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9.3. Tele-Health Services

The majority of SCI Centers and SCI/D Support Clinics or SCI/D PCTs have dedicated telehealth equipment to enhance care and address access problems, transportation difficulties, and unique SCI/D-related health issues. VHA utilizes health informatics, disease management and telehealth technologies to extend and enhance care and case management of Veterans. The Office of Telehealth Services (OTS) oversees the formulation of policies and implementation of procedures for telehealth-supported care in VHA.
  1. Telehealth modalities used in VHA include:
    1. Clinical-Video Telehealth (CVT). CVT involves real-time videoconferencing technologies to provide specialty consultation between SCI Center and SCI/D Support Clinic or SCI/D PCT sites.
    2. Care Coordination/Home Telehealth (CCHT). CCHT monitors patients at home using home telehealth technologies in order to enhance non-institutional care and management of chronic conditions. Home Telehealth technologies include the use of telemonitoring devices for clinical encounters between medical facilities' and Veterans' homes, and home telehealth data messaging devices can be preloaded with an SCI Disease Management Program (DMP).
    3. Care Coordination/Store and Forward (CCSF) Telehealth. CCSF uses technologies to acquire and store clinical information (e.g. data, image, sound, video) that is then forwarded to (or retrieved by) another site for clinical evaluation.
  2. VHA SCI/D Services and OTS collaborate to develop and maintain telehealth programs that address the specific needs of Veterans with SCI/D. SCI Center and SCI Support Clinic or SCI PCT telehealth programs must ensure that clinical, business, and technical processes are aligned with medical facility and VISN telehealth leadership policies and procedures, in accordance with VHA OTS standards, known as Condition of Participation (CoP) requirements.

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