U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Talk to the Veterans Crisis Line now
Skip to main content

Last updated

Technology-based Eye Care Services (TECS)

Share Print

Prevent blindness by providing detailed eye screening and tele-eye follow ups at the primary care medical home.

Adoptions:

40 successful, 1 in-progress

Partners:

Health Services Research & Development, Office of Connected Care, Office of Rural Health, Office of Veterans Access to Care, VHA Innovators Network

Tags:

COVID-19 Telehealth
Contact Team

Overview

Problem

Solution

Results

Diffusion tracker

Does not include Clinical Resource Hubs (CRH)

Statuses

AL: Central Alabama Montgomery VA Clinic (Central Alabama Montgomery) AR: Jonesboro VA Clinic (Jonesboro) DE: Sussex County VA Clinic (Sussex County) GA: Albany VA Clinic (Albany, Georgia) GA: Atlanta VA Clinic (Atlanta North Arcadia Avenue) GA: Blairsville VA Clinic (Blairsville) GA: Fort McPherson VA Clinic (Fort McPherson) GA: Fort Moore VA Clinic (Fort Moore) GA: Newnan VA Clinic (Newnan) GA: Rome VA Clinic (Rome, Georgia) GA: Stockbridge VA Clinic (Stockbridge) GA: Tifton VA Clinic (Tifton) GA: West Cobb County VA Clinic (West Cobb County) IA: Fort Dodge VA Clinic (Fort Dodge) IA: Mason City VA Clinic (Mason City) IL: Edward Hines Junior Hospital (Hines) IL: Kankakee County VA Clinic (Kankakee County) IL: LaSalle VA Clinic (LaSalle) MI: Flint VA Clinic (Flint) MI: Jackson VA Clinic (Jackson, Michigan) MI: Lieutenant Colonel Charles S. Kettles VA Medical Center (Ann Arbor) MN: Minneapolis VA Medical Center (Minneapolis, Minnesota) MS: Tupelo VA Clinic (Tupelo) MT: Kalispell VA Clinic (Kalispell) MT: Travis W. Atkins Department of Veterans Affairs Clinic (Bozeman) NC: Lee County VA Clinic (Lee County, North Carolina) NC: Robeson County VA Clinic (Robeson County) NE: Norfolk VA Clinic (Norfolk) NE: North Platte VA Clinic (North Platte) NE: Omaha VA Medical Center (Omaha, Nebraska) NE: Scottsbluff VA Clinic (Scottsbluff) OK: Ardmore VA Clinic (Ardmore) OK: South Oklahoma City VA Clinic (South Oklahoma City) OK: Stillwater VA Clinic (Stillwater) SD: Pierre VA Clinic (Pierre) SD: Rapid City VA Clinic (Rapid City) TN: Jackson VA Clinic (Jackson, Tennessee) WV: Louis A. Johnson Veterans' Administration Medical Center (Clarksburg) WV: Monongalia County VA Clinic (Monongalia County ) WY: Cheyenne VA Medical Center (Cheyenne)

GA: Athens VA Clinic (Athens, Georgia)

There are no unsuccessful adoptions for this innovation.

Implementation

Timeline

  • 3
    Q1 - order equipment, find space, post tech position/train internal candidate, identify eye provider for reader.
  • 3
    Q2 - set up room, connect camera to network, install templates, onboard technician.
  • 3
    Q3 - set up clinic grids, run test patients, marketing, start; enter TECS national QA/QI program.

Departments

  • Biomed
  • Logistics
  • Education and training
  • Telehealth
  • Information technology
  • Human resources
  • Information management

Core Resources

Files

Links

Risks and mitigations

Risk Mitigation
This is a complex innovation to implement. It has been shown, if done properly, to improve eye care access. Buy in from stakeholders critical. Don't start if no buy in from eye clinic, medical center leadership, telehealth, primary care.

Contact

Comment

Comments and replies are disabled for retired innovations and non-VA users.

VA User (Health System Specialist) edited

We look forward to activating a TECS vehicle for our system!

VA User (MD-Staff Physician) Innovation owner posted

A great way to expand access to eye care within the VA Healthcare System!!!

1
VA User (Ophthalmologist) Innovation owner posted

We support TECS implementation!

1

Email

Email with questions about this innovation.

About

Origin story

Mr. C came to see me in clinic one day, hoping for eyeglasses for his failing eyesight. I diagnosed him with end stage glaucoma, not fixable with glasses, and I wished he had come in sooner. Patients like Mr. C drove me to leverage the VA's telehealth infrastructure to create an eye telehealth program that provided screening and tele-follow ups for Veteran ... Mr. C came to see me in clinic one day, hoping for eyeglasses for his failing eyesight. I diagnosed him with end stage glaucoma, not fixable with glasses, and I wished he had come in sooner. Patients like Mr. C drove me to leverage the VA's telehealth infrastructure to create an eye telehealth program that provided screening and tele-follow ups for Veterans who have vast eye care needs.

Original team

Vera Banks

TECS Implementation Specialist

Search tags

COVID-19 Telehealth