I got hit twice in the head and in the legs and stuff I was
relatively normal just with epilepsy, and then
I started having too many seizures and they cut out a section of my brain,
and I used to be an electrical engineer, and now I'm not
But in his next chapter Navy Veteran Emerson Beach has become an important volunteer in Charleston, South Carolina
Among his key duties
Assisting fellow Veterans
as they sign up for My HealtheVet
the platform empowers Veterans to become active participants in their own healthcare
from refilling prescriptions online to securely messaging providers
My HealtheVet is one of several offerings provided by VA's Office of Connected Care
along with VA telehealth services the VHA Innovation Program
And VA mobile all are working to extend access to care beyond the traditional office visit.
I'd like to say that the VA has
saved my life. I would not be alive for sure.
If it were not for the VA. I think that My HealtheVet had a
tremendously large part of that because
Joining in My HealtheVet. Got me to realize that I can be successful
He got on board he registered for account
We got him authenticated
And then he was able to use all the features so that he could talk on his experience using it
to fellow Veterans, so they can really see how it does work, and how it can help what I use all the time is my
prescription refills you also have the ability to
look at the results of tests and the secure messaging feature is
Incredibly easy to use it's a point-and-click. It's just like
sending an email to another user it took me a while, but I
realized that I'm providing added value to
Veterans and that gives me a positive feeling inside
More than just being an engineer did
VA telehealth services continues to offer valuable solutions as well
and with the work of mental health providers like
Dr. Kim Gilroy and Judy Morris VA is now able to provide
Telehealth care to Veterans from the comfort and convenience of their own homes
When I think about the future of telehealth in the VA it reminds me of one of my first
experiences in the VA when someone said you know we don't just try to find answers we tried to find solutions
I think that telehealth has that potential to be a solution if I'm going to have a session I turn on my computer
and I wait for the Veteran to call me and I click the green button I accept and there he is
I see it being beneficial for a few reasons there are Veterans that live in
outlying areas that can't get in a patient having a
surgical or a dermatological
Issue needing to see a specialist at Mather can come in to where I work at McClellan see me that day
I can photograph their dermatology issue
Get it uploaded to our secure server and have a doctor look at it within a few days
one of the differences is that I can
Access them in their daily life, so if I'm talking with a Veteran about how he feels about Memorial Day
And he lights up a cigarette
I'll pause for a minute and ask him what just happened for you right there
And so I kind of see them in these really subtle nonverbal ways
One of my Veterans actually had said to me your therapy has been the most effective for me and what he attributed
To really is that he's not as anxious
He is at his best when he was at home
VHA's Innovation Program continues to work on the cutting edge of that technology
platforms like REVAMP were constructed incubated and tested
In innovations safe harbor environment with the intent of rolling out for Veterans use around the country
REVAMP is a new web-based care pathway that we are working on
to allow improved access to care for Veterans for their sleep apnea
management and diagnosis
We are really excited about REVAMP because this is the first web-based platform that really takes patient information
validated standardized information and PAP adherence in one single place it enables them to get
Diagnostic sleep testing and to have ongoing long-term management of their sleep apnea in the comfort of their own home
I think there's also a trend towards patients wanting to feel more empowered and be more engaged in self-management
So while REVAMP isn't a wearable technology like a Fitbit is
It still allows them to engage in looking at their own data
That's generated by their PAP machine it allows them to
watch videos about the diagnostic testing equipment to understand how the process works and REVAMP does offer a
secure messaging feature so REVAMP is very exciting from a Veteran perspective it offers them a number of new
opportunities to engage in their healthcare
The success of REVAMP has really depended on the concept of teamwork
from
partnering with other physicians innovators at other sites all the way to
working with the information security officer and privacy officer
We've been very fortunate to have had an outstanding team that has worked so well together
The Veteran Appointment Request app or VAR is another new application
developed by VA mobile VAR is providing Veterans like Paul Moffat with the ability to self schedule primary care and
mental health appointments directly at their VA facilities
Strengths of the VAR app are Veteran being able to use the VAR app to
schedule a direct appointment it gives the Veteran control of
His care or her care so rather than go through the steps of making a phone call and plane goes fish
Now I can go use the VAR and then pick me of the date the best fits my schedule
rather than run to the clinic
You'll get a confirmation email and
You can go into my HealtheVet or into ebenefits and
Confirm that the appointment took or not if a Veteran schedules it they're more likely to attend you can use it in any point time
anywhere
As long as you got the link on whatever internet access device you have. It's for anybody that's willing
to learn it and
execute it. I hope it helps expand our medical care to the Veterans. That's what I hope. I'm excited about it is great stuff.
Together these technologies are expanding access and care to Veterans across the country and
by integrating these technologies VA continues to find new ways to connect Veterans their caregivers and their care teams
Ensuring they have access to personalized care when and where they need it