Review of Veterans Health Administration telemedicine interventions

The Veterans Health Administration (VHA) is a leader in developing and implementing innovative healthcare technology. We review 19 exemplary peer-reviewed articles published between 2000 and 2009 of controlled, VHA-supported telemedicine intervention trials that focused on health outcomes. These trials underscore the role of telemedicine in large managed healthcare organizations in support of (1) chronic disease management, (2) mental health service delivery through in-home monitoring and treatment, and (3) interdisciplinary team functioning through electronic medical record information interchange. Telemedicine is advantageous when ongoing monitoring of patient symptoms is needed, as in chronic disease care (eg, for diabetes) or mental health treatment. Telemedicine appears to enhance patient access to healthcare professionals and provides quick access to patient medical information. The sustainability of telemedicine interventions for the broad spectrum of veteran patient issues and the ongoing technology training of patients and providers are challenges to telemedicine-delivered care.