The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) announced last week that it is now offering tele-emergency care (tele-EC) nationwide.
According to the VA, the tele-EC pilot showed promise for veterans in recent months, helping more than 61,182 callers with a 60 percent case resolution rate – which means veterans’ needs were met without having to leave their homes.
“Veterans can now be evaluated for possible emergencies from the comfort of their home,” said VA Under Secretary for Health Shereef Elnahal. “Sometimes, you’re not sure whether what you’re experiencing is a minor emergency or not – and tele-emergency care can help you resolve those questions.”
“Veterans can get immediate, virtual triage with a VA medical provider who has direct access to their medical records,” Elnahal said. “This avoids having to potentially drive to the nearest emergency department and wait to be evaluated.”
Tele-EC is a part of VA Health Connect, a phone service that veterans can call nationwide. Veterans who contact VA Health Connect will speak to a nurse, who will connect them to tele-EC. Tele-EC providers will then evaluate the veteran over the phone or on video and recommend treatment or follow-up, including if in-person care is needed.
In life-threatening emergencies, the nurse will call 911 and stay on the line until help arrives.
“Through VA’s tele-emergency care, Veterans now have increased and quicker access to timely emergency care from VA clinicians, helping them get the right care, at the right time, from the right place,” the VA said on Sept 26. “While tele-EC does not replace the need for in-person emergency evaluation, for Veterans in rural areas or those with mobility and transportation challenges, in-person immediate care can be difficult to access. VA’s tele-EC helps bridge this gap through quick, virtual triage assessments.”
This expansion is a part of VA and the Biden-Harris administration’s efforts to expand access to timely, world-class care for veterans. Veterans enrolled in VA health care can now access tele-EC nationwide by calling VA Health Connect, and through the VA Health Chat app.
VA continues to increase veterans’ access to VA health care through initiatives like tele-EC, access sprints, and by designing and implementing more virtual care options.
Since President Biden signed the PACT Act into law, VA is delivering more care to more veterans than ever before. Nearly 740,000 Veterans have enrolled in VA health care in the past two years.
