Hello. My name is Frank
and I am a proud Vietnam Veteran.
I receive health care Services at my local VA hospital.
I use a variety of online VA programs to help me manage my health
and better connect with my health care team as well as
others in VA.
So can you.
From scheduling appointments
to getting my VA prescriptions refilled
to learning more about the health issues that matter most
to me there are a variety of online tools available.
You can use a phone laptop PC tablet or even the VetLink
Kiosk that may be available in some of the waiting rooms.
It is all about giving you a variety of ways to manage your health
so you can have a better health care experience.
There are many ways the VA can help you manage your health
care tasks.
First, we will review some common tasks involved in
managing your health
and tell you what online tools and programs are available for
you to use.
Then we will get to know a few Veterans like me and you who use
these online VA tools to manage their own health care.
To schedule an appointment picking up the phone and
calling is always an option.
If your VA Medical Center and provider offers online
scheduling you can use your phone laptop or PC to log-on to My
Health e Vets VA Online Scheduling tool
to request cancel or reschedule an appointment with
your VA provider.
You can also manage your VA appointments using Secure
Messaging.
To communicate with your VA Health Care team you have
a number of options.
My Health e Vet has several features you can use
to track your health and share information with your doctor.
One of the easiest ways to communicate with your VA
health care team is by using Secure Messaging
My HealtheVets secure online messaging feature that
is similar to email.
You can send and receive Secure Messages with your
health care team as well as other VA staff.
You can share all types of information about your health
care using Secure Messaging.
You can use other MyHealtheVet tools like the HealtheLivig
Assessment
a health assessment that gives you an assigned age that
reflects your current health status
as opposed to your actual age.
You can share results with your doctor through Secure
Messaging.
There are also online tools where you can self-enter and
track a variety of your health measures
such as blood pressure blood sugar your weight and much more.
You can even graph your results and provide your
doctor updates through Secure Messaging on your progress.
The VA Blue Button on My Health e Vet
allows you to view print save and/or share
your VA health record with your
providers inside and outside of VA.
As you can see
There are lots of ways to use all of VAs electronic
resources to proactively manage your health care.
For Veterans who live a good distance from a VA facility or
who have conditions that make mobility difficult
Telehealth is a great way to electronically access health
care services.
Telehealth uses technologies that make it
possible for care coordinators to check on patient symptoms
measure vital signs and provide health coaching in the home.
The VA Home Telehealth Program will send you your technology
which has an easy set-up using regular telephone lines
a cellular modem or cell phones that directly link
with your care coordinator
to help ensure the right treatment is delivered at the
right time right from your own home.
Another VA program VA Video Connect allows you to receive
Care from your home
using real-time video to home
technology.
If you are interested in Telehealth or VA Video
Connect ask your VA provider if its right for you.
There are now different ways to fill your VA prescriptions
make or cancel your VA appointments
access your lab and tests results and a lot of other
information that is stored in your VA health record.
On My Health e Vet try using the Prescription Refill
tool that allows you to refill and track delivery of your VA
prescription medications.
It is both fast and easy. Why thank you very much!
Also try the Labs and Tests feature that allows you to
view and track laboratory tests
and results done by VA and non-VA providers.
Should you have any questions use Secure Messaging to
contact your doctor.
My Health e Vet is an ideal way to manage your
health history.
Once you are can self-enter and track as
much or as little of your health information as you desire.
For Veterans with a Premium My Health e Vet account
you can access much of the information that is available
in your VA electronic health record.
The VA Blue Button and Vitals Tracker have features that let
you manage your own health history.
You should also know about the new Annie app text messaging
service that your VA health care team may recommend you try.
With Annie you will receive automated text messages
reminding you to track your health readings
and you can update your team on your progress.
You will also receive motivational messages
to help keep you on track.
As mentioned earlier Home Telehealth and VA Video Connect
are two great means of connecting with your care
coordinator right from your own home.
The VA has also developed Clinical Video Telehealth that
connects you at a home or a clinic
to a provider elsewhere covering more than clinical
services such as specialty and primary care
as well as Store and Forward Telehealth that lets you
forward pictures images and details on your health history
to other providers in other locations.
Plus, there is more.
Upon arriving at your VA for a scheduled doctor visit
you can check in and update personal and insurance
information by using any available VetLink Kiosk
just one more way to use technology to manage your
health.
Sometimes you just want to know more about a
There are many ways you can use VA online resources to
help you find the information you need.
The Veterans Health Library on MyHealtheVet
contains a wide range of health information
for both Veterans and their families.
There is an additional medical library called Medicine Plus
and you don’t even need to be logged in to explore either one.
There are also many videos on YouTube.
Itis important to make sure videos you access for health
information are provided by legitimate sources.
Did you know some videos on YouTube have been produced by
VA to give you easy access to important health related
information?
If you see the VA logo you'll know you are accessing videos
that are accurate current and endorsed by the VA.
Speaking of web-based resources are you
interested in using mobile apps to get health
information and manage your health?
Here is a web address worth knowing
https//mobile.va.gov/appstore That is the address of the
mobile VA.gov app store.
On it you will find dozens of apps pertaining to many health
issues that Veterans often encounter.
Youve seen a quick overview of some of the many electronic
tools available to you.
Now let's see how a few different Veterans engage with
these tools for their own use.
And why not start with me?
Personally, I enjoy the / convenience of
My HealtheVet so no matter where I am I can access My Health e Vet as
long as I have connection to the Internet.
I use the VA Online Scheduling app to schedule my VA clinic appointments.
Then I log them into the My Health e Vet Health calendar
where I log in my VA and non-VA clinic appointments
allowing me keep track of them in one place.
I like how I can communicate with my doctors and other VA
staff through Secure Messaging.
If I have a question about a co-pay I can send a Secure Message.
Its not just for healthcare issues any more.
I can also get email reminders about upcoming appointments
and on occasion cancel appointments.
I also use VA Blue Button to download and keep all of my
health records in one place.
Here is another wonder of technology.
I live a ways away from my VA hospital
so I began using this Telehealth blood pressure
monitor to communicate with my doctor directly from home
and that has made a huge difference.
Now Im able to send updated health info
regarding my high blood pressure - right from home.
ThroughTelehealth there are a variety of ways to
communicate directly with yourdoctor - right from home.
That has really helped cut down on my number of scheduled visits.
I'm also always looking for ways to better manage my
hypertension and diabetes.
I have found a lot of useful information about both topics
in the Veterans Health Library and Medline Plus
both available on MyHealtheVet.
I have even downloaded a health app to log my food intake and my
exercise to help manage my health behaviors.
Those are the main electronic tools I use.
Now let us meet a few other Veterans and see what tools
the use.
Meet Mike who served in Operation Desert Storm and is
currently enrolled in a smoking cessation program.
Mike also uses MyHealtheVet.
The VA Blue Button tool allows him to view his health information.
He also uses Secure Messaging to send updates to his doctor
when needed.
Mike has been worried about his weight gain as a result of
trying to quit smoking
and has been keeping his doctor in the loop through
this secure means of communication.
His doctor suggested he use the new VA Annie app to
receive inspiration
tips and advice on cutting back on his long-time
smoking habit.
Looks like Mike is getting the message!
He also took the Health e Living Assessment
on My Health e Vet.
Which was suggested by his doctor.
The Health e Living Assessment results gave him some
additional motivation
he was projected at being years older than he actually was.
Now Mike is using the tracking tools on
My Health e Vet to record and track his
key health measures
such as his weight and blood pressure.
He has even gotten into graphing those results
and has actually seen improvements in his health.
On the day of his scheduled doctor visit
Mike checks in using the VetLink Kiosk - he likes how
he is automatically queued up for his visit.
Mikes doctor told him about the Vas ‘MOVE' weight loss
app as well as a few
other weight loss apps he could consider - and he is
definitely interested.
Mike is certainly putting a lot of VAs Online tools to use.
Just how many tools you utilize is up to you.
Here is how one other Veteran is putting them to use.
her as she is hoping to start a family soon
with her husband.
This is Peggy.
She served in Afghanistan and suffers from
pain and PTSD.
Changing her eating habits and managing her PTSD have become
priorities to her as she is hoping to start a family soon
with her husband.
She likes the ease of the Prescription Refill tool on My
HealtheVet as it allows her to refill and track
delivery of her VA prescription medications.
She also uses the VA BlueButton feature on My HealtheVet.
It allows her to view VA laboratory tests and results
and a few other non-VA lab results that she entered herself.
Peggy also discovered some VA Mobile apps that provide
advice and additional information on PTSD that’s he
downloaded on her smart phone.
Soon she hopes to be reading up on pregnancy and newborn
infant care.
All of these digital programs and tools are integrated to
bring digital technology to Veterans like me Mike and Peggy.
You can use one or all of these tools to manage your health care.
Through all the virtual technology of these digital
tools the VA delivers health care where and when you need it.
One more thing when I decided I wanted to use ALL the tools
My Health e Vet has available to manage my
health and my VA health care
I had to get a Premium My HealtheVet account.
You see having a Premium My Health e Vet
account enables me to schedule and manage my
appointments online
exchange Secure Messages with my health care team and much more.
I verified my identity through a quick and easy
Authentication process at my VA facility.
This protects Veterans private health
information.
Veterans who are enrolled in VA can complete the
authentication process at their VA outpatient clinic
if that is where they are typically seen for
appointments.
Next time you are at your local VA if you do not
already have a Premium account
ask one of the VA staff how you can upgrade your
My Health e Vet account to a Premium status
like Peggy Mike and me
and get started in managing your health care using VAs
electronic tools.
Join us and the millions of Veterans who use VA digital
tools like My Health e Vet
Telehealth and mobile app to stay connected to your health care.