From left: VA Under Secretary for Health Dr. David J. Shulkin, Mayo Clinic CEO John Noseworthy, and former VA Secretary James B. Peake discuss telemedicine at ATA 2016.
One of the most maligned healthcare systems in the United States and one of the most respected ones have something in common. They’re both using telemedicine to improve patient care and save money.
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Telemedicine is helping the Department of Veterans Affairs overcome the worst crisis in its history, Dr. David J. Shulkin, VA undersecretary for health, told attendees Monday at the 2016 American Telemedicine Association conference in Minneapolis.
Under fire for the past two years over long patient wait times and mismanagement, the VA is increasingly turning to telemedicine to serve its patient population, Shulkin said.
The agency wants to have same-day medical and mental health services at every VA center by the end of 2016. Telemedicine is vital for returning veterans, many of whom choose to live in rural areas to avoid crowds and noise, Shulkin added. Rural veterans use 45 percent of the VA’s telehealth services, he noted. The VA also has its own app store with 32 apps.
“We believe telehealth is such an important component of addressing the access issues for VA,” Shulkin said. “The crisis in access has helped us to learn that we can’t do this alone.”
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Minnesota-based Mayo Clinic treats 1.3 million patients a year in 140 countries, said Mayo CEO Dr. John H. Noseworthy, “so we have an awful lot of opportunities to use telemedicine going forward.”
Telemedicine can help patients and healthcare systems to save money as well as reduce fragmentation in healthcare delivery, Noseworthy said.
“The future is ours to create; it’s yours to create,” Noseworthy said. “You’re doing remarkable things.”
