Telehealth News

VA Unveils Telehealth Program for Veterans With Type 2 Diabetes

The VA is launching a connected health program aimed at improving care management for veterans living with type 2 diabetes who have problems accessing healthcare.

Source: ThinkStock

By Eric Wicklund

- The Department of Veterans Affairs is launching a new telehealth program to help remote and rural veterans in need of care management for type 2 diabetes.

The VA has announced a partnership with Virta Health, a San Francisco-based developer of connected health platforms, to make its Virta Treatment service available to veterans living with the chronic disease. Some 400 veterans will initially be enrolled in a pilot program to study whether the virtual care platform can help them improve outcomes, reduce healthcare costs and potentially reverse their type 2 diabetes diagnosis.

“Partnering with community providers facilitates a more comprehensive approach to care,” VA Secretary Robert Wilkie said in a press release. “Many Veterans have type 2 diabetes and it is strongly linked to obesity, so we are excited to explore Virta Health’s approach to tackling this debilitating and costly condition.”

“This partnership underscores VA’s commitment to pursuing creative approaches that can make transformational improvements in Veterans’ health,” added Sami Inkinen, Virta Health’s co-founder and CEO. “Our treatment outcomes and virtual care delivery model accessible to Veterans in all 50 U.S. states complement existing VA services, creating the exciting possibility to bring renewed health to the millions of Veterans living with type 2 diabetes.”

According to the VA, one in four veterans is living with diabetes, a rate much higher than the 9 percent of the American public diagnosed with the disease. The condition can lead to a myriad of health issues, including cardiovascular disease, kidney damage, vision damage and nerve damage leading to amputation.

The program is the latest in a growing portfolio of telehealth and mHealth services launched by the VA to increase access to care for the estimated 18.2 million veterans in the US, many of whom live in remote areas or have problems accessing healthcare. That why Wilkie, noting that the VA recorded more than 1 million virtual visits over the past fiscal year, is advocating for a budget in excess of $1 billion for connected care.

“Telehealth is a critical tool to ensure Veterans, especially rural Veterans, can access health care when and where they need it,” he told a House appropriations subcommittee this past March. “With the support of Congress, VA has an opportunity to continue shaping the future of health care with cutting-edge technology providing convenient, accessible, high-quality care to Veterans.”

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