We are excited about this opportunity to work with ASU and our other project team members on this project. It will provide many opportunities to collaborate on how best to model optimum practices and recommendations for innovative approaches from our review of current systems to be integrated with cloud-based capabilities for the future LogiCole system,” said Richard A. Perrin, co-principal investigator with Active Innovations.

Recognizing the need for an innovative and comprehensive solution, Schneller says his team of private sector organizations and academic partners is a testament to why Arizona State University was ranked No. 1 in the U.S. for innovation by U.S. News & World Report for the fourth straight year.

The Joint Spectrum Data Repository (JSDR) database won’t just keep American communications officers from mistakenly scrambling each others’ signals, either. By providing a comprehensive baseline of what friendly transmissions look like, the mega-database will make it easier for Signals Intelligence (SIGINT) and Electronic Warfare (EW) troops to hone in on enemy transmissions.

AOC: With so many troops, tanks, ships, and planes transmitting on so many different frequencies that they accidentally jam each other hundreds of times a year, the US military lives and dies by the radio frequency spectrum. That’s why the Defense Information Services Agency (DISA) is pulling together data from all four armed services to create a single massive database of signals, the Joint Spectrum Data Repository.

The JSDR won’t just keep American communications officers from mistakenly scrambling each others’ signals, either. By providing a comprehensive baseline of what friendly transmissions look like, the mega-database will make it easier for Signals Intelligence and Electronic Warfare (EW) troops to hone in on enemy transmissions.

What’s more, by building on other Pentagon investments — cloud computing to pool all this data, secure, jam-proof satellite communications to share it, big data analysis and ultimately artificial intelligence — the Joint Spectrum Data Repository will be able to provide data “near-real time” to users worldwide, DOD’s Chief Information Officer, Dana Deasy, said here.

The key realization, Deasy told the Association of Old Crows electronic warfare conference: Just as the radio spectrum is critical to everything else the Defense Department does, a lot of DoD’s other initiatives have useful applications to the spectrum, too. “Military applications for the cloud, AI, and cyber all depend on the ability to access and maneuver within the electromagnetic spectrum (EMS),” he said. Conversely, “I can tell you the DoD plans to leverage cloud, AI, and cyber to enhance activities in EMS.”

“Consolidating EMS data into a single source for ease of access… has massive potential when combined with both milCloud and JEDI,” Deasy said, referring to two major Pentagon initiatives in cloud computing that could provide global access to the Joint Spectrum Data Repository. JEDI in particular is intended to connect frontline combat units to the cloud.

Another vital part of getting data into cockpits and trenches, Deasy said, is the DoD’s major investment in secure radio communications — essentially, military-strength wifi — that can resist enemy jamming and hacking.

But supporting frontline commanders requires more than getting the data to them: It requires figuring out which data is worth sending in the first place. In a world of wifi and cellphones, however, there are so many different friendly, enemy, neutral, and civilian transmissions all the time that the raw data is overwhelming.

Today, sorting out what’s significant requires a tremendous amount of human labor, Deasy said, but the new Joint Artificial Intelligence Center will help create AI tools that can take on much of the data crunching. DoD is holding a major industry day tomorrow for contractors interested in the new center.

EXPRESSION NETWORKS IS RANKED #1 AMONG THE FAST 50 BY WASHINGTON TECHNOLOGY

Expression Networks has been recognized by Washington Technology as one of the fastest growing companies for 2018. We are now ranked #1 amongst the fastest growing small businesses in the government market, and our placement on the list is based on the amazing compounded annual growth rate of 800% over the last five years. This recognition is a testament of our continuous growth into 2018. Within the last year, Expression has entered into high-profile contracts at DISA, Department of State, and the Defense Health Agency.

Abir Ray, reflected on this recognition, stating “This is attributed to our dedicated team members who provide perpetual innovation to our customers.   We are honored to be acknowledged by Washington Technology and hope to continue this momentum through the future.”

Expression Networks has been ranked on the 2018 Inc. 5000 ‘Fastest Growing Companies’ list.   Inc. 5000 ranks companies according to the growth percentage in a three-year period. Qualified companies must be U.S.-based, privately held, for-profit and independent. In the 2018 ranking, Expression Networks demonstrated a 233% growth percentage.

Expression Networks’ Owner, Abir Ray, notes: “The Inc. 5000 ranking is a testament to the continued hard work, sacrifices, and dedication of our employees.  As a client-focused, perpetual innovation driven company, we are working together for a better future.”

The Defense Logistics Agency (DLA) awarded Expression Networks a position on an eight-year, $6 billion contract to compete for a range of information technology task orders in support of DLA and other Defense Department agencies. DLA awarded the indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity (IDIQ) contract through a competitive procurement process and will commit funds from fiscal 2017 through to 2025.

This DLA J6 Enterprise Technology Services acquisition vehicle covers 21 IT, technical and management task areas that support the DLA’s and other Department of Defense (DoD) agencies’ operations and program offices. The work under this IDIQ will be performed within and outside the US. The contract has a five-year base period, with three one-year, option years.

Core functional areas under this IDIQ include IT solutions, technical support, maintenance and sustainment, operations support, application development, maintenance and technical support, and lifecycle management. The IDIQ has 21 Task Areas, and Expression Networks has been picked for all the Areas.

“We are proud to be selected as one of the companies chosen by DLA to provide IT services in support of the Warfighter.  We are excited to continue this partnership with DLA and the DoD, and stand by to assist them in accomplishing their objectives”, said, Expression Networks’ Director for DoD Services, Abir Ray.

Expression Networks is a leading provider of tailored and integrated information technology, software engineering, data analytics, and electromagnetic spectrum management solutions to the national security community.  Its Perpetual Innovation advantage ensures its clients meet the challenges of today and tomorrow.

Expression Networks is pleased to announce that the Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA) has awarded one of four Small Business prime competitive positions of an indefinite delivery/indefinite quantity (IDIQ) contract to Expressions Networks as well as one of four Large Business prime competitive positions. The multiple award IDIQ contract has a potential value of approximately $137 million over its five-year term. The contract is designed to provide spectrum engineering and operational spectrum support for the DISA Defense Spectrum Organization (DSO).

The Operations, Electromagnetic Environmental Effects (E3) Engineering and Strategic Planning (OES) contract will provide operational, E3 and Spectrum Engineering, Strategic Spectrum Planning, and Research and Analysis of Emerging Spectrum Technologies (EST) to support comprehensive and integrated spectrum operations, engineering, analysis, planning, and long term strategies for the DoD.

Washington, DC, March 2015 — Cooke Communications is a print and online media provider with a long-standing relationship with Expression Networks for IT support, web hosting and website development.

Expression Networks maintains infrastructure and provides consulting and development services for over 1000 domains for industries such as tourism, the arts and hospitality managed by Floridakeys.com, a subsidiary of Cooke Communications. Accessibility is always a concern for high-profile sites, and Expressions has consulted with many of the diverse clients for Floridakeys.com on issues such as usability for text readers and mobile devices.

The Key West Citizen, owned by Cooke Communications, is a newspaper with a circulation of about 25,000. In 2002, the Citizen initiated a project to publish all content in PDF format, as well as archiving articles. These efforts required manipulating XML, PDF and flat text files to produce the desired output and automate all possible stages of the publishing process.

Expression Networks, with a long-standing relationship with Cooke Communications, was chosen to implement the software system to accomplish these objectives. The end result of these projects can be viewed at https://secure.floridakeys.com/keysnews/enews (PDF edition of The Key West Citizen) and https://secure.floridakeys.com/keysnews/archives (XML import to a SQL Server database).