Cold War Veterans Blog

VA Data Show Home Health Technology Improves Access to Care
Peake: Entire Health Care System More Effective

WASHINGTON (Jan. 5, 2009) - Veterans with chronic conditions can manage
their health and avoid hospitalization by using special technology
provided by the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) in their homes,
according to a recent study.

"The study showed that home telehealth makes health care more effective
because it improves patients' access to care and is easy to use," said
Secretary of Veterans Affairs Dr. James B. Peake. "A real plus is that
this approach to care can be sustained because it's so cost-effective
and more veteran-centric. Patients in rural areas are increasingly
finding that telehealth improves their access to health care and
promotes their ongoing relationship with our health care system."

The study found a 25 percent reduction in the average number of days
hospitalized and a 19 percent reduction in hospitalizations for patients
using home telehealth. The data also show that for some patients the
cost of telehealth services in their homes averaged $1,600 a year - much
lower than in-home clinician care costs.

The authors of the study in the current issue of the journal
Telemedicine and e-Health are VA national telehealth staff members. The
study looked at health outcomes from 17,025 VA home telehealth patients.


VA's home telehealth program cares for 35,000 patients and is the
largest of its kind in the world. Clinicians and managers in health
care systems, as well as information technology professionals, have been
awaiting the results of the telehealth study, said Dr. Adam Darkins,
chief consultant in VA's care coordination program, who led the study.

"The results are not really about the technology, but about how using it
helps coordinate the full scope of care our patients need," said
Darkins. "It permits us to give the right care in the right place at
the right time."

VA's Under Secretary for Health, Dr. Michael J. Kussman, said the key to
the program's success is VA's computerized patient record system. "Data
obtained from the home such as blood pressure and blood glucose, along
with other patient information in the electronic system, allows our
health care teams to anticipate and prevent avoidable problems," he
said.

VA health care officials emphasize that home telehealth does not
necessarily replace nursing home care or traditional care but can help
veterans understand and manage chronic conditions such as diabetes,
hypertension and chronic heart failure. Patients' partnership with the
medical team can delay the need for institutional care and maintain
independence for an extended time.