November 2023 will mark 20 years since the launch of My HealtheVet, VA’s patient portal. What began as a modest website has become a vital tool for Veterans and providers alike.
Lara Storke can attest to the portal’s benefits from two perspectives. As an Army Veteran, she uses My HealtheVet for her own care. And as a VA optician, My HealtheVet helps her connect with the Veterans in her care.
Using My HealtheVet as a Veteran
Storke was an early adopter of the platform. She first began using My HealtheVet in 2006 while going through cancer treatment. With countless medical appointments, she struggled to keep track of her test results. She wanted a way to look at her providers’ notes and research her prognosis. That’s where My HealtheVet came in.
“When VA first came out with a way to access records online, I was all in,” she said.
The platform took some getting used to, but she saw the benefits right away. Storke could view her records and test results from the comfort of her home thanks to the VA Blue Button feature. VA Blue Button lets My HealtheVet users view, download and print their VA health records. Veterans have downloaded more than 59 million files through VA Blue Button since the feature was first released in 2010.
“You used to have to request records and just wait. Fast-forward to now. My HealtheVet is extremely user-friendly,” she added.
Pictured above are Storke (left) with Susan Haidary (right), My HealtheVet national stakeholder.
Secure messaging helped her through the flu
Now cancer-free for 17 years, Storke continues to use My HealtheVet as a part of her routine care at VA.
Storke used My HealtheVet’s secure messaging feature when she was experiencing flu symptoms. She sent a secure message to her primary care provider detailing her symptoms and asking for an appointment so she could receive a doctor’s note to miss work.
Her VA provider quickly sent a reply confirming that she had all the typical flu symptoms and advised how to take care of herself at home. The provider attached a doctor’s note for her to print out and take into her work. The interaction saved her a trip to the clinic.
“I was so glad I didn’t have to drive to visit in person. They made it so easy for me,” she continued.
Using My HealtheVet as a VA employee
Storke has firsthand knowledge of the benefits of My HealtheVet. And she has incorporated the tool into her work as a VA optician at Portland VA. During the COVID-19 pandemic, when in-person visits were limited, Secure Messaging became a vital resource for the eye center.
Storke and her colleagues created content for the eye center’s webpage that enabled Veterans to browse available glasses without an in-person appointment. The staff members used My HealtheVet to send Veterans secure messages with links to the site. “Getting the word out took some effort but I think that it has paid off,” she said.
Even after the eye center returned to business as usual, Storke said Veterans still use My HealtheVet to interact with their VA care teams. “We still get more secure messages than phone calls. Many have thanked us for making it so easy.”
To learn more and register for the patient portal, visit My HealtheVet.
Author: