Patient Experience Week: VA Puget Sound rolls out new Virtual Health Resource Centers to help Veterans take advantage of virtual care tools

“From refilling VA prescriptions and keeping track of upcoming appointments to at-home virtual care visits, we want to help Veterans take advantage of the full potential of virtual care,” said Dr. John Geyer, a physician at VA Puget Sound and one of the leads behind the new program. “Our tech experts are also available to help Veterans get started with VA apps or set up VA-loaned devices.”

Beginning April 25, VHRCs will initially be at VA Puget Sound’s Silverdale (8 a.m. to 4 p.m., 360-307-2679) and Olympia (8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., 253-583-2621) Community Clinics on a walk-in basis, Monday through Friday. Additionally, beginning in July, a monthly class will be offered at Olympia on the first Tuesday (July 6 first one). Walk-in support is available during VA Puget Sound’s Mobile Medical Unit visits to Chehalis every Wednesday (call Olympia Clinic at 253-583-2621 for more info).

These experts—available by phone, video and in-person—will provide guidance, hands-on support, training, help troubleshooting, and other information regarding virtual care tools, such as VA Video Connect, My HealtheVet, health apps, and devices such as smartphone and tablets.

For those who don’t have access to video capable devices, VA Puget Sound can loan tablets, and in some cases provide internet connectivity, to eligible Veterans across all its care sites so they can connect with their providers with VA Video Connect from a location convenient to them. Those interested should talk to their primary care team or contact one of VA Puget Sound’s VHRC staff members.

And to better connect Veterans to their family members while they are inpatients, being treated at the emergency room or at one of its Community Living Centers or residential programs, tablets are available to use during their stay.

The VA Puget Sound also offers White Coat Services which provides a premier setup experience for Veterans receiving VA loaned devices. Following the receipt of their device, Veterans get a call from VA Puget Sound team within a few business days to help them with setup and ensure they feel comfortable and confident using it.

Veterans who don’t have access to video capable devices, programs offering subsidies for technology products and broadband such as the Federal Communications Commission's Lifeline Program and Affordable Connectivity Program, as well as EveryoneOn that offers computer and broadband.

Along with rolling out its new VHRC to make the use of virtual care easier for the Veterans it serves, VA Puget Sound is using Patient Experience Week to empower employees to deliver an exceptional patient experience to those we serve. When patients have an ideal patient experience, they also have better outcomes. “By listening to our patients, we can better understand their journey and develop practices that meet their needs,” said Rick Royse, who heads up VA Puget Sound’s Patient Experience Office.

“Patient Experience can mean different things to each Veteran and their family, the big picture is that care and service are delivered in a way that is exceptional and consistent,” Royse added.

VA Puget Sound is continually looking for opportunities to improve and support positive experiences for Veterans who seek care across its care sites in Western Washington. One method it uses is deliberate leader rounding where staff and leaders speak directly with Veterans and family about the care and services they have received. VA Puget Sound uses information gained during the leader rounding to drive changes in patient experience. The Commit To Sit and Quiet At Night projects work to improve communications between providers and patients and to reduce excessive noise in the patient care areas. Both efforts were derived from direct Veteran feedback.

Another way it supports the patient experience is through its VA Puget Sound Red Coat Ambassadors. These volunteers—many of whom are Veterans—serve as ambassadors to welcome and help Veterans and their families navigate their visits.

For Veterans who may be encountering challenges related to their care, VA Puget Sound also has a team of patient advocates who are available in-person, or by phone to learn more about their experiences in the hopes of resolving Veteran issues.

Making each moment that matters a better experience for Veterans is not something new for VA.

And efforts like these are making a positive different.  Based VA Veterans Signals (VSignals) and Survey of Healthcare Experiences of Patients (SHEP) surveys, 96 percent of Veterans feel their providers listen carefully to them and explain things in an understandable way. Furthermore, nearly 90 percent of Veterans surveyed said they trust VA Puget Sound overall, with about 90 percent of Veterans saying they trust VA outpatient health care (over the past 90 days) to take care of them. And when it comes to ease of getting prescriptions, more about 94 percent of Veterans find it easy to get them by mail.

For questions about navigating the virtual care experience, contact VA’s Office of Connected Care Help Desk at 866-651-3180.

About VA Puget Sound Health Care System:

VA Puget Sound provides comprehensive care to more than 155,000 Veterans across the Pacific Northwest—approximately 120,000 are enrolled with a primary care team at one of its care sites: two main campuses (American Lake and Seattle), seven outpatient clinics (Edmonds, Everett, Mount Vernon, Olympia, Port Angeles, Puyallup and Silverdale) and two Community Resource & Referral Centers (Georgetown in Seattle and Renton). As the VA’s 4th largest research program, VA Puget Sound has research in virtually every major clinical department, including: TBI and multiple blast exposures; memory improvement and Alzheimer's Disease; PTSD and deployment health; Parkinson’s Disease; diabetes; cancer; substance abuse; lower limb prosthetics; genomics; and Health Services. Additionally, it has seven nationally recognized Centers of Excellence (in areas from limb-loss prevention and prosthetic engineering to primary care education and substance abuse treatment). For more information visit www.va.gov/puget-sound-health-care or call 800-329-8387.  For Veterans in Crisis, please use the Veterans Crisis line at 988 (press 1).

Tami Begasse, Public Affairs Officer

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