VA Providing New Care for Veterans Through Video Conferencing

In its on-going effort to provide the best care possible for our nation’s veterans, the Department of Veteran Affairs has put in place a new program to increase access to specialty care services for veterans in rural and medically under-served areas through the use of videoconferencing equipment.

Called the Specialty Care Access Network-Extension for Community Healthcare Outcomes, the initiative, working through SCAN-ECHO, enables specialty care teams in diabetes, pain management and hepatitis C, to use videoconferencing equipment to connect with primary care providers and “patient-aligned care teams for veterans.”

The ECHO model links primary care providers in local communities with specialist care teams at academic medical centers to help manage patients who have chronic conditions requiring complex care. During a SCAN-ECHO session, the primary care provider presents a patient's case and the specialty care team recommends a treatment plan. Formal clinical education is also provided to physicians....