Approximately half of Veterans enrolled in VA care are over the age of 65. Veterans in this age group are more frequent users of emergency care, and more likely to be readmitted to the emergency department (ED) than younger Veterans.<\/p>\n
VA\u2019s Age-Friendly Health Systems Initiative<\/a> aims to provide comprehensive care for older Veterans founded on practices known as the 4Ms: Medication, Mentation, Mobility and What Matters. However, integrating these practices into emergency medicine can be challenging because of the unique needs of older Veterans.<\/p>\n Dr. Colleen McQuown, emergency medicine physician at Louis Stokes VA,<\/a> developed Supporting Community, Outpatient, Urgent Care & Telehealth Services<\/a> (SCOUTS) in 2020 after recognizing the need for follow up care to reduce older adult repeat ED visits.<\/p>\n SCOUTS provides at-home care after an ED visit for Veterans at risk for physical, cognitive or functional decline, as well as hospitalization, falls and repeat ED visits.<\/p>\n SCOUTS addresses the challenges of integrating the 4Ms into emergency medicine by enlisting intermediate care technicians<\/a> (ICTs) to conduct a home visit 48-72 hours after an at-risk Veteran is discharged from the ED. ICTs, like former military medics and corpsmen, are uniquely positioned to understand and relate to Veterans\u2019 journeys, ensuring they feel supported and have their needs addressed.<\/p>\n During a home visit, ICTs observe a Veteran\u2019s condition, screen for unmet care needs and check for signs of caregiver burden. Home visits also provide an opportunity for ICTs to establish telehealth connections and facilitate virtual visits between Veterans and acute care providers.<\/p>\n \u201cThe whole reason I came to VA was to help take care of my fellow Veterans as my mother did before me,\u201d said Dr. Bill Kalacinski, ICT at White River Junction VA<\/a>. \u201cIt\u2019s been an awesome experience with SCOUTS going into the homes and getting that deeper connection with the Veteran.\u201d<\/p>\n For Veterans in rural areas and those not enrolled in VA\u2019s Home Based Primary Care<\/a> program, telehealth connections enable acute post-ED care in their home.<\/p>\n Since 2021, SCOUTS has significantly improved access and quality care for Veterans. Between May 2021 and May 2022, SCOUTS decreased the rate of 72-hour ED return visits by 71% compared to those not in the program. Following this success, SCOUTS entered the 2023 VHA Shark Tank Competition<\/a>, earning a winning bid to replicate at Pittsburgh VA.<\/p>\n That same year, VA\u2019s Office of Rural Health recognized SCOUTS as an Enterprise-Wide Initiative<\/a>, a distinction granted to VA programs that deliver increased care and support to Veterans living in rural areas nationwide. SCOUTS has now expanded to 17 VA facilities. As of July 2024, SCOUTS has benefited over 2,500 Veterans across the country.<\/p>\n Satisfaction with the program extends beyond providers, as 98% of Veterans participating in the program report being satisfied or extremely satisfied with the services and 72% of Veterans note that SCOUTS has increased their likelihood of choosing VA for future care.<\/p>\n \u201cSCOUTS provides an opportunity for ICTs to both provide Veterans with high quality care and build trust with them and their families,\u201d explained Dr. McQuown. \u201cWe are able to really hear their story and bring VA to them. You just don\u2019t get that when you\u2019re in a busy emergency department where the Veteran is outside of their comfort zone.\u201d<\/p>\n The SCOUTS team plans to expand to additional sites, including additional rural VA facilities and to Veterans using the VA Tele-Emergency Care program, which enables Veterans at participating VA facilities to receive timely access to care virtually or via phone for non-life-threatening symptoms.<\/p>\n \u201cBeing able to monitor and care for our elderly Veterans at home after an emergency department visit provides them with an option to safely recover in a convenient and familiar environment while avoiding some of the risks of being hospitalized,\u201d said Dr. Neil Patel, acting director of emergency medicine.<\/p>\n SCOUTS is one of many innovations helping to reimagine the landscape of health care for older Veterans. VA is on track to become the largest integrated age-friendly health system in the nation with over 140 facilities currently engaged.<\/p>\n To learn more about SCOUTS and follow their innovation journey, visit Diffusion Marketplace<\/a>. If you are a Veteran looking to learn more about post-emergency care, contact your VA primary care provider.<\/p>\n Want to learn more about innovation at VA? Visit our website<\/a>, subscribe to our weekly newsletter<\/a> and explore VA Pathfinder<\/a> to learn more about our opportunities.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Approximately half of Veterans enrolled in VA care are over the age of 65. Veterans in this age group are more frequent users of emergency care, and more likely to be readmitted to the emergency department (ED) than younger Veterans. Fayetteville VA SCOUTS intermediate care technicians VA\u2019s Age-Friendly Health Systems Initiative aims to provide comprehensive […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":285175,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[78,5,679,1271],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-285173","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-geriatrics","category-health","category-scouts","category-visn-10"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/285173","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/8"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=285173"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/285173\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":285179,"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/285173\/revisions\/285179"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/285175"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=285173"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=285173"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=285173"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}A deeper understanding through continued care<\/h2>\n
Minimizing readmission after emergency care<\/h2>\n
More information<\/h2>\n
![<\/a>Fayetteville VA SCOUTS intermediate care technicians<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\nVA\u2019s Age-Friendly Health Systems Initiative<\/a> aims to provide comprehensive care for older Veterans founded on practices known as the 4Ms: Medication, Mentation, Mobility and What Matters. However, integrating these practices into emergency medicine can be challenging because of the unique needs of older Veterans.<\/p>\nDr. Colleen McQuown, emergency medicine physician at Louis Stokes VA,<\/a> developed Supporting Community, Outpatient, Urgent Care & Telehealth Services<\/a> (SCOUTS) in 2020 after recognizing the need for follow up care to reduce older adult repeat ED visits.<\/p>\nSCOUTS provides at-home care after an ED visit for Veterans at risk for physical, cognitive or functional decline, as well as hospitalization, falls and repeat ED visits.<\/p>\nA deeper understanding through continued care<\/h2>\nSCOUTS addresses the challenges of integrating the 4Ms into emergency medicine by enlisting intermediate care technicians<\/a> (ICTs) to conduct a home visit 48-72 hours after an at-risk Veteran is discharged from the ED. ICTs, like former military medics and corpsmen, are uniquely positioned to understand and relate to Veterans\u2019 journeys, ensuring they feel supported and have their needs addressed.<\/p>\nDuring a home visit, ICTs observe a Veteran\u2019s condition, screen for unmet care needs and check for signs of caregiver burden. Home visits also provide an opportunity for ICTs to establish telehealth connections and facilitate virtual visits between Veterans and acute care providers.<\/p>\n\u201cThe whole reason I came to VA was to help take care of my fellow Veterans as my mother did before me,\u201d said Dr. Bill Kalacinski, ICT at White River Junction VA<\/a>. \u201cIt\u2019s been an awesome experience with SCOUTS going into the homes and getting that deeper connection with the Veteran.\u201d<\/p>\nFor Veterans in rural areas and those not enrolled in VA\u2019s Home Based Primary Care<\/a> program, telehealth connections enable acute post-ED care in their home.<\/p>\nMinimizing readmission after emergency care<\/h2>\nSince 2021, SCOUTS has significantly improved access and quality care for Veterans. Between May 2021 and May 2022, SCOUTS decreased the rate of 72-hour ED return visits by 71% compared to those not in the program. Following this success, SCOUTS entered the 2023 VHA Shark Tank Competition<\/a>, earning a winning bid to replicate at Pittsburgh VA.<\/p>\nThat same year, VA\u2019s Office of Rural Health recognized SCOUTS as an Enterprise-Wide Initiative<\/a>, a distinction granted to VA programs that deliver increased care and support to Veterans living in rural areas nationwide. SCOUTS has now expanded to 17 VA facilities. As of July 2024, SCOUTS has benefited over 2,500 Veterans across the country.<\/p>\nSatisfaction with the program extends beyond providers, as 98% of Veterans participating in the program report being satisfied or extremely satisfied with the services and 72% of Veterans note that SCOUTS has increased their likelihood of choosing VA for future care.<\/p>\n\u201cSCOUTS provides an opportunity for ICTs to both provide Veterans with high quality care and build trust with them and their families,\u201d explained Dr. McQuown. \u201cWe are able to really hear their story and bring VA to them. You just don\u2019t get that when you\u2019re in a busy emergency department where the Veteran is outside of their comfort zone.\u201d<\/p>\nThe SCOUTS team plans to expand to additional sites, including additional rural VA facilities and to Veterans using the VA Tele-Emergency Care program, which enables Veterans at participating VA facilities to receive timely access to care virtually or via phone for non-life-threatening symptoms.<\/p>\n\u201cBeing able to monitor and care for our elderly Veterans at home after an emergency department visit provides them with an option to safely recover in a convenient and familiar environment while avoiding some of the risks of being hospitalized,\u201d said Dr. Neil Patel, acting director of emergency medicine.<\/p>\nMore information<\/h2>\nSCOUTS is one of many innovations helping to reimagine the landscape of health care for older Veterans. VA is on track to become the largest integrated age-friendly health system in the nation with over 140 facilities currently engaged.<\/p>\nTo learn more about SCOUTS and follow their innovation journey, visit Diffusion Marketplace<\/a>. If you are a Veteran looking to learn more about post-emergency care, contact your VA primary care provider.<\/p>\nWant to learn more about innovation at VA? Visit our website<\/a>, subscribe to our weekly newsletter<\/a> and explore VA Pathfinder<\/a> to learn more about our opportunities.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Approximately half of Veterans enrolled in VA care are over the age of 65. Veterans in this age group are more frequent users of emergency care, and more likely to be readmitted to the emergency department (ED) than younger Veterans. Fayetteville VA SCOUTS intermediate care technicians VA\u2019s Age-Friendly Health Systems Initiative aims to provide comprehensive […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":285175,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[78,5,679,1271],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-285173","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-geriatrics","category-health","category-scouts","category-visn-10"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/285173","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/8"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=285173"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/285173\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":285179,"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/285173\/revisions\/285179"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/285175"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=285173"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=285173"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=285173"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}](\"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Scouts-team_r1-2.jpg\"){kind=link}