VA Rolls Out Tele-emergency Care Program Nationwide

The Department of Veterans Affairs announced the roll out of its tele-emergency care program nationwide this week. The program — piloted in recent months and part of the VA Health Connect phone service — connects veterans with a clinical triage nurse who can evaluate veterans before recommending treatments or additional emergency care.

“Tele-emergency care now means that veterans can simply pick up the phone, call VA, and we can give them advice on what to do and where to go for care. In a way, tele-emergency care is kind of like bringing emergency care and advice, into the veteran’s home, rather than asking a veteran to always go to an ER,” said Dr. Neil Patel, Acting Executive Director of the VA’s national emergency medicine office.

Patel said that in the event of a serious or life-threatening emergency, veterans should still use emergency services like 911, but suggested that other cases could be resolved through the use of the phone service.

The service is designed to serve veterans that might have mobility or transportation challenges, as well as those potentially living in rural areas across the country.

Dr. Shereef Elnahal, undersecretary for health at VHA, said that the new service can save veterans time by avoiding the need to take a drive to the nearest ER.

“Sometimes, you’re not sure whether what you’re experiencing is a minor emergency or not — and tele-emergency care can help you resolve those questions,” Elnahal said in a press release. “Veterans can get immediate, virtual triage with a VA medical provider who has direct access to their medical records. This avoids having to potentially drive to the nearest emergency department and wait to be evaluated, if appropriate.”

The service has already helped more than 61,182 callers, with 59.4% of callers resolving their case without having to travel from their home to an urgent care or emergency room facility, according to the VA. Patel told GovCIO Media & Research the majority of those that use the service are over the age of 65.

He mentioned that the potential for the program to connect with other outreach-based programs like Uber Health Connect is “work that we need to do in FY 25 to make those connections.”

Patel told GovCIO Media & Research that the service is also supporting a pilot program that is designed to check on elderly veterans that have been discharged from the emergency department and have returned home.

The pilot program connects veterans with para-medicine personnel who can do a wellness check on them and call the tele-emergency care program if questions arise.

“There’s a lot I think we can do and I appreciate the kind of suggestions about these good connections because I think we can make this tool all the more powerful and deliver more value for veterans,” Patel said.