The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs awarded a contract to telemedicine vendor 1Vision to deliver home telehealth systems to U.S veterans.

The VA is amid an ambitious ‘anywhere-to-anywhere’ project, first announced in August of 2017 by President Trump and VA Secretary David Shulkin, MD, to extend its telehealth offerings across state borders and into rural areas.  

The new contract, which includes one base year and four one-year option periods with a maximum value of $258,668,957, makes 1Vision a Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business to be awarded a contract from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs to 1Vision, which is a subsidiary of HMS Technologies, chose virtual care and remote patient monitoring technologies vendor AMC Health to implement its home telehealth system. AMC Health's telehealth offerings will enable veterans to automatically transmit information including vital sign measurements such as weight, blood pressure and blood glucose levels as well as condition-specific information to the main telehealth platform using Bluetooth-enabled devices in their homes.

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The telehealth platform uses an analytics engine that alerts a veteran's care coordinator to emerging health issues or concerning trends, ensuring prioritized outreach before small clinical issues become serious problems, 1Vision explained. Using telehealth, veterans will have the opportunity to bolster their independence and get convenient access to healthcare while addressing resource and financial obstacles, the company added.

"1Vision was formed with the sole vision of better serving our nation's veterans through a wider breadth of technologies," said Bill Kirkpatrick, CEO of HMS Technologies and managing director of 1Vision. "As a service-disabled veteran myself, I firmly believe this contract is a vital step to make healthcare treatment for our nation's heroes more efficient and accessible."

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The Veterans Health Administration's Home Telehealth Program relies on telehealth platforms from commercial contractors classified by the VA as Medical Device Data Systems. These systems are purchased by the VHA and used by veterans throughout the United States in their homes as a means of promoting self-management and increased access to care.

VA-published studies show that MDDS systems help to improve care, reduce emergency department visits, and promote higher levels of patient and clinician satisfaction.

Twitter: @SiwickiHealthIT
Email the writer: bill.siwicki@himssmedia.com