The Veterans Administration is making life easier for not only veterans but also their caregivers with several ongoing telehealth programs. One of the newest telehealth programs available is called “IP Video into the Home”.
To begin the enrollment process, clinicians identify veterans who are likely candidates for the program. Generally the veterans are established patients who have a chronic illness or enrolled in the VA’s Home-Based Primary Care program.
The next step is to make sure that the computer in the home meets the technological criteria with an operating system of XP or higher, a high speed connection, and a webcam. An appointment is then scheduled so that the veteran can receive a username and password to log in and connect for a virtual face-to-face meeting.
Another ongoing program is the telerehabilitation program which began as a pilot program and still continues to grow. It is now possible for patients to use their own home computers for a video interaction with specialists for physical rehabilitation.
For example, the White River Junction program in VISN 1 is small but their telerehabilitation program is able to treat the second largest volume of PT patients using virtual care. The program has seen over 400 patients and achieved well over 70 virtual visits in this fiscal year.
Telehealth is helping patients with mental problems through the VA telemental health program. The program in VISN 1 uses clinical video teleconferencing conducted by William Greenhouse PhD, and Staff Psychologist at the telemental health /PTSD VAMC in Bedford Massachusetts.
The teledermatology program was launched years ago but not for convenience but because there were so few dermatologists in VISN 1 rural areas. To remedy the problem, the medical facilities worked together using a surrogate dermatologist model of care with a nurse practitioner directly interacting with patients.
The nurse practitioner then transferred medical information to a specialist to the Providence VAMC and a dermatologist would provide direction to the nurse practitioner to manage the plan for the patient. Today technology is available for securely sending medical records electronically making the process more efficient and the surrogate dermatologist model is only one type of teledermatology used.
Diabetics are now able to get eye screenings using teleretinal imaging. Nationwide, the VA began with 100 cameras for teleretinal imaging and screened roughly 16,000 veterans in the first year. Now there are more than 600 cameras strategically located across the country providing services to more than 250,000 veterans each year.
The Beckley VA Medical Center located in West Virginia is providing care through their mobile health clinic. They are in the final stages of contracting for a telemedicine clinic which will be co-located with the new Veterans Center in Princeton WV. The telemedicine facility is expected to open in the fall and provide telemental health and access to a variety of specialty consultative services including teledermatology, tele-gynecology, general surgery, plus a weight management program
Other VA telehealth ongoing or future programs being planned include tele-nutrition, tele-diabetes group education as well as individual diabetes assessment, telemental health for medication management, evidence-based practice therapy or PTSD, tele-ortho education, tele-amputation group support tele-endocrinology, tele-SCI, and Substance Abuse Therapy programs.