To help overcome the digital divide that keeps rural veterans from accessing the range of health and wellness benefits they are eligible for, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs is offering new access to telehealth and virtual care options.
In partnership with the Veterans Health Administration’s National Center for Collaborative Healthcare Innovation, the VA Palo Alto Healthcare System and Verizon Public Sector, the VA will provide broadband connectivity directly to veterans living in remote areas across the country.
WHY IT MATTERS
For veterans living in areas with very limited internet availability, the VA’s telehealth and telewellness services are generally out of reach. But with the NaaS architecture, the VA’s agreement will provide low Earth orbit cellular or satellite connectivity to rural veterans.
VAPAHCS is also the agency’s first fully 5G-connected hospital.
“Some of our rural veterans may have reduced connectivity because of where they live, which could impact access to virtual care options such as telehealth and wellness programs,” said Dr. Thomas Osborne, director of NCCHI, in Tuesday’s announcement.
“However, we are on our way to changing that.”
In May, Verizon also announced a nine-year, $448.3 million expansion of its partnership with the VA to provide mobile devices and mission-critical communications during the VA’s disaster recovery missions and other emergency situations.
THE BIG TREND
Remote broadband connectivity is a roadblock to telehealth and other virtual care services for veterans and others living in both rural and certain urban areas. While the VHA provides health care to millions of veterans in approximately 1,000 facilities, many of these patients face mobility barriers that minimize access to in-person care.
Verizon is also the power behind the VA Video Connect telehealth service, which the company says provides more than 80,000 veterans with free, unlimited access to health care consultations.
The platform, which launched before the COVID-19 pandemic, connects veterans’ video appointments with their care teams using encryption over Verizon’s nationwide 4G LTE network. There is also a built-in chat function.
Before that, the Anywhere to Anywhere VA Healthcare program expanded telehealth to remote clinics and call centers. According to Dr. Neil Evans, chief operating officer of the VHA’s Office of Connected Care, the VA Telehealth Emergency Management Team was created in response to Hurricanes Harvey and Maria in 2017.
He told Healthcare IT news Prior to HIMSS22, the foundation enabled the agency to quickly scale up virtual care and telecritical care support to intensive care units at the onset of the pandemic.
“Other digital and virtual care capabilities were quickly established based on existing infrastructure, allowing VA to offer self-subscription protocols for remote monitoring of COVID-19 symptoms and, later in the pandemic, rapid vaccination scheduling via interactive text messages,” he said .
ON THE RECORD
“Our goal is to provide our veterans with the best and most advanced health care,” Osborne said in a statement.
“This important partnership and the improved broadband internet availability it will help provide is aimed at ensuring that veterans, regardless of where they live, have access to the widest possible range of health and wellness options,” said Maggie Hallbach, senior vice president of Verizon Public. Sector.
Andrea Fox is editor-in-chief of Healthcare IT News.
Email: afox@himss.org
Healthcare IT News is a HIMSS Media publication.