VA online health portal wins government innovation award

The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) recently won a  2018 Government Innovation Award for the VA Medical Images and Reports feature in My HealtheVet, VA’s online health portal. VA will be recognized for the award at a ceremony Nov. 8 in McLean, Virginia.

Launched in April, the VA Medical Images and Reports feature allows Veterans with a Premium My HealtheVet account to view, download and share electronic copies of their radiology studies, such as X-rays, mammograms, MRI scans and CT scans from their VA electronic health records.

“This is a well-deserved award for a program that elevates the level of service to our Veteran patients and ensures continuity of care,” said VA Secretary Robert Wilkie. “It’s a great example of VA’s continued movement toward new programs and processes that increase quality of care.”

Veterans can view a wide-ranging list of accessible radiology studies, which are all available in My HealtheVet three calendar days after a study report has been verified. Previously, Veterans were required to submit a written request to get copies of radiology images. That request was then manually processed and could take up to 20 days for the Veteran to get a physical copy of the results. Now, instead of going to a VA facility, Veterans can choose an online self-service option on My HealtheVet to obtain a VA medical image or report.

The VA Medical Images and Reports feature standardizes the viewing experience for users and makes transferring the image files and accompanying notes easier for Veterans. Since VA Medical Imaging and Reports went live in early April, approximately 231,000 requests and nearly 870,000 reports have been viewed through the feature.

For more information about My HealtheVet, visit www.myhealth.va.gov.