The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs completed more than 1 million video-based telemedicine visits in fiscal year 2018, up 19 percent year over year.
From October 2017 through September 2018, the VA engaged in 2.3 million telemedicine encounters. About half of those encounters (1,074,400) involved real-time video telemedicine encounters. The remainder involved monitoring, screening or assessing patient data and images.
"VA's telehealth capabilities are bridging the care gap for many veterans," said VA Secretary Robert Wilkie. "This technology gives veterans access to the timely, quality care they deserve, without having to travel great distances to a VA facility. Time spent traveling is time away from veterans' jobs and families."