About Telehealth at VCU Health

Telehealth is the use of electronic communications, via phone or video, for a patient appointment. Virtual health care has seen a rise since the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak and will continue to play an important role in making sure we can see our patients safely and efficiently.

It was so easy! You register just like you would at the doctor’s office. You hit the button and you answer the questions. That’s all. That’s all there is to it.

What is Telehealth?

The Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) defines telehealth as “the use of electronic information and telecommunications technologies to support and promote clinical health care, patient and professional health-related education, public health and health administration.” 

Telehealth supports a range of clinical activities, including:

• Enhancing interactions among providers to improve patient care (for example, consultation with distant specialists by the direct care provider);
• Supporting provider-to-provider training;
• Enhancing service capacity and quality (for example, small rural hospital emergency departments and pharmacy services);
• Enabling direct patient-provider interaction (such as follow-up for diabetes or hypertension; or urgent care services);
• Managing patients with multiple chronic conditions from a distance; and,
• Monitoring patient health and activities (for example, home monitoring equipment linked to a distant provider)

Our Telehealth Programs

Using cutting-edge technology, we offer a comprehensive, high-quality system of care with: 

Virtual Visits

Using telehealth, you can speak with a medical provider you trust from the comfort of your home. Learn more about virtual appointments. 

Remote Patient Monitoring

We offer Remote Patient Monitoring to help patients monitor their vitals from their homes. Learn more about Remote Patient Monitoring. 

Tele-Education

We use the Project ECHO model (Extension for Community Health Outcomes) to connect subject matter experts to practicing providers, clinicians, and social health care professionals across Virginia for knowledge exchange.

• Virginia Opioid Addiction ECHO to help tackle the opioid crisis.
• VCU Health Palliative Care ECHO to improve the quality of life of patients and their families facing life limiting illness.
• Virginia Sickle Cell ECHO to help improve disease management.

Community Outreach

We work with health systems across Virginia to improve the patient experience. 

Telehealth with the Department of Corrections

We offer patients unable to receive treatment on-site at VCU Medical Center access to our health care through conventional, interactive video visits. This technology provides incarcerated patients at 30 Department of Corrections sites in Virginia with access to care from our specialty clinics while reducing security risks and costs associated with inmate transportation.

More than 45,000 incarcerated patients at 30 correctional facilities across the Commonwealth have benefited from our work with the Virginia Department of Corrections to provide quality health care through conventional telemedicine. 

Any VCU Medical Center clinic can provide telemedicine care, including the specialty clinics listed below. For a specific specialty need not listed below, please call us at (833) 889-9072 or email us to request telemedicine coverage.

Resources

• American Telemedicine Association (ATA)
• Center for Connected Health Policy (CCHP)
• Federal Communications Commission (FCC)
• Mid-Atlantic Telehealth Resource Center (MATRC)
• National Quality Forum (NQF)

Our Leadership

Vimal Mishra, MD, MMCi
Medical Director, Office of Telemedicine
Associate Professor of Medicine and Health Administration
Phone: (804) 828-5323
vimal.mishra@vcuhealth.org