The U.S. Department of Defense has given telehealth vendor GlobalMed authority to operate on DoD networks. The certification allows the company to deploy its virtual health applications, hardware and software directly on the DoD network, making its telehealth services available to the Military Health System's 57 hospitals, 400 clinics and bases around the world.

GlobalMed, a veteran-owned small business, also develops telehealth technology for the White House, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and the Defense Health Agency. Officials it's the first HIPAA-compliant clinical video collaboration to obtain an ATO from the DoD.

[Also: VA awards $260 million home telehealth contract to 1Vision]

DoD tapped GlobalMed for its virtual health platform to securely connect healthcare professionals and patients, regardless of their location worldwide. This will allow active duty members of the military and their dependents, wherever they may be working around the globe, to access the same quality care as they would at home.

"It has always been a personal priority to increase care access for members of the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, and Coast Guard," said Joel Barthelemy, CEO of GlobalMed and a Marine Corps Reserve Veteran.

"The Department of Defense is a huge healthcare provider and network security is a high priority. GlobalMed is focused on every aspect of security and compliance throughout our vertically integrated software applications," he added.

[Also: Telemedicine's market momentum prompts vendors to expand, connect with larger patient populations]

After gaining sponsorship from the White House Medical Unit, GlobalMed was awarded the ATO after undergoing the DoD' Risk Management Framework process.

"As the White House Medical Unit Telemedicine Program Manager, I am excited to see that GlobalMed's ATO was approved," said James J. Jones, director of the White House Medical Evaluation & Treatment Unit and PA/physician to the president.

"This is a key milestone in the Defense Health Agency and military medicine's goal of developing a robust virtual healthcare solution throughout the entire military enterprise," he added. "As this type of hardware and software is deployed throughout the DoD, I believe we will see improved access to healthcare specialists, improved patient outcomes, improved patient and provider education in outlying clinics, and improved patient access to their primary care manager. It will drastically improve our ability to help pre-hospital combat medics, corpsmen, and providers in austere environments."

Twitter: @MikeMiliardHITN
Email the writer: mike.miliard@himssmedia.com