Telehealth Collaboration Aims to Reach Underserved Veterans

The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and Walmart recently announced a collaboration to offer VA-led telehealth services to reach underserved Veterans. The pilot will kick off in targeted locations that consider the number of veterans and the health resources offered, and final locations selected will be announced at a later date. The collaboration includes donated space and operational support by Walmart for VA-led telehealth services.

The announcement was made at the Anywhere to Anywhere, Together Summit hosted by the VA’s Center for Strategic Partnerships and the VHA Office of Connected Care. The forum brought together the nation’s leading industry, government and nonprofit thought leaders to discuss innovative solutions that will increase access to telehealth and virtual care for Veterans.

VA leads the nation in telemedicine with 900,000 visits last year and is focused on extending access to best-in-class care for Veterans through this platform, according to the department. “These types of events will help accelerate our shared journey to fully integrated, seamless access to healthcare no matter where a Veteran resides,” said VA Secretary Robert Wilkie, in a prepared statement. “Indeed, from anywhere to anywhere, we thank our industry and community partners for their commitment to improving veterans’ health care.”

According to Walmart, the company is working to leverage its existing strength in health and wellness to make an even bigger impact in the future, having served pharmacy customers for 40 years and with a history of launching products and programs that have transformed the industry.

"Walmart is proud to collaborate with VA to bring telehealth service to veterans that are having difficulty accessing services. The opportunity to work with VA to expand its ability to serve veterans through technology is an important way that Walmart can continue to show its commitment to veterans and deliver on our promise of providing Americans with more affordable health care," said Marcus Osborne, Vice President of Health and Wellness Transformation at Walmart, in a prepared statement.

Reference

U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs and Walmart Announce Telehealth Collaboration to Reach Underserved Veterans [news release]. Washington, DC; December 6, 2018: Walmart. https://news.walmart.com/2018/12/06/us-department-of-veteran-affairs-and-walmart-announce-telehealth-collaboration-to-reach-underserved-veterans. Accessed December 10, 2018.