As far as online patient portals go, My HealtheVet is quite the pioneer.

Launched on Veterans Day in 2003, the platform celebrated its 20th anniversary this past weekend. With more than 4.7 million active users, My HealtheVet enjoys a 75% user-satisfaction rate.

Supporting patients through access

My HealtheVet allows veterans to access their VA health care information and services online, including between-appointment messaging with certain providers. Larry Wilson, an Air Force veteran, has served as the VA Eastern Colorado Health Care System My HealtheVet coordinator for the past nine years, splitting his workweek between Rocky Mountain Regional VA Medical Center in Aurora and the Pfc. Floyd K. Lindstrom VA Clinic in Colorado Springs. He strongly encourages veterans to register for the portal.

“It helps veterans take control of their health care,” he said.

Users can access My HealtheVet on their personal computer, smartphone or tablet, making it easier for veterans to be more informed and empowered about their health care. A second reflection on this resource reveals a foundational VA focus embedded within the portal’s very name: “Heal the Vet.”

Outreach at your fingertips

Although this platform allows veterans to view appointments online, it also provides much more than a virtual calendar. Wilson said My HealtheVet is especially helpful in engaging with veterans between appointments by providing a vital communication component.

Secure messaging allows veterans to interact with primary care providers, and that correspondence may be documented in patients’ medical records. Veterans can also request online prescription refills from the pharmacy, contact their care team, access VA medical images, and even start a conversation with a patient advocate. Nearly 75% of mental health providers are also reachable through this portal along with a few specialty clinics, Wilson said.

In addition to two-way communication, My HealtheVet provides users an opportunity to access their health records, and veterans are taking advantage of these helpful features.

From April to June, VA exchanged more than 8.7 million secure messages, patients made nearly 7.8 million prescription-refill requests, and users downloaded more than 641,000 personal health records. Veterans may also stay abreast of their treatment regimen by accessing a list of their medications.

More online engagement

To illustrate My HealtheVet’s usefulness, Wilson reflected on an encounter that occurred last summer at Rocky Mountain Regional VA Medical Center. A veteran, employed as a flight attendant and staying in Colorado for only a few hours, requested medical records from his local VA in North Carolina. He needed to overnight those documents to his airline by the end of the day or risk losing his job.

Working in conjunction with a patient advocate, who requested the records from the patient’s home facility, Wilson registered this traveling veteran in My HealtheVet at Rocky Mountain Regional VA Medical Center.

The North Carolina providers sent the needed documents via secure message and the veteran retrieved them through his new My HealtheVet account. VA staff printed the paperwork, helping this veteran to meet the airline’s deadline and resume work. He was deeply grateful, and My HealtheVet played a crucial role.

On the horizon

So, what’s next for My HealtheVet? The sign-on feature will soon change to meet new federal security standards.

“VA has already been alerting veterans on the VA website about this improvement,” Wilson said. “Veterans will be well-informed about it.”

Wilson also said My HealtheVet will soon enjoy a new online home. Instead of having a separate website, features will be conveniently moved to VA’s main website (www.va.gov), consolidating numerous VA resources on one site.

To enjoy My HealtheVet’s wealth of benefits, self-register for a free premium account online at www.myhealth.va.gov. You may also register in person with the My HealtheVet Coordinator at RMR or the Lindstrom VA Clinic.

To sign up via video appointment, or if you have forgotten your password or have questions about the portal, the VA ECHCS My HealtheVet Coordinator can be reached at 719-428-9215.

Thanks for allowing me to walk alongside you behind friendly lines.

Victory!