§1709A Teleconsultation

Summary

The Secretary must run a teleconsultation program so VA facilities that cannot do mental health or traumatic brain injury (TBI) assessments on their own can get those assessments remotely instead of hiring outside contractors or paying fee-based providers. The Secretary must work with professional medical groups to create technical and clinical care standards for using teleconsultation in VA facilities. If a VA facility can only provide an assessment by either hiring outside providers or using teleconsultation, the facility must be able to hire or pay an outside provider when doing so is more clinically appropriate for the veteran than using teleconsultation. Teleconsultation means a specialist uses telecommunications to help another provider diagnose or treat a patient.