Telemedicine has become an important tool for managing chronic diseases such as diabetes, particularly for patients facing geographic, mobility or scheduling barriers to specialty care. But new research from the VA suggests outcomes may differ, depending on how remote diabetes specialty care is delivered.
Veterans With CKD Survived Longer With Telenephrology Care
Has providing access to nephrology specialists improved care for veterans with chronic kidney disease (CKD) in remote areas?
Too Much Use of VA Primary-Care Telehealth Falls Short of In-Person Visit Quality
Used somewhat sparingly, telehealth for primary care is essentially comparable to in-person visits, according to a new report.
Virtual Psychotherapy Improves Health-Related Quality of Life in Parkinson’s Disease
The routine assessment and management of depression in Parkinson’s disease (PD) is an essential component of evidence-based interdisciplinary care, according to a new study which found that virtual delivery worked well.
How Did VA ED Usage for Low-Acuity Conditions Change After Virtual Care Expansion?
Low-acuity VA emergency department (ED) visits decreased rapidly with the U.S. onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020, rebounded partially after the expansion of virtual care but remained 12% below baseline by February 2023.
Primary Care Provider Burnout Linked to Secure Patient Message Volumes in VA Healthcare Systems
Increasing numbers of secure patient messages are overwhelming primary-care providers in the VA health system and appear to be leading to clinician burnout, according to new research.
Adding Telehealth to In-Person Care Benefits Older Diabetes Patients
Limited studies of telehealth in chronic disease management include older adults with diabetes mellitus, according to a new study.
Questions Raised About Costs, Implementation With AI Expansion at VA
VA leaders are committed to aggressively expanding the agency’s use of artificial intelligence, but, while there is consensus among stakeholders that the potential benefits of AI are significant, there’s also skepticism that VA can achieve its goals in an accelerated timeframe.
Veteran Transition Screener Could Strengthen Individualized Veteran Support
The online Veteran Transition Screener, a tool developed to equip veteran-serving providers with real-time data reports on clients’ military-to-civilian transition assimilation status and risks, shows promise for potentially strengthening individualized veteran support, according to a recent study.
Sustained Tele-Critical Care Improves ICU Outcomes in VA Hospitals
Tele-critical care (TCC) aims to put critical-care expertise within reach for every ICU patient, connecting bedside teams with remote intensivists and nurses who monitor patients in real time and step in when complications arise.
Former VA Undersecretary for Health Calls for Adopt Bold Aims in Uncertain Times
Kenneth W. Kizer, MD, MPH, DCM, former VA undersecretary for health, urged clinicians and administrators to embrace uncertainty as an opportunity for courageous change.
Telehealth-Delivered Cancer Services Similar in Quality to In-person VA Care
Telehealth-delivered cancer services offer similar or better care to veteran patients compared to traditional in-person VA care, according to a recent study.
Chronic Conditions Strongly Influence VA Use of Telehealth vs. In-Person Care
As telehealth continues to evolve from a pandemic-era necessity to a core component of modern care, a new national study of VA outpatient encounters revealed that the likelihood of a visit being conducted in person, by phone or via video might hinge on the patient’s chronic condition.
Much-Touted ATLAS Telehealth Booths Went Mostly Unused in Rural Areas
A recent report is calling into question the effectiveness of VA’s ATLAS program, a pilot telehealth initiative that places telehealth booths at non-VA community spaces in rural areas where veterans are more likely not to have access to high-speed internet. Veterans can use the booths to conduct telehealth appointments with VA providers.
Legislators Told AI Both Promising, Scary for Improving VA Healthcare
The speed at which artificial intelligence (AI) is being embraced at the VA has legislators both hopeful and concerned, optimistic that it can improve veterans’ health but worried about data privacy and the possibility of software superseding human decision-making in clinical settings.
VA Telemedicine Rates Remain High After COVID-19 Pandemic, Especially for Mental Healthcare Visits
Following the COVID-19 pandemic, telemedicine rates for veterans enrolled in VA healthcare services remained high, accounting for more than half of mental healthcare visits, while telephone-based care has decreased to pre-pandemic levels, according to a recent study.
Telehealth Offers Promising Alternative to Traditional Sleep Medicine Care
Insufficient and disturbed sleep, as well as clinical sleep disorders such as obstructive sleep apnea, shift work disorder and nightmare disorder, are highly prevalent in the U.S. military and can result in increased accident risk and diminished military readiness.
VA Celebrates 20 Years of Telehealth With Continued Expansion of Services
The VA launched its national telehealth services program in 2003. Twenty years later, it continues to look for new ways to break down barriers to care and expand services available to veterans from the comfort of their homes by tapping into services offered by industry leaders as well as developing internal capabilities.
Deportation Increases Risk of Poor Health for Noncitizen U.S. Veterans
For noncitizen U.S. military servicemembers, deportation can increase the risk of poor physical and mental health outcomes, making this group a vulnerable and often overlooked health disparity population, according to a recent study.
American Indian/Alaska Native Veterans Had Less Access to Mental Telehealthcare
The American Indian/Alaskan Native population has traditionally experienced more serious health issues and barriers to healthcare compared to those of other races or ethnicities.
Penumbra Sheds Light on Use of Virtual Reality for Veteran Rehab
In partnership with the VA’s Office of Healthcare Innovation and Learning (OHIL), Penumbra Inc. aims to change the way veterans receive and literally see rehabilitation services.
Adherence to Diabetes Medications Remained High During COVID-19 Pandemic
During the COVID-19 pandemic, high-risk diabetes patients who were treated in the VA Healthcare System adhered to their diabetes medication regimens and maintained high primary care use, even though virtual care replaced in-person care, according to a recent study.
Telemedicine Increase During Pandemic Put Spotlight on Possible Disparities
The VA has long been a leader in the use of virtual healthcare to improve access to care. When the pandemic caused shutdowns in 2020, virtual care became even more important at the VA.
VA Demonstrates Success in Remote Treatment of Aggressive Cancers
Initially, the TeleOncology service managed oral therapies and watchful waiting and surveillance of veterans with cancer, but it has expanded to offer remote supervision for intravenous cancer treatments.
HCC Surveillance Rebounded at VA, Still Low
How did the first two years of the COVID-19 pandemic affect hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) surveillance and factors associated with completion at the VA?
Group Focuses on Telehealth Fraud at VA, DoD, Other Federal Agencies
While the pandemic has resulted in an explosion in the use of telehealth among federal health agencies, it also has created opportunities for fraud and waste, according to a recent joint report from six Offices of the Inspector General (OIGs).
Telehealth Rollback Puts Veterans Receiving Opioid Addiction Treatment at Risk
When the COVID-19 pandemic prompted federal policy changes increasing the use of telehealth delivery, one of those was the increased delivery of buprenorphine
Dietician Mary Julius Champions VA’s Virtual Diabetes Education Program
When Mary Julius was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes in 1974, the world was a very different place. There were only approximately 4.5 million Americans who had been diagnosed with diabetes.
New Center at NYU Will Focus on How Social Factors Might Affect Veterans Using Telehealth for Cancer
As part of a larger initiative, a center will be established at New York University to determine how social factors might affect the delivery of telehealth for cancer care.
COVID-19 Telehealth Changes Improve VA Treatment for Opioid-Use Disorder
Implementing new policies during the COVID-19 pandemic reduced barriers to telehealth delivery of buprenorphine treatment for opioid-use disorder for veterans seeking care, a new study reports.
