VA Launches Pilot Telehealth Program for Rural Veterans: PTSD

The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) has announced the launch of a pilot telehealth program. This program was created for veterans located in rural areas who have less access to mental health resources. With the implementation of the telehealth program, Veterans suffering from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) will have remote access to psychotherapy and other services.

The Telemedicine Outreach Program for PTSD (TOP), which will operate through phone and interactive video, is a result of a partnership between the VA Office of Rural Health and the VA Quality Enhancement Research Initiative.

VA Secretary David Shulkin explained, “Our researchers have worked diligently in recent years to establish the safety and efficiency of PTSD psychotherapy delivered remotely, ensuring Veterans will get the same quality of PTSD care as if they were in a doctor’s office at a VA medical center.”

Leading the project is Dr. John Fortney, a research health scientist at the VA Puget Sound Health Care System in Seattle. Fortney stated that “long travel distances to urban areas can be a major barrier to care for rural Veterans.” Having tested the advantages of such a program before, he is confident in its effectiveness. “In a prior trial, we were able to use telehealth technologies successfully to engage Veterans in evidence-based, trauma-focused therapy without their having to travel to a distant VA medical center.”

TOP Program Information

Participants of the program will choose between two primary forms of evidence-based, trauma-focused psychotherapy: prolonged exposure therapy and cognitive processing therapy.

The participants who have enrolled in the study are not currently receiving any care related to PTSD. Upon initiation, these veterans will receive continuous phone calls from a care manager. This manager “helps [participants] access services provided by off-site psychiatrists and psychologists. The psychotherapy is delivered via interactive video from a VA medical center to a community-based outpatient clinic (CBOC) or to the Veteran’s home. The telephone care manager also monitors the Veterans’ progress and helps them overcome barriers to care.”

The results of this pilot program will be available in 2020. Results will be thoroughly analyzed before the TOP program is implemented nationwide.

Source: https://www.va.gov/opa/pressrel/pressrelease.cfm?id=4018

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