Defense Health Agency

Jesus Caban, chief data and artificial intelligence officer at the Defense Health Agency, spoke about efforts to scale artificial intelligence across military health systems. The discussion covered how AI tools can move from pilots to broader use in care delivery and health data operations, and what barriers the agency faces in deploying AI at scale across the Military Health System.

Defense Health Agency-Public Health experts are highlighting leadership engagement, secure storage of lethal means, and available resources as key elements of suicide prevention. The guidance, published on the US Army website, stresses that commanders and leaders play a central role in reducing risk, alongside safe firearms and medication storage and better awareness of support services for service members.

The Defense Health Agency has begun developing a contracting strategy for health data management, according to Washington Technology. The effort signals a push to consolidate how the military health system handles medical data across its facilities. Details on scope, timeline and potential contract value have not been released, and vendors in the federal health IT space are likely watching closely.