It can be inconvenient to have to limit access to online information to avoid exceeding the monthly data allotments on mobile device plans. The Veterans Administration’s (VA) Office of Information and Technology (OIT) https://www.oit.va.gov has now made it possible for veterans who are T-Mobile https://www.t-mobile.com customers to access telehealth resources without having to use data in their personal mobile device plans.
This means that veterans and their families with T-Mobile data plans can now access VA systems via the public internet and are not billed for that internet access.
It also means that patients now have unlimited access to VA Video Connect (“VVC), a telehealth application capable of streaming live video sessions between patients and healthcare providers. OIT handles 80,000 minutes of telehealth video each day by connecting veterans as far away as Guam and the Philippines.
This development enables the VA to increase veteran access to care especially helping with high demand primary care and mental health telehealth services. This also alleviates the need for veterans to pay for data during telehealth provider visits, which can last 60 or more minutes per session.
As announced last February, starting this summer, the VA will make it possible for veterans receiving care at the VA to access their personal medical data using the Health Records on their iPhones. Veterans will be able to view their allergies, conditions, immunizations, lab results, medications, procedures and vitals on their iPhone.
Health Records on iPhones will also bring hospitals and clinics together outside of the VA with the existing Apple Health app. This means that now veterans will be able to see their medical data from multiple providers including the VA whenever they choose.
This new capability has been made possible through the Veterans Health Application Programming Interface (Veterans Health API). The Veterans Health API enables veterans to access their health records by using apps on their mobile devices or have access to records using their web browser.
After a visit to a VA healthcare facility, the veteran’s Apple device will automatically be able to receive updated health record information within 24 hours by using the built-in-Health app from Apple on their iPhone.