Table 1.

Think Tank Survey Questions

Please answer the following questions regarding telehealth & virtual care. For the purposes of this survey, we define “virtual care” as any distance-based method to provide health care (e.g., telehealth, mobile health [mHealth]). Responses to these questions will help us refine the agenda and content discussed during the Think Tank.

1. Please rank the types of future research in virtual care you consider to be of greatest importance for the VHA from most important to least important. • Staffing of virtual care • How to sustain veteran and caregiver engagement in virtual care • Implementation and adoption of virtual care in the VHA • Virtual care in the context of a certain disease (please state the disease) • Quality improvement projects • Rapid turn-around research (e.g., study duration less than one year) • How to identify the right population for virtual care • Virtual care in the context of a certain population (please state the population) • Other (please describe) 2. Please rank the types of future data in virtual care you consider to be of greatest importance to you in your role at the VHA from most important to least important. • Data on effectiveness (please describe a specific aspect of effectiveness if pertinent) • Qualitative & quantitative data regarding provider and staff perceptions/use/preferences for virtual care • Qualitative & quantitative data regarding veteran and caregiver perceptions/use/preferences for virtual care • Staffing & workforce considerations in virtual care (i.e., information on cost and number/type of staff needed in virtual care) • Implementation/adoption/use of virtual care across facilities/integrated service networks • Qualitative & quantitative data regarding administrator perspectives for virtual care • Use of virtual care in the context of a certain population (please state the population) • Use of virtual care in the context of a certain disease (please state the disease) • Other (please describe) 3. Please rank the needs you consider to be most important in implementing virtual care in the VHA practice from most important to least important. • Greater availability of clinical staff (ie, nurses, physicians, NPs, PAs, pharmacists) • Guidelines/assistance in implementation • Guidelines/assistance in research/quality improvement practices • More research on effectiveness (please describe a specific aspect of effectiveness if pertinent) • More/different equipment • Researchers who can quickly design & complete studies and provide you with data • More research on veteran and caregiver engagement • Quicker timeframe between research and implementation in practice • Greater availability of non-clinical staff (ie, schedulers, billers, coding) • Other (please describe) 4. Please rank the barriers listed below to using virtual care within the VHA from biggest barrier to smallest barrier. • Not enough staffing • Lack of evidence of clinical effectiveness • Veterans and caregivers do not like it • Not enough funding • Clinical staff do not like it • Not enough equipment • Clinical staff do not know how to use it • Veterans and caregivers do not know how to use it • Lack of institutional buy-in • Other (please describe) 5. Please rank the most important virtual care topics you want to discuss at our Think Tank from most important to least important. • Uptake/adoption of new virtual care programs in the VHA • Working collaboratively across VHA offices to design/implement virtual care programs • Sustainability of virtual care in the VHA • Use of virtual care in the context of a certain disease (please state the disease) • VHA staff and administrator perceptions/use of virtual care • Veteran and caregiver perceptions/use of virtual care • Virtual care & the MISSION Act (i.e., the changing health care payment environment) • Use of virtual care in the context of a certain population (please state the population) • Other (please describe) 6. If there is anything that you would like to share with us about attending our Virtual Care Think Tank, please provide that information.

VHA, Veterans Health Affairs; NP, nurse practitioner; PA, physician assistant, MISSION Act, Maintaining Internal Systems and Strengthening Integrated Outside Networks