Navy Veteran finds convenience with VA virtual care
Virtual care resources save Veterans time
When it comes to managing his health care, Navy Veteran Eric Faulkner wants it to be as convenient as possible. That’s why he uses VA’s virtual care resources.
For appointments that don’t require an in-person visit, including some of his primary care and dermatology appointments, Faulkner opts to take them through VA Video Connect, VA’s secure videoconferencing app, from the comfort of his own home.
“Video appointments are always good when you don’t have serious or emergency health concerns,” said Faulkner, who served in the Navy for 27 years—including as an independent duty corpsman. “One of the things that telehealth will save you is a drive time,” Faulkner said. “It does save time. It does save you money. Anytime you’re not using gas, guess what you’re doing, you’re saving money while resolving your health concerns.”
The ease of virtual care
Along with his virtual appointments, Faulkner also regularly uses My HealtheVet on VA.gov, VA’s health care portal, to manage his health care.
“My HealtheVet: That is my go-to right there! I use My HealtheVet to resolve a lot of my health care concerns,” Faulkner said.
Faulkner, who lives an hour away from the nearest VA medical center and more than 30 minutes from the nearest community-based outpatient clinic, regularly uses the health care portal to request and refill VA prescriptions, review his lab results and communicate with his VA care team through secure messaging for non-urgent issues.
“It saves from driving to an appointment and also provides me quick access to my care team,” he said. “And if they are unable to resolve the issue, they’ll move it on to the provider.”
Championing telehealth for others
For Veterans who may not have tried VA’s virtual care resources yet, Faulkner’s advice is simple: “Just try it and take time to utilize all the tools. I am sure you will like it.”
“Use it to your advantage,” he added. “It saves time on the road and also gets things resolved.”
For more information about telehealth services available to Veterans, visit the VA Telehealth Services.