Bergman leads field hearing on VA’s management of telehealth programs

U.S. Rep. Jack Bergman (R-MI) said the VA has an opportunity to be “ahead of the curve” on much-needed telehealth delivery of care to rural areas, following a subcommittee hearing on Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) telehealth programs on Wednesday.

Bergman, the chairman of the House Veterans Affairs Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations, convened a field hearing in Traverse City, Michigan, to explore issues related to information technology and management of VA telehealth, primarily the home telehealth program.

“Telehealth can affect nearly every health issue, from mental and behavioral health to primary care and specialty medicine, and the VA should lead the way in providing the highest quality care to those who have earned it,” Bergman said.

The VA’s home telehealth program allows doctors to monitor the health of veterans through devices that are placed in their homes. Devices gather data like medical images and biosignals that are transmitted to remote doctors for review. Also, real-time communication links can be used for video conferencing and interactive examinations.

In fiscal year 2016, of the more than 5.8 million veterans who used VA care, about 12 percent received part of their care through telehealth for a total of 2.17 million telehealth visits, according to Kevin Galpin, executive director of the Telehealth Services at the Veterans Health Administration (VHA). That represented more than 702,000 veterans, many of whom live in rural areas.

Thomas Wong, senior physician of the Office of Healthcare Inspections at the Office of Inspector General (OIG) for the VA, testified that as with any information system, “poor data integrity can generate significant consequences and poor decision making.”

However, Wong added that in addition to using telehealth in patients’ homes, “there are numerous opportunities to exploit this technology to improve the delivery of health care, as with the example of acute stroke, to veterans who live a great distance from tertiary medical centers.”

A 2015 audit by the VA OIG of the home telehealth program found that more could be done to effectively manage the program, particularly with expanding enrollment for non-institutional care patients.

U.S. Rep. Ann Kuster (D-NH), ranking member of the subcommittee, said increasing quality and access to care must be a top priority, especially for veterans who live in underserved areas.

“Telehealth services and mobile health units hold potential to get veterans the care they need closer to home in rural states like New Hampshire and Michigan,” Kuster said. “I look forward to continuing to work with Gen. Bergman on common sense bipartisan solutions on behalf of our veterans and their families.”