Wilmington VA Medical Center surpasses 8,000 telehealth/virtual visits in fiscal year 2020
PRESS RELEASE
July 8, 2020
Wilmington , DE — The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) recently announced that video telehealth appointments to Veterans’ homes increased over 1,000%, as Veterans increasingly chose virtual care through VA Video Connect during the Covid-19 pandemic.
CONTACT: Jacob Dillon, Public Affairs Officer
EMAIL: Jacob.Dillon@va.gov
OFFICE: 302-994-2511 ext. 3589, CELL: 302-299-3738
DATE: 7/8/2020
Wilmington VA Medical Center surpasses 8,000 telehealth/virtual visits in fiscal year 2020
VA Video Connect visits increase over 1,000% nationwide during COVID-19 pandemic
WILMINGTON, Del. — The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) recently announced that video telehealth appointments to Veterans’ homes increased over 1,000%, as Veterans increasingly chose virtual care through VA Video Connect during the Covid-19 pandemic.
VA Video Connect allows Veterans and their caregivers to meet virtually with their VA care teams on any computer, tablet, or mobile device with an internet connection. As in-person interactions decreased in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, VA Video Connect supported Veterans’ abilities to continue care and remain safely at home. Usage of video to home services has been increasing since mid-March with peak usage reaching over 29,000 appointments per day.
In Delaware and southern New Jersey, the Wilmington VA Medical Center has conducted 8,403 telehealth appointments between October 1, 2019 and June 30, 2020.
The increase at Wilmington VA Medical Center represents a 922.26% increase from October 1, 2018, and June 30, 2019, in which only 844 VA Video Connect Visits occurred.
Other telehealth milestones from the Wilmington VA Medical Center increase in virtual care can be seen in the current usage rate of the approximately 33,000 Veterans served by the medical center and its five clinics can be found below:
- VA Video Connect (Video-to-Home) 31% – approximately 3,730 Veterans
- Clinical Video Telehealth (Clinic-to-Clinic) 30% – approximately 6,000 Veterans
- Premium Account users 72% – approximately 16,700 Veterans
- Unique percentage of MyHealtheVet Secure Messaging active senders 36% – approximately 8,000 Veterans
Wilmington VA Medical Center leads Veteran Integrated Service Network (VISN) 4 in each of these categories. VISN 4 is comprised of 9 VA campuses, 45 outpatient clinics, 1 mobile clinic, and 17 vet centers in Pennsylvania, Delaware, southern New Jersey and parts of New York and Ohio.
VA is also taking strides to bridge the digital divide for Veterans who lack the technology or broadband internet connectivity required to participate in VA telehealth services. At the national level, VA is working with strategic partners, through the VA Secretary’s Center of Strategic Partnerships, to increase access to the technology that Veterans need to connect with their VA health care team virtually.
“As we near the three-year anniversary of the launch of VA Video Connect, even during these challenging times, VA has and continues to maintain access to high-quality health care for Veterans,” said Wilmington VA Medical Center Director Vince Kane. “As the service becomes more popular, VA remains committed to providing a seamless user experience to ensure Veterans have access to care where and when they need it.”
Read more about VA Video Connect. For information about VA’s telehealth services visit connectedcare.va.gov.