Implementation of a Novel Occupational and Environmental Medicine Specialty Teleconsultation Service: The VHA Experience

OBJECTIVE: Occupational and environmental medicine (OEM) physician specialty practices continue to grow in scope and intensity across the Veterans Health Administration. This study characterizes the implementation of a novel, nationwide telemedicine program that provides OEM specialty consultation to providers across the Veterans Health Administration. METHODS: We examined provider requests and specialist responses for a 6-month pilot from May to October 2013. Characteristics of consult users, determinants of case complexity, and specific applications of OEM specialty expertise were identified. RESULTS: Over a 6-month period, employee occupational health providers consulted the OEM telemedicine pilot a total of 65 times. Employee occupational health providers without formal training repeatedly identified complex cases related to work and disability. CONCLUSIONS: The program has created a new system management solution to deliver expert, in-depth consultation and real-time provider education in OEM.