The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs added medical images to the VA's patient portal, My HealtheVet, the agency announced April 18.
Patients may now request to view and download radiology images — such as X-rays, mammograms, CT scans and MRIs — through a new feature on My HealtheVet, called VA Medical Images and Reports. Patients then have the option to share these images with outside providers, for example by downloading images to a CD, flash drive or file hosting service.
The VA's goal for the new service is to support patients' access to medical information. A patient would have previously had to travel to a VA facility to retrieve copies of their medical images and reports in-person.