{"id":8248,"date":"2024-05-18T18:30:00","date_gmt":"2024-05-18T18:30:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/itsveterans.com\/?p=8248"},"modified":"2024-05-18T18:30:00","modified_gmt":"2024-05-18T18:30:00","slug":"telerheumatology-virtual-care-to-veterans-with-arthritis-and-rheumatic-conditions","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/itsveterans.com\/?p=8248","title":{"rendered":"TeleRheumatology \u2013 Virtual care to Veterans with arthritis and rheumatic conditions"},"content":{"rendered":"

Originally published:<\/strong> 2024-05-18T18:30:00+00:00. Historical source article: benefits, rules, amounts and deadlines may have changed. Check the official source for current information.<\/p>\n

In the United States, an estimated 21.2% of adults have arthritis. That\u2019s more than 53 million Americans.<\/p>\n

Arthritis refers to any disorder that affects the joints\u2014with the most common types being osteoarthritis, gout and rheumatoid arthritis. Primary care providers may refer Veterans with arthritis to a rheumatologist, a specialist who treats arthritis and other autoimmune conditions.<\/p>\n

Due to a nationwide shortage of rheumatologists, access to care is constrained, particularly in rural locales. To better serve our Veterans, VA will be instituting the National TeleRheumatology Enterprise-Wide Initiative\u00a0in 2024. The TeleRheumatology program enables Veterans to connect with a rheumatologist remotely for diagnostic and follow-up appointments. This saves Veterans from traveling long distances for an in-person appointment.<\/p>\n

Natalia Brown is a physician assistant at Pittsburgh VA. She treats Veterans in Pennsylvania, West Virginia and Ohio through TeleRheumatology.<\/p>\n

\u201cTeleRheumatology is a great option because we never want to have a Veteran miss a follow-up because of distance or commuting,\u201d Brown said. \u201cWe pride ourselves in maintaining a very steady relationship and open lines of communication. Because if we lose follow-ups, conditions flare.\u201d<\/p>\n

Simple, convenient process<\/h2>\n

As arthritis and other rheumatic diseases are chronic conditions, Brown says she sees Veterans \u201cfor life.\u201d Most Veterans typically require a check-in every three to six months following their diagnosis.<\/p>\n

Through TeleRheumatology, Veterans can meet with their provider from home through VA Video Connect, VA\u2019s secure video conferencing app. They can also visit a VA facility that offers telehealth services on-site.<\/p>\n

During follow-up appointments through VA Video Connect, a VA provider will help Veterans manage their treatment plans, talk over any new swelling or pain, discuss medications and more.<\/p>\n

Brown says she is currently treating a 92-year-old Veteran who lives over four hours from the VA clinic.<\/p>\n

\u201cEspecially for our older populations, driving to the Pittsburgh facility can be really challenging for them,\u201d said Brown. \u201cI always let our patients know that \u2018if you can\u2019t come in, please let me know and we\u2019ll change it to video.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

Shawntell\u2019s TeleRheumatology story<\/h2>\n

Shawntell is an Army National Guard Veteran who served from 2008 to 2018. While on active duty, Shawntell was diagnosed with a connective tissue disorder. Following her diagnosis, she was driving over 90 minutes each way to Pittsburgh VA for her rheumatology care.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen we started doing the VA Video Connect sessions, it really helped me still get the help I needed without having to put my body in pain.\u201d Shawntell said she enjoys having the option of going in person or switching to a virtual appointment, especially on days when she may be dealing with more pain and swelling.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy provider at VA TeleRheumatology does a really good job at keeping up and checking in with me. I think this is a great service,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n

If you think you may benefit from TeleRheumatology care, talk with your VA care team. To learn more about telehealth, visit the VA Telehealth Services page<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\n

Source: U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs<\/a>. Its Veterans is an independent publication and is not affiliated with or endorsed by the U.S. government.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

TeleRheumatology enables Shawntell and other Veterans to receive critical arthritis care from home or a VA clinic.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":318,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-8248","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-u-s-veterans-health-care"],"yoast_head":"\nTeleRheumatology \u2013 Virtual care to Veterans with arthritis and rheumatic conditions - Its Veterans<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"TeleRheumatology enables Shawntell and other Veterans to receive critical arthritis care from home or a VA clinic.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/itsveterans.com\/?p=8248\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"TeleRheumatology \u2013 Virtual care to Veterans with arthritis and rheumatic conditions - Its Veterans\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"TeleRheumatology enables Shawntell and other Veterans to receive critical arthritis care from home or a VA clinic.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/itsveterans.com\/?p=8248\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Its Veterans\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2024-05-18T18:30:00+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/itsveterans.com\\\/?p=8248#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/itsveterans.com\\\/?p=8248\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"admin\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/itsveterans.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/4bf835f8c5375ef33978f3169f311668\"},\"headline\":\"TeleRheumatology \u2013 Virtual care to Veterans with arthritis and rheumatic conditions\",\"datePublished\":\"2024-05-18T18:30:00+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/itsveterans.com\\\/?p=8248\"},\"wordCount\":543,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/itsveterans.com\\\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/itsveterans.com\\\/?p=8248#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/itsveterans.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/09\\\/vet-456-301.png\",\"articleSection\":[\"Health & Care\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/itsveterans.com\\\/?p=8248\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/itsveterans.com\\\/?p=8248\",\"name\":\"TeleRheumatology \u2013 Virtual care to Veterans with arthritis and rheumatic conditions - Its Veterans\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/itsveterans.com\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/itsveterans.com\\\/?p=8248#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/itsveterans.com\\\/?p=8248#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/itsveterans.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/09\\\/vet-456-301.png\",\"datePublished\":\"2024-05-18T18:30:00+00:00\",\"description\":\"TeleRheumatology enables Shawntell and other Veterans to receive critical arthritis care from home or a VA clinic.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/itsveterans.com\\\/?p=8248#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/itsveterans.com\\\/?p=8248\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/itsveterans.com\\\/?p=8248#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/itsveterans.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/09\\\/vet-456-301.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/itsveterans.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/09\\\/vet-456-301.png\",\"width\":815,\"height\":815},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/itsveterans.com\\\/?p=8248#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/itsveterans.com\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"TeleRheumatology \u2013 Virtual care to Veterans with arthritis and rheumatic conditions\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/itsveterans.com\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/itsveterans.com\\\/\",\"name\":\"Its Veterans\",\"description\":\"Veterans news, benefits, health and community resources\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/itsveterans.com\\\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/itsveterans.com\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/itsveterans.com\\\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Its Veterans\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/itsveterans.com\\\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/itsveterans.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/itsveterans.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/09\\\/its-veterans-six-service-branches-flag-header-v2-2026-09-18.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/itsveterans.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/09\\\/its-veterans-six-service-branches-flag-header-v2-2026-09-18.jpg\",\"width\":2172,\"height\":724,\"caption\":\"Its Veterans\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/itsveterans.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\"}},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/itsveterans.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/4bf835f8c5375ef33978f3169f311668\",\"name\":\"admin\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/10da73410d092638799e3fa777bd59a474d7c9d9c61105a38c73dd46c050c34f?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/10da73410d092638799e3fa777bd59a474d7c9d9c61105a38c73dd46c050c34f?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/10da73410d092638799e3fa777bd59a474d7c9d9c61105a38c73dd46c050c34f?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"admin\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/itsveterans.com\"],\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/itsveterans.com\\\/?author=1\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"TeleRheumatology \u2013 Virtual care to Veterans with arthritis and rheumatic conditions - Its Veterans","description":"TeleRheumatology enables Shawntell and other Veterans to receive critical arthritis care from home or a VA clinic.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/itsveterans.com\/?p=8248","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"TeleRheumatology \u2013 Virtual care to Veterans with arthritis and rheumatic conditions - Its Veterans","og_description":"TeleRheumatology enables Shawntell and other Veterans to receive critical arthritis care from home or a VA clinic.","og_url":"https:\/\/itsveterans.com\/?p=8248","og_site_name":"Its Veterans","article_published_time":"2024-05-18T18:30:00+00:00","author":"admin","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"admin","Est. reading time":"3 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/itsveterans.com\/?p=8248#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/itsveterans.com\/?p=8248"},"author":{"name":"admin","@id":"https:\/\/itsveterans.com\/#\/schema\/person\/4bf835f8c5375ef33978f3169f311668"},"headline":"TeleRheumatology \u2013 Virtual care to Veterans with arthritis and rheumatic conditions","datePublished":"2024-05-18T18:30:00+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/itsveterans.com\/?p=8248"},"wordCount":543,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/itsveterans.com\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/itsveterans.com\/?p=8248#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/itsveterans.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/vet-456-301.png","articleSection":["Health & Care"],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/itsveterans.com\/?p=8248","url":"https:\/\/itsveterans.com\/?p=8248","name":"TeleRheumatology \u2013 Virtual care to Veterans with arthritis and rheumatic conditions - Its Veterans","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/itsveterans.com\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/itsveterans.com\/?p=8248#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/itsveterans.com\/?p=8248#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/itsveterans.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/vet-456-301.png","datePublished":"2024-05-18T18:30:00+00:00","description":"TeleRheumatology enables Shawntell and other Veterans to receive critical arthritis care from home or a VA clinic.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/itsveterans.com\/?p=8248#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/itsveterans.com\/?p=8248"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/itsveterans.com\/?p=8248#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/itsveterans.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/vet-456-301.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/itsveterans.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/vet-456-301.png","width":815,"height":815},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/itsveterans.com\/?p=8248#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/itsveterans.com\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"TeleRheumatology \u2013 Virtual care to Veterans with arthritis and rheumatic conditions"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/itsveterans.com\/#website","url":"https:\/\/itsveterans.com\/","name":"Its Veterans","description":"Veterans news, benefits, health and community resources","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/itsveterans.com\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/itsveterans.com\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/itsveterans.com\/#organization","name":"Its Veterans","url":"https:\/\/itsveterans.com\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/itsveterans.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/itsveterans.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/its-veterans-six-service-branches-flag-header-v2-2026-09-18.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/itsveterans.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/its-veterans-six-service-branches-flag-header-v2-2026-09-18.jpg","width":2172,"height":724,"caption":"Its Veterans"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/itsveterans.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"}},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/itsveterans.com\/#\/schema\/person\/4bf835f8c5375ef33978f3169f311668","name":"admin","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/10da73410d092638799e3fa777bd59a474d7c9d9c61105a38c73dd46c050c34f?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/10da73410d092638799e3fa777bd59a474d7c9d9c61105a38c73dd46c050c34f?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/10da73410d092638799e3fa777bd59a474d7c9d9c61105a38c73dd46c050c34f?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"admin"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/itsveterans.com"],"url":"https:\/\/itsveterans.com\/?author=1"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/itsveterans.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8248","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/itsveterans.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/itsveterans.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/itsveterans.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/itsveterans.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=8248"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/itsveterans.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8248\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/itsveterans.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/318"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/itsveterans.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=8248"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/itsveterans.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=8248"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/itsveterans.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=8248"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}