inMotion Magazine

Finding Answers 37 Veteran Joe Sanphy says, “I felt totally comfortable in the setting since this is where I spend a lot of time, I know the staff, etc. There are no parking issues and we get immediate care.” While convenience is important, the time spent not traveling is also significant. Keith Chantree, a veteran at the Richmond VAMC, says, “Having the option of video conferencing was very convenient for me. It allows me to video conference into my appointment without having to travel anywhere or having to take time off from work, or having to find parking at VA, which is a nightmare, and adding to the patient traffic inside the facility that is already there.” The Richmond VA amputation team reports serving a veteran prosthesis wearer residing 2.5 hours away from the nearest VA facility. He operates a farm with livestock; asking him to travel five hours round trip for a 15-minute appointment is a major hardship. An additional obstacle included lack of Internet service in his home. The Richmond team brainstormed with the farmer and determined the closest wi-fi service was five miles away from the farm at the local veterinarian. The Richmond team set up a visit with the veteran at the veterinarian’s office and was able to prescribe a new prosthesis for immediate fabrication. Using telehealth has also been a positive experience for the VA team. Dr. Brad Tucker, physiatrist on the Philadelphia VAMC amputee team, reports, “Telehealth allows VA the opportunity to provide comprehensive care in a setting that the veteran is familiar with. It also enables VA to provide easier access to more veterans with limb loss with a decreased wait time.” Art Gagne, CPO, owner of Rehability, a private prosthetic vendor in Tampa, Florida agrees: “The patient can now show the team the issues they are having at home in their own environment. This is important for all the snowbirds that travel here to Florida in the winter time; they don’t have to travel to the city to get their prosthetic needs addressed.” Telehealth to community prosthetists has truly been a game changer for veterans with limb loss. Decreased travel time, increased access to care, decreased loss of work time for the veteran and/or caregiver, and improved collaboration between VA amputee teams and community prosthetists result in optimal care for veterans with limb loss. VA clinicians will continue to expand their efforts to deliver telehealth amputation rehabilitation to veterans, providing comprehensive services regardless of their distance from a VA facility.