VA, American Well Team to Bring In-Home, Telehealth to Veterans

Boston-based Doc-on-demand provider American Well just snagged a contract with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, the company announced last week.

The VA, despite a half-decade of telemedicine research and implementation of its own, has chosen the vendor to provide telehealth--via text chat, online video or phone calls--directly to veterans in their homes. One factor that may have influenced the choice: American Well just won the VA Innovation Initiative (VAi2) Industry Innovation competition.

The partnership starts out in the VA's sweet spot--mental health. The Minneapolis VA Health Care System will work with American Well to create a behavioral health practice to provide video consults for veterans who can't easily reach the facility, officials say...