Veterans have benefited greatly from advancements in telemedicine, also called telehealth. Because of the high demand for more accessible health care for veterans, the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) has moved forward with advancements in its telehealth program.
The VA operates one of the country’s largest telemedicine programs. Last year alone, 700,000 veterans used their computers and mobile devices to receive medical care through two-way communications with doctors and other clinicians.
Advancements in Telehealth for Veterans in PA
Through the use of technology such as videoconferencing, smartphone apps, and website portals, telemedicine is providing better access to health care for veterans in Pennsylvania. Here are a few examples.
Telehealth at the VA in Pittsburgh
The VA Pittsburgh Healthcare System has one of the most active telemedicine programs in the country. Southwestern Pennsylvania is home to an estimated 260,000 veterans, but many live in rural areas outside of Pittsburgh.
It’s often difficult for veterans who have multiple appointments before a surgery to travel to Pittsburgh for each appointment. Veterans living outside of the Pittsburgh area can make appointments with their local primary physicians, who then connect with Pittsburgh VA specialists to coordinate treatment via telemedicine.
Through the Pittsburgh VA, veterans have access to these telemedicine options:
- Clinical videoconferencing—Frequently used for behavioral health care
- Store and forward—Sending patient images digitally to specialists for evaluation, saving patients travel time in about 50 percent of cases
- Home telehealth program—Frequently used for patients’ self-management of chronic diseases in their own homes, under the direction of VA doctors and nurses
Tele-Amputee Clinic in Butler
The new VA Health Center recently opened in Butler takes full advantage of telemedicine technology. Together with the Louis A. Johnson VA Medical Center in Clarksburg, West Virginia, the center’s Tele-Amputee Clinic assists veterans who have had limb amputations with fitting and other issues related to their artificial limbs.
Telehealth in Bucks County
A new telehealth upgrade was just installed at the Lower Bucks County government services building. It will be a welcome alternative for veterans living in rural areas outside of Philadelphia. During appointments at the clinic on Wednesdays and Fridays, veterans can communicate virtually with VA doctors in Philadelphia.
Support from Lawmakers
State and federal lawmakers representing different parts of Pennsylvania are working to make telemedicine more available to veterans and ordinary citizens.
A member of the U.S. House of Representatives who represents Pennsylvania’s 5th District, Rep. Glenn “GT” Thompson (R-PA) introduced the Veterans E-Health and Telemedicine Support (VETS) Act of 2017, Approved by the House on November 7, the bill would modernize outdated restrictions impeding the adoption and full use of telemedicine.
For example, to get certain kinds of health care through telemedicine, health care professionals and/or patients are required to be in specific locations, such as health care facilities. The VETS Act would remove this location environment.