80K veterans benefit from VA telehealth programs

Laura Pedulli | | Health Exec | Telehealth

About 80,000 veterans took part in more than 200,000 telehealth consultations with physicians and therapists in 2012, according to the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). The telehealth program also reduced veterans’ bed days by 58 percent and admissions by 38 percent, according to an article published in Military.com.

The VA unveiled progress on its telehealth program at the Connected Health Showcase in Washington, D.C on July 30.

Robert Petzel, MD, under secretary for health at the VA, said the virtual appointments are making a significant difference in the lives and health of patients. “[Telehealth] is really making our system much more accessible to veterans that have had difficulty in the past accessing it,” Petzel said, according to the article.

The virtual appointments include vets receiving care and counseling for chronic medical conditions and for mental health counseling. At the event, the VA displayed various monitors the agency places in the homes of veteran patients to monitor heart rate, blood pressure and more; data is transmitted via a home computer or telephone for review by the VA, according to the article.

Laura Pedulli

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