DENVER, Sept. 20, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- CirrusMD, a leading provider of scalable care delivery solutions enabling immediate, high quality virtual care, today announced a national expansion of ongoing work with the United States Department of Veteran Affairs (VA).
This continuing work includes expansion of VA Health Chat, which is provided to Veterans by CirrusMD on behalf of the VA, through its agreement with the prime contract holder, Iron Bow Technologies.
“This significant expansion of virtual care for Veterans — the people who need and deserve the best care — is critically important to streamlining access to the VA’s system of care,” said Jamie Hall, President & CEO, CirrusMD. “We’re honored to support our Veterans through VA Health Chat, and proud to continue our mission of delivering immediate, affordable, high-quality care at scale.”
Dr. John Dutton, USAF Veteran and Medical Director of the CirrusMD Provider Network said, “VA Health Chat is one of the tools the VA has made available to help Veterans reach people who can help them access care. There are a lot of Veterans who can't travel, have difficulty with transportation, or have chronic medical issues related to their time served in the military. They shouldn't lack care because they can't get to an in-person point of care. Virtual care allows them to get care where they are — so important for Veterans.”
Ongoing Expansion Increases Access for Veterans
VA Health Chat is now available to more than 5.1 million Veterans, representing an increase of more than 300,000 Veterans in four additional states, now including:
| • West Virginia | • Wisconsin | |
| • Maryland | • Illinois |
The U.S. is divided into 18 Veterans Integrated Service Networks (VISNs), which are regional systems of care working together to better meet local health care needs and providing greater access to care. With the recent additions of VISNs 5 and 12, 15 of the 18 VISNs now offer VA Health Chat to local Veterans.
VA Health Chat Quickly Connects Veterans to Care and Services
The VA Health Chat platform provides Veterans with nearly immediate access during VA operating hours. The chat modality provides a continuous conversation format that allows Veterans to control the flow of the conversation, accessing care when and where they need it. CirrusMD's proven platform enables faster and easier access to care, supporting safe and secure conversations between Veterans and their healthcare team, with guidance throughout the care experience. Services vary by location and are staffed by VA healthcare professionals including:
| • Schedulers | • Pharmacists | |
| • Non-clinical/admin representatives | • Physicians | |
| • Nurses |
Veterans interested in this service should visit the VA Health Chat website to see if their healthcare facility is eligible. Additional VA healthcare facilities are added continually.
About CirrusMD
CirrusMD is providing scalable care delivery solutions enabling immediate, affordable, high quality virtual care to plan sponsors — health plans and employers — who want to improve health and reduce costs for their entire population. CirrusMD uniquely provides an intelligent platform that connects the member at their moment of need to the most beneficial point of care, beginning with an expert physician. We believe that when you provide immediate, affordable care at scale you can drive the change needed to improve health and lower cost across an entire population. Learn more at cirrusmd.com.
