Tricare, VA Tout Telehealth Apps

Tricare and the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) each detailed a new mobile health offering this week. The telehealth and smartphone products join a growing collection of mobile health applications, some of which are provided by government health agencies – the VA and DoD included – or funded by federal government departments, such as HHS and ONC.

And they fit into the VA’s increasingly wireless strategy that includes a mobile PHR announced late last month and the declaration that, come October 1, 2011, the VA will allow clinicians and other employees to use mobile devices inside its walls.

On Thursday, Tricare aligned with Express Scripts to deliver the free Tricare Express Rx application and accompanying mobile-optimized website, which the organizations claim will enable beneficiaries using GPS smartphones to manage prescriptions, access health information, locate the nearest pharmacy in their network, or order home delivery and check status.