VA telehealth program delivers better care at lower costs
The Department of Veteran Affairs’ (VA's) national telehealth program resulted in a reduction of utilizations, increased patient satisfaction and significant savings, according to a report that analyzed fiscal year 2013 data.
In all, the VA provided telehealth at 151 medical centers and more than 705 community based outpatient clinics to 608,900 patients during FY 2013. The number of veterans receiving telehealth has grown 22 percent annually, wrote Adam Darkins, VA chief consultant for telehealth services, in the report.
In FY 2013, home telehealth led to reductions in utilization, including a 59 percent reduction in bed days of care and a 35 percent reduction in hospital admissions. Clinical video telehealth reduced bed days of care by 38 percent for mental health care.
Clinical video telehealth saved $34.45 per consultation in travel costs and overall, home telehealth annually saved $1,999 per patient, according to the report.
“Telehealth in VA is the forerunner of a wider vision, one in which the relationship between patients and the healthcare system will dramatically change with the full realization of the ‘connected patient’. The high levels of patient satisfaction with telehealth, and positive clinical outcomes, attest to this direction being the right one,” concluded Darkins.
Read the report here.