When a persistent cough began to worsen, Army Veteran Christa Seals called VA Health Connect hoping to connect with a nurse about her symptoms and get guidance. Four months pregnant and a busy entrepreneur, she was not excited about the prospect of waiting in an emergency room to see a provider. So, she asked if there were any other options for care.
Fortunately, VA recently launched tele-emergency care across the country for situations just like hers.
Tele-emergency care is a part of VA Health Connect, VA’s phone service that Veterans can call nationwide to speak to a clinical triage nurse, who will connect them to tele-emergency care when clinically appropriate. Tele-EC providers can evaluate the Veteran over the phone or on video and recommend treatment or follow-up, including in-person care if needed. In life-threatening emergencies, the clinical triage nurse also calls 911 and stays on the line until help arrives.
In Seal’s case, she was evaluated by an emergency physician by video in under an hour and resolved her concerns without leaving home.
“It was a huge benefit to not only me as a Veteran, you know, that has my own life, but to me as a mother, to me, as you know, someone who still works,” she explained.
Tele-Emergency Nurse Manager Vibeka Wilt and acting Director of Emergency Care Services Dr. Neil Patel have also seen the benefit to Veterans.
“We get to help a Veteran stay home and that’s fantastic.”
Reflecting on her experience working with Veterans through VA Health Connect, Vibeka shared, “Sometimes we’ve had had really good catches and good outcomes where I worry that if a Veteran stayed at home, it would have been a bad outcome. But getting to have that one-on-one conversation, they got to get to the right place. So yeah, sometimes we get to help a Veteran stay home and that’s fantastic. And sometimes, it’s having the time to see what their needs are, discuss them holistically and get them to the right place so they can get sometimes lifesaving care.”
“Waiting rooms are not a great place to be, right? Especially in flu season. If you came in with something, you’re walking out with the respiratory illness. And so, for us, emergency care is, ironically, a cool way of using technology to bring back the old school doc with a black bag, coming into your home to take care of you,” said Dr. Patel.
According to Patel, over half of the cases referred to tele-emergency care are able to be resolved without an emergency room visit.
Josh Geiger, a Veteran employee who championed the effort, is excited about the impact it is already having, “to hear stories like like Christa’s and to hear about how it’s given back to Veterans and made it so convenient. That’s really, in all honesty, the honor of my life.”
It is important to note Veterans experiencing a life-threatening emergency should immediately contact 911, versus seeking support via tele-EC.
Veterans enrolled in VA health care can call their local VA medical center and select option 3 to speak with a nurse who can refer them to tele-emergency care if needed. They can also download the VA Health Chat app.
To hear more about VA’s tele-emergency care option, watch Episode Seven of New Horizons: Bringing Veteran Health Care into the Future or listen wherever you get your podcasts.
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I guess I should have been born a girl. I went months with a severe cough and chest congestion. I live 142 miles from VA hospital so went to local hospital. they treated me for pneumonia with pills and sent me home, same as VA had previously done. I went on a cruise had severe symptoms, came back and day before Thanksgiving drove 142 miles to VA hosp[ital ER. They wanted to admit me but I had a too big of a dinner planned for Thanksgiving. Went back day after and was admitted. Stayed five days, and left as they wanted me to remain longer. I was then hooked up to Telehealth, and a visitingg Nurse, came to see me.
I thought all the complaining and d so on went and fell on deaf VA ears for months before I was finally treated for what I was trying to tell them. I am 80 years old and live alone. This co9ld have been a lot worse if I hadn’t finally taken over and more or less demanded to be treated. This is the first and only time I have had a serious problem ignored by the VA.
Great work nice thank
What does this have to do with being born a girl? Life is tough on both sides of the fence. It’s good that you got the help when you needed it.
Very nice ideal, it’s helps to know we have someone to talk to.
This is great new technology with the Old Fashion Medcine,feel..without visiting Urgent Care or Emergency Room..Excellent Concept
Bullsh-t. Not unless you have good Internet service.
Great initiative.
But I do advise you that if your provider no-shows for your video chat appointment, be weary of reporting them to a member of leadership. A petty social worker once attempted to have me Baker Acted for “missing” my appointment, when she was the one who didn’t sign in and didn’t inform me that she would be absent. I was ignorant enough to tell her supervisor, and a false police report was filed against me, stating that I missed a vital mental health appointment (which it was not) and that I was in crisis (which I was not). VA leadership sided in favor of the neglectful and criminally-intent social worker, leaving me highly distrustful of my VAMC.
I too do not trust Providers, Specialty Clinic Providers, Patient Advocates, and most recently a Community Care Rep at the Central Arkansas VA.
I have been trying and trying for years, Portland, Oregon VA & Central Arkansas VA, trying to get primary care, endocrinology, rheumatologist, etc…. Well over 30+ days to “see” my Women’s Clinic PC (a Nurse Practitioner), didn’t want to see her, needed her to order blood tests that I required. Endocrinology only tests TSH!…it’s a joke right? PFAS at all 4 of the AF bases. I’m a freaking mess. So, I do get a referral to community care again, I was Happy! Was….! Until a VA Community Care Coordinator calls me and literally tells me I do NOT qualify for Community Care because….wait for it… I am already established with a PC at the VA! I’m still in shock! I proceeded to document the entire conversation as I have of ever.
I was seeing a psych, so I thought, for a several years while my home was being stolen in ST & FED courts – 2008 – 2018! This “prescriber” actually documented, in my VA Medical Record, that I was doing an assault on the government. This is after the State & Federal Courts allowed my home to be stolen!
I have watched the VA and every other Fed Agency toot their horns of Awesomeness for years! Nothing! Nothing! Has changed!
Finger Typing this reply comment out is helping me document for later use. Apologize for the many words. If you made it to the end then I say Thank You for reading.