The Department of Veterans Affairs Midwest Health Care Network www.visn23.va.gov and the Air Force Medical Operations Agency www.airforcemedicine.af.mil/AFMOA have signed a collaborative Tele-ICU agreement to allow Air Force patients at five military treatment facilities use the VA’s Tele-ICU capabilities through their centralized support center in Minneapolis. This agreement also extends to Air Force patients in Las Vegas, Hampton, Virginia, Biloxi, Mississippi, Dayton Ohio, and Anchorage Alaska.
The patients will be able to see VA’s Tele-ICU licensed physicians called tele-intensivists and critical care nurses via telecommunication or other electronic technologies. These technologies include direct view of the patient through live audio and video feeds, electronic monitoring, chart review, and consultations. The doctors are also able to prescribe medications, order tests or procedures, make diagnoses, and discuss healthcare with patients and family members.
This collaborative effort is a result of a 2015 DOD-VA Health Care Sharing Incentive Fund also known as the Joint Incentive Fund (JIF) project. JIF was authorized by Congress as part of the 2003 National Defense Authorization Act. The intent of JIF is to facilitate mutually beneficial exchanges of healthcare resources between DOD and VA with the goal of improving access to high quality and cost effective healthcare.
“For the VA, telehealth is revolutionizing the way we practice medicine,” said VA Secretary Dr. David J. Shulkin, who also see patients by telehealth. “Tele-ICU is more than just a way to provide remote care. We know it improves the quality of care, decreases costs by supporting evidence-based practices, improves patient outcomes for ventilator-associate pneumonias, and reduces the length of stay in the ICU.”