DHA Employs Virtual Tools for Enhanced Patient Care Delivery

The Defense Health Agency has adopted MHS Video Connect and other virtual tools to enhance health care delivery to patients. MHS Video Connect, the DHA’s primary digital health platform, allows patients and health care providers to communicate virtually using their own devices, eliminating or reducing the need for in-person visits.

At the Defense Health Information Technology Symposium, U.S. Air Force Lt. Col. William Lunsford, chief of virtual health integration at the Department of Defense Healthcare Management System Modernization program, emphasized the advantages of utilizing the web-based telehealth solution. He said MHS Video Connect has the potential to decrease the spread of communicable diseases, noting that follow-up care might not necessitate an in-person examination, DVIDS reported.

According to U.S. Army Lt. Col. Gary Legault, director of the Virtual Medical Center at the Defense Health Agency, virtual care allows for faster responses to health-related concerns and easier medical appointment booking.

MHS Video Connect was deployed in 2021 and integrated into MHS GENESIS in June 2022. According to DHA data, 70 percent of video visits were scheduled via MHS Genesis.