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

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.