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July/August 2018 FCW.COM
VA ‘anywhere-to-
anywhere’ telehealth
goes live
The effort to make telehealth routine for patients and practitioners in the VA system is as much about policy as it is about technology
BY ADAM MAZMANIAN
June 11 marked a major milestone for clinicians delivering telehealth services at the Department of Vet- erans Affairs. It was the go-live date for a policy shift dubbed “anywhere- to-anywhere,” which allows qualified practitioners to log into VA’s telehealth system and see patients without regard for state rules and regulations.
VA has been leading the medical pro- fession in telehealth services for more than a decade, but lately the agency has been relying on regulatory updates rath-
er than technological breakthroughs to advance the delivery of services to its 20 million-strong patient population.
“The most important part of this is that it lets us increasingly — when it’s the right thing to do clinically — move care closer to patients, deliver care in the home or in their preferred loca- tion,” Dr. Neil Evans, chief officer of the Office of Connected Care at the Veter- ans Health Administration, told FCW in an interview at VA headquarters in Washington.
Evans, who sees patients two days a week at VA’s D.C. medical center, has been with the agency for 17 years and is the point person on telehealth policy and delivery. He helped former VA Sec- retary David Shulkin demonstrate tele- health to President Donald Trump at a White House event last year.
In VA clinics, patients, local care- givers and technicians can connect with remote physicians and special- ists. That point-to-point telehealth gives patients access to providers
DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS