The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) has announced the nationwide availability of tele-emergency care (tele-EC), enhancing virtual emergency care options for Veterans enrolled in VA health care. This initiative, piloted recently, has already assisted over 61,182 callers with a 59.4% case resolution rate, allowing many Veterans to receive necessary care without leaving their homes.
Tele-emergency care is integrated into VA Health Connect, a phone service that connects Veterans with clinical triage nurses who can direct them to tele-EC when appropriate. Tele-EC providers evaluate the Veteran via phone or video and recommend treatment or follow-up actions, including in-person care if needed. In life-threatening situations, the triage nurse will call 911 and remain on the line until help arrives. However, Veterans experiencing life-threatening emergencies are advised to contact 911 directly.
This expansion aligns with efforts by VA and the Biden-Harris Administration to provide timely and high-quality care for Veterans. "Veterans can now be evaluated for possible emergencies from the comfort of their home," said VA Under Secretary for Health Shereef Elnahal, M.D. He added that tele-emergency care helps determine whether an issue is minor or requires immediate attention, potentially avoiding unnecessary trips to emergency departments.
Tele-EC aims to offer quicker access to emergency care from VA clinicians, particularly benefiting those in rural areas or with mobility issues where immediate in-person care is challenging. While it does not replace in-person evaluations entirely, it provides a valuable bridge through virtual assessments.
VA continues to expand access through initiatives like tele-EC and other virtual care options. Since President Biden signed the PACT Act into law, nearly 740,000 Veterans have enrolled in VA health care over the past two years.
Veterans' trust in VA services remains high, with outpatient health care trust scores at 91.8%, according to the latest VA Trust Report. For two consecutive years, VA facilities have outperformed non-VA hospitals in independent reviews of care quality and patient satisfaction.
For more information about VA services and enrollment details, visit the official VA health care website.
