Everyday Advocacy: Telehealth implementation

"Veterans with cancerous lesions are treated much sooner with our telehealth triage program than they would have been previously, situations where a day could mean saving someone's life."

Allen Andersen BSN, BA, RN
Director of Telehealth Services
Providence Veterans Medical Center

The Dermatology Clinic at the Providence Veterans Administration Medical Center needed help. They wanted to improve access to dermatology treatment and resources, particularly in getting patients with more serious diagnoses in for treatment sooner. Our telehealth program, implemented in 2012, has managed to solve both of these problems.

By triaging patients through our teledermatology clinic instead of the traditional route of waiting for a primary care physician referral to the clinic, we have cut the amount of dermatology consults truly needing face-to-face appointments in half. These appointment slots are now used to serve patients with more severe diagnoses, without sacrificing consultation for others. Veterans with cancerous lesions are treated much sooner than they would have been previously with our telehealth triage program, situations where a day could mean saving someone's life.

We have received best practice designation from the Veterans Administration's Office of Connected Care and have seen approximately 14,000 patients, so far.