Veterans Affairs Department, T-Mobile Partner to Expand Care Access

The collaboration will offer tens of thousands of wireless lines to care providers within the health system.

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Already a major proponent of telehealth services, the Veterans Affairs Department is seeking to grow its reach for virtual care services via a collaboration with T-Mobile.

According to a press release, many veterans often have to travel long distances — an average of 25 to 50 miles — to reach care facilities. In a bid to bring care closer to veterans, the partnership with T-Mobile will provide "70,000 lines of wireless service to VA doctors, nurses, social workers, crisis hotline staff and more, across all VA hospitals, clinics and other outpatient facilities."

“Deploying this type of service across all of our locations not only connects VHA staff with the people and data they need, it makes them more accessible to our veterans as well,” said Dr. Steven Lieberman, executive in charge, Veterans Health Administration in a statement. “Whether it’s at a medical center, a community clinic or via the VA Video Connect telemedicine platform, our ongoing goal is to improve patient outcomes by reaching veterans wherever they are.”

The VA care network is the largest integrated health system in the U.S., which incorporates 1,243 facilities 172 VA Medical Centers and 1,062 outpatient clinics.