As their team began to work through troubleshooting how best to serve veteran patients.
They received national approval from the VA to use video apps and platforms like Skype, Zoom, and Facebook Messenger to be able to maintain connectivity with patients.
Eventually, the VA Video Connect system would be the main form of contact for appointments.
IN-PERSON DOCTOR VISITSIN-PERSON DOCTOR VISITS CAMETO A SCREECHING HALT FOR MOST -- AT THE START OF THEPANDEMIC.
FOR VETERANS --MISSING AN APPOINTMENT CAN BECRITICAL -- AND THE V-AHEALTH SYSTEM HAD TO MAKE ANEMERGENCY PUSH TO ENSURE VETSAND THEIR DOCTORS COULD REMAINCONNECTED.Hi my name is Shawn Claypool Iserved in the United StatesArmy....SHAWN IS SPEAKING WITHME OVER V-A VIDEO CONNECT ORV-V-C .... NOT REALLY MUCHDIFFERENT THAN A VIDEO CALLYOU MIGHT MAKE ON A NUMBER OFOTHER PLATFORMS OR APPS.
ANDIT'S BECOME A NECCESSITY FORDOCTORS TO KEEP CONNECTED TOVETERANS.
The biggest wallthat we faced at the beginningof the pandemic, access.
Weneeded to make sure ourveterans and our providers hadthe materials they needed tobe successful.DR LINDSAYRIEGLER SAYS THE V-V-C ALLOWEDTHEM TO BRIDGE THE GAP BUTADMITS IT WAS A CHALLENGE WHENTHE CLOSURES CAME DOWN SOSWIFTLY IN MARCH.
It wasclunky at the time and wenever incorporated VVC intostandard work flow.
So we hadpatients that were stillcoming in face to face but wewere transitioning over to avirtual modality and we didn'tknow how to do that.THEIR TEAMMET AND BEGAN PLUGGING THEHOLES WHILE THE OLDER SYSTEMRECEIVED UPGRADES.
We gotnational approval to use othervideoconferencing modalitiesjust to bridge that gap.EVERYTHING FROM SKYPE, TOMESSENGER, ZOOM AND FACEBOOKWAS USED TO STAY CONNECTED TOVETERANS FOR THEIRAPPOINTMENTS.
We needed toprovide them the services theyneeded and deservedBACK TOSHAWN.... actually I just gotdone with my psychology classAN ARMY VETERAN WITH SERVICECONNECTED DISABILITIES SAYS HEEASILY POPS ONTO THE V-V-CPLATFORM IN BETWEEN CLASSES ATN-KU- IF NECCESSARY TO GO TOAN APPOINTMENT.
It's a lotfaster I mean if yourappointment is at one o'clock,you click the link at oneo'clock and you're there.That's all there is you don'thave to be early for anythingthere's no driving involvedyou don't have to worry abouttraffic it's really niceactuallyTHIS GRAPH SHOWS THEHUGE GROWTH IN IT'S USE BYPATIENTS AS WELL AS THE SLIDEDOWN AS WE GO THROUGH AUGUSTAS IN PERSON VISITS GO TO 40PERCENT.
So it's natural toexpect as we open our doorswider for in personappointments the VVC numbersmay change but we're making astrong push to increase ourVVC numbers to maintain socialdistancing.THAT PUSH IS ALSO TIED TO THEUPCOMING INFLUENZA SEASON TOKEEP VETERANS AT HOME AWAYFROM THE MEDICAL CENTER.ALTHOUGH IN PERSON APPOINTMENTARE POSSIBLE.VETERANS WHODON'T HAVE THE MOBILETECHNOLOGY OR A LAPTOP ORTABLET TO BE ABLE TO DO VIDEOAPPOINTMENTS OR TELEHEALTH CANHAVE A TABLET ISSUED TO THEMFROM THE V-A.FOR MOREINFORMATION FIND THIS STORY ONWCPO DOT COM OR MY FACEBOOKPAGE -- MCKEE W
