{"id":349419,"date":"2025-01-10T18:30:00","date_gmt":"2025-01-10T19:30:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/?p=349419"},"modified":"2025-01-10T20:11:28","modified_gmt":"2025-01-10T20:11:28","slug":"bringing-services-closer-to-veterans-with-mobile-care","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/?p=349419","title":{"rendered":"Bringing services closer to Veterans with mobile care"},"content":{"rendered":"

VA\u2019s Mobile Prosthetic and Orthotic Care (MoPOC)<\/a> program is a rapidly growing initiative transforming access to specialized health care for Veterans in rural areas.<\/p>\n

MoPOC provides state-of-the-art orthotic and prosthetic (O&P) services for Veterans with amputations and other mobility impairments who may face challenges traveling to larger VA medical centers.<\/p>\n

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Services for Veterans with amputations<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

It focuses on serving Veterans where they are, offering convenience and comfort at VA Community-Based Outpatient Clinics and, as needed, at home.<\/p>\n

MoPOC was developed by Daniel Abrahamson and Eli Kaufman, both certified prosthetist\/orthotists (CPOs) and certified O&P providers based out of VA Puget Sound Health Care System<\/a>, who now run the program nationally.<\/p>\n

With funding from VHA\u2019s Office of Rural Health<\/a>, the program has been able to grow to 18 VA sites since its start in 2021. Over the past three years, MoPOC clinicians conducted 12,152 patient visits, serving 8,304 Veterans\u20145,956 of whom live in rural communities. The team has an ambitious target to grow by eight new sites per year, aiming to serve Veterans at 60 sites by 2029.<\/p>\n

A Veteran-centered approach<\/h2>\n

Central to MoPOC\u2019s success is its Veteran-centered model which is structured to serve Veterans closer to home focusing on their unique needs and preferences. Each MoPOC mobile unit is staffed by a CPO equipped with a comprehensive suite of specialty tools and technologies allowing them to modify and fit custom O&P devices onsite. Support staff at the home site enables the program to operate efficiently and provides Veterans with a dedicated point of contact when the clinician is on the road.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur mission is to increase access to VA clinical services for Veterans by reducing or eliminating the burden of travel,\u201d explained Kaufman who, with Abrahamson, developed MoPOC during his 2020-2021 VHA Innovation Ecosystem<\/a> fellowship and with support from the VHA Innovators Network<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cRoughly 20% of Veterans report they would not have received their prescribed O&P care at all without MoPOC,\u201d Abrahamson reported. \u201cThis highlights how needed these services are in many rural communities.\u201d Veterans have expressed gratitude for the care they receive, often describing the MoPOC staff as respectful, patient and knowledgeable.<\/p>\n

\u201cShe was terrific and explained each step to me,\u201d a Veteran said about a MoPOC clinician. Another Veteran praised the specialized support. \u201cMy brace has allowed me to be more stable when I\u2019m standing and walking around. She trimmed it down so I can wear it with my dress shoes for church. That was important for me.\u201d<\/p>\n

Efficient, accessible and convenient care<\/h2>\n

MoPOC is cost-efficient for VA, on average costing less than purchasing the same care for Veterans through community providers. MoPOC also helps Veterans save money as it reduces travel and associated expenses, like fuel. The impact is particularly evident for rural Veterans who often have fewer transportation options, greater distances to traditional VA facilities and more lost work.<\/p>\n

\u201cDriving to my local clinic instead of the big VA facility saved me time and gas money,\u201d one Veteran noted, underscoring the value of MoPOC\u2019s local accessible care. The increased accessibility has also translated into high Veteran satisfaction levels, with 98% of Veterans expressing satisfaction with the ease of traveling to MoPOC appointments.<\/p>\n

Veterans also report that MoPOC care has improved their mobility, reduced pain and helped them carry out daily activities more comfortably. \u201cMy feet don\u2019t hurt as much now. I like to be out in the yard and go on walks with my wife and now I can do that better and easier,\u201d said another.<\/p>\n

Want to learn more about innovation at VA? Visit our website<\/a>, read the 2024 VHA State of Innovation report<\/a>, check out Diffusion Marketplace<\/a>, and subscribe to our weekly newsletter<\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

VA\u2019s Mobile Prosthetic and Orthotic Care (MoPOC) program is a rapidly growing initiative transforming access to specialized health care for Veterans in rural areas. MoPOC provides state-of-the-art orthotic and prosthetic (O&P) services for Veterans with amputations and other mobility impairments who may face challenges traveling to larger VA medical centers. Services for Veterans with amputations […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":349421,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5,1426,1289],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-349419","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-health","category-mobile-prosthetic-care","category-visn-20"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/349419","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=349419"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/349419\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":349422,"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/349419\/revisions\/349422"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/349421"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=349419"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=349419"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=349419"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}