T-Mobile will provide 70,000 lines of wireless service to Veterans Affairs Department physicians, nurses, social workers and crisis hotline staff as part of a new partnership aimed at expanding veterans' access to health services.
Today, veterans drive an average of 25 to 50 miles for healthcare visits. The agency has several initiatives aimed at improving this access, including telehealth services and the expansion of its network of community-based outpatient clinics.
Under the agreement, T-Mobile will help expand the VA's healthcare network by providing necessary IT infrastructure at more physical locations in rural areas and helping to facilitate telehealth services.
"Deploying this type of service across all of our locations not only connects [Veterans Health Administration] staff with the people and data they need, it makes them more accessible to our veterans as well," said Steven Lieberman, MD, executive in charge of Veterans Health Administration. "Whether it's at a medical center, a community clinic or via the VA Video Connect telemedicine platform, our ongoing goal is to improve patient outcomes by reaching veterans wherever they are."
More articles on telehealth:
Telemedicine startup Nurx adds HPV testing to services: 5 things to know
Teladoc pushes back on report detailing alleged CFO misconduct
Microsoft's president hints at telemedicine in program tackling 'broadband gap'