Relationship Between Patient Portal Tool Use and Medication Adherence and Viral Load Among Patients Living with HIV.

BACKGROUND: Patient portals play an increasingly critical role in engaging patients in their health care. They have the potential to significantly impact the health of those living with chronic diseases, such as HIV, for whom consistent care engagement is both critical and complex. OBJECTIVE: The primary aim was to examine the longitudinal relationships between individual portal tool use and health-related outcomes in patients living with HIV. DESIGN: Retrospective cohort study using electronic health record data to examine the relationship between patient portal tool use and key HIV-specific, health-related outcomes in patients engaged in care in the Veterans Health Administration (VA) through the application of marginal structural models. PARTICIPANTS: A national sample of patients living with HIV (PLWH) active in VA care who were registered to use the VA's patient portal, My HealtheVet (MHV; n = 18,390) between 10/1/2012 and 4/1/2017. MAIN MEASURES: The MHV tools examined were prescription refill (including prescription refill of an antiretroviral (ART) medication and any medication), secure messaging, view appointments, and view labs. Primary outcomes were viral load test receipt, viral load suppression, and ART medication adherence (measured as proportion of days covered). KEY RESULTS: The use of prescription refill for any medication or for ART was positively associated with ART adherence. Secure messaging was positively associated with ART adherence but not with viral load test receipt or viral load suppression. The use of view appointments was positively associated with ART adherence and viral load test receipt but not viral load suppression. The use of view labs was positively associated with viral load suppression but not ART adherence or viral load test receipt. CONCLUSIONS: These findings highlight the valuable role patient portals may play in improving health-related outcomes among PLWH and have implications for patients living with other types of chronic disease.

Healthcare Utilization Differences Among Primary Care Patients Using Telemedicine in the Veterans Health Administration: a Retrospective Cohort Study.

BACKGROUND: The COVID-19 pandemic encouraged telemedicine expansion. Research regarding follow-up healthcare utilization and primary care (PC) telemedicine is lacking. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate whether healthcare utilization differed across PC populations using telemedicine. DESIGN: Retrospective observational cohort study using administrative data from veterans with minimally one PC visit before the COVID-19 pandemic (March 1, 2019-February 28, 2020) and after in-person restrictions were lifted (October 1, 2020-September 30, 2021). PARTICIPANTS: All veterans receiving VHA PC services during study period. MAIN MEASURES: Veterans' exposure to telemedicine was categorized as (1) in-person only, (2) telephone telemedicine (≥ 1 telephone visit with or without in-person visits), or (3) video telemedicine (≥ 1 video visit with or without telephone and/or in-person visits). Healthcare utilization 7 days after index PC visit were compared. Generalized estimating equations estimated odds ratios for telephone or video telemedicine versus in-person only use adjusted for patient characteristics (e.g., age, gender, race, residential rurality, ethnicity), area deprivation index, comorbidity risk, and intermediate PC visits within the follow-up window. KEY RESULTS: Over the 2-year study, 3.4 million veterans had 12.9 million PC visits, where 1.7 million (50.7%), 1.0 million (30.3%), and 649,936 (19.0%) veterans were categorized as in-person only, telephone telemedicine, or video telemedicine. Compared to in-person only users, video telemedicine users experienced higher rates per 1000 patients of emergent care (15.1 vs 11.2; p < 0.001) and inpatient admissions (4.2 vs 3.3; p < 0.001). In adjusted analyses, video versus in-person only users experienced greater odds of emergent care (OR [95% CI]:1.18 [1.16, 1.19]) inpatient (OR [95% CI]: 1.29 [1.25, 1.32]), and ambulatory care sensitive condition admission (OR [95% CI]: 1.30 [1.27, 1.34]). CONCLUSIONS: Telemedicine potentially in combination with in-person care was associated with higher follow-up healthcare utilization rates compared to in-person only PC. Factors contributing to utilization differences between groups need further evaluation.

Factors Associated with Veteran Self-Reported Use of Digital Health Devices.

BACKGROUND: Digital health devices (DHDs), technologies designed to gather, monitor, and sometimes share data about health-related behaviors or symptoms, can support the prevention or management of chronic conditions. DHDs range in complexity and utility, from tracking lifestyle behaviors (e.g., pedometer) to more sophisticated biometric data collection for disease self-management (e.g., glucometers). Despite these positive health benefits, supporting adoption and sustained use of DHDs remains a challenge. OBJECTIVE: This analysis examined the prevalence of, and factors associated with, DHD use within the Veterans Health Administration (VHA). DESIGN: National survey. PARTICIPANTS: Veterans who receive VHA care and are active secure messaging users. MAIN MEASURES: Demographics, access to technology, perceptions of using health technologies, and use of lifestyle monitoring and self-management DHDs. RESULTS: Among respondents, 87% were current or past users of at least one DHD, and 58% were provided a DHD by VHA. Respondents 65 + years were less likely to use a lifestyle monitoring device (AOR 0.57, 95% CI [0.39, 0.81], P = .002), but more likely to use a self-management device (AOR 1.69, 95% [1.10, 2.59], P = .016). Smartphone owners were more likely to use a lifestyle monitoring device (AOR 2.60, 95% CI [1.42, 4.75], P = .002) and a self-management device (AOR 1.83, 95% CI [1.04, 3.23], P = .037). CONCLUSIONS: The current analysis describes the types of DHDs that are being adopted by Veterans and factors associated with their adoption. Results suggest that various factors influence adoption, including age, access to technology, and health status, and that these relationships may differ based on the functionalities of the device. VHA provision of devices was frequent among device users. Providing Veterans with DHDs and the training needed to use them may be important factors in facilitating device adoption. Taken together, this knowledge can inform future implementation efforts, and next steps to support patient-team decision making about DHD use.

Improving Veteran Engagement with Virtual Care Technologies: a Veterans Health Administration State of the Art Conference Research Agenda.

Although the availability of virtual care technologies in the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) continues to expand, ensuring engagement with these technologies among Veterans remains a challenge. VHA Health Services Research & Development convened a Virtual Care State of The Art (SOTA) conference in May 2022 to create a research agenda for improving virtual care access, engagement, and outcomes. This article reports findings from the Virtual Care SOTA engagement workgroup, which comprised fourteen VHA subject matter experts representing VHA clinical care, research, administration, and operations. Workgroup members reviewed current evidence on factors and strategies that may affect Veteran engagement with virtual care technologies and generated key questions to address evidence gaps. The workgroup agreed that although extensive literature exists on factors that affect Veteran engagement, more work is needed to identify effective strategies to increase and sustain engagement. Workgroup members identified key priorities for research on Veteran engagement with virtual care technologies through a series of breakout discussion groups and ranking exercises. The top three priorities were to (1) understand the Veteran journey from active service to VHA enrollment and beyond, and when and how virtual care technologies can best be introduced along that journey to maximize engagement and promote seamless care; (2) utilize the meaningful relationships in a Veteran's life, including family, friends, peers, and other informal or formal caregivers, to support Veteran adoption and sustained use of virtual care technologies; and (3) test promising strategies in meaningful combinations to promote Veteran adoption and/or sustained use of virtual care technologies. Research in these priority areas has the potential to help VHA refine strategies to improve virtual care user engagement, and by extension, outcomes.

Understanding Patients' Preferences and Experiences During an Electronic Health Record Transition.

BACKGROUND: The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) has embarked on the largest system-wide electronic health record (EHR) transition in history. To date, most research on EHR-to-EHR transitions has focused on employee and system transition-related needs, with limited focus on how patients experience transitions. OBJECTIVE: (1) Understand patients' preferences for information and support prior to an EHR transition, and (2) examine actual patient experiences that occurred at facilities that implemented a new EHR. DESIGN: We used a two-step approach. We had discussions with geographically diverse patient advisory groups. Discussions informed semi-structured, qualitative interviews with patients. PARTICIPANTS: Patients affected by the EHR transition. MAIN MEASURES: We met with four patient advisory groups at sites that had not transitioned their EHR. Interviews were conducted with patients who received care at one of two facilities that recently transitioned to the new EHR. KEY RESULTS: Patient advisors identified key areas important to patients during an EHR transition. 1) Use a range of communication strategies to reach diverse populations, especially older, rural patients. 2) Information about the EHR transition should be clear and reinforce trustworthiness. 3) Patients will need guidance using the new patient portal. From the patient interviews, we learned if and how these key areas mapped onto patients' experiences. Patients at the sites that had transitioned learned about the new EHR through a variety of modalities, including letters and banners on the patient portal. However, their experiences varied in terms of information quality, leading to frustrations during and between healthcare encounters. Patient portal issues exacerbated frustrations. These raised concerns about the accuracy and security of the overall EHR. CONCLUSIONS: Maintaining clear communication across patients, local leadership, and providers throughout an EHR transition is essential for successful implementation. Patient-facing communications can set expectations, and help patients receive adequate support, particularly related to the patient portal.

Engaging Operational Partners Is Critical for Successful Implementation of Research Products: a Coincidence Analysis of Access-Related Projects in the Veterans Affairs Healthcare System.

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVE: The Veterans Health Administration (VHA) has prioritized timely access to care and has invested substantially in research aimed at optimizing veteran access. However, implementing research into practice remains challenging. Here, we assessed the implementation status of recent VHA access-related research projects and explored factors associated with successful implementation. DESIGN: We conducted a portfolio review of recent VHA-funded or supported projects (1/2015-7/2020) focused on healthcare access ("Access Portfolio"). We then identified projects with implementable research deliverables by excluding those that (1) were non-research/operational projects; (2) were only recently completed (i.e., completed on or after 1/1/2020, meaning that they were unlikely to have had time to be implemented); and (3) did not propose an implementable deliverable. An electronic survey assessed each project's implementation status and elicited barriers/facilitators to implementing deliverables. Results were analyzed using novel Coincidence Analysis (CNA) methods. PARTICIPANTS/KEY RESULTS: Among 286 Access Portfolio projects, 36 projects led by 32 investigators across 20 VHA facilities were included. Twenty-nine respondents completed the survey for 32 projects (response rate = 88.9%). Twenty-eight percent of projects reported fully implementing project deliverables, 34% reported partially implementing deliverables, and 37% reported not implementing any deliverables (i.e., resulting tool/intervention not implemented into practice). Of 14 possible barriers/facilitators assessed in the survey, two were identified through CNA as "difference-makers" to partial or full implementation of project deliverables: (1) engagement with national VHA operational leadership; (2) support and commitment from local site operational leadership. CONCLUSIONS: These findings empirically highlight the importance of operational leadership engagement for successful implementation of research deliverables. Efforts to strengthen communication and engagement between the research community and VHA local/national operational leaders should be expanded to ensure VHA's investment in research leads to meaningful improvements in veterans' care. The Veterans Health Administration (VHA) has prioritized timely access to care and has invested substantially in research aimed at optimizing veteran access. However, implementing research findings into clinical practice remains challenging, both within and outside VHA. Here, we assessed the implementation status of recent VHA access-related research projects and explored factors associated with successful implementation. Only two factors were identified as "difference-makers" to adoption of project findings into practice: (1) engagement with national VHA leadership or (2) support and commitment from local site leadership. These findings highlight the importance of leadership engagement for successful implementation of research findings. Efforts to strengthen communication and engagement between the research community and VHA local/national leaders should be expanded to ensure VHA's investment in research leads to meaningful improvements in veterans' care.

Engaging Stakeholders in Identifying Access Research Priorities for the Department of Veterans Affairs.

BACKGROUND: The Veterans Access Research Consortium (VARC), a Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Consortium of Research focused on access to healthcare, has been funded by VA's Health Services Research and Development Service (HSR&D) to develop a research roadmap for healthcare access. The goal of the roadmap is to identify operationally aligned research questions that are most likely to lead to meaningful improvements in Veterans' healthcare access. OBJECTIVES: To describe the process of soliciting diverse stakeholder perspectives about key priorities on which VA's HSR&D access agenda should focus and identify the results of that process. METHODS: We used a modified Delphi approach to engage researchers and VA operational partners in a process to develop recommendations regarding the access-related research questions VA should prioritize. We then collaborated with three Veteran Engagement Groups (VEGs) across the country to solicit Veterans' reactions to the Delphi results and their perspectives about access-related issues affecting access to VA health care. RESULTS: The Delphi panel consisted of 22 research and operational experts, both internal and external to VA. The Delphi process resulted in five research questions identified by the panelists as highest priority for VA to pursue, each representing one of the following domains: (1) measurement of access, (2) barriers to access, (3) equity and subpopulations, (4) effective interventions to improve access, and (5) consequences of poor/better access. Veterans' perspectives focused primarily on the barriers to access domain. Veterans indicated several barriers that might be addressed through research or operational initiatives, including poor communication about services, weak connections to and partnerships with local community care facilities, and poor provision of telehealth resources and education. CONCLUSIONS: Engaging multiple methods to solicit stakeholder perspectives enables more nuanced understanding of access-related priorities for VA. Future research should consider utilizing such an approach to identify additional research and/or operational priorities.

Impact of Patient Access to Online VA Notes on Healthcare Utilization and Clinician Documentation: a Retrospective Cohort Study.

BACKGROUND: In an effort to foster patient engagement, some healthcare systems provide their patients with open notes, enabling them to access their clinical notes online. In January 2013, the Veterans Health Administration (VA) implemented online access to clinical notes ("VA Notes") through the Blue Button feature of its patient portal. OBJECTIVE: To measure the association of online patient access to clinical notes with changes in healthcare utilization and clinician documentation behaviors. DESIGN: A retrospective cohort study. PATIENTS: Patients accessing My HealtheVet (MHV), the VA's online patient portal, between July 2011 and January 2015. MAIN MEASURES: Use of healthcare services (primary care clinic visits and online electronic secure messaging), and characteristics of physician clinical documentation (readability of notes). KEY RESULTS: Among 882,575 unique portal users, those who accessed clinical notes (16.2%; N = 122,972) were younger, more racially homogenous (white), and less likely to be financially vulnerable. Compared with non-users, Notes users more frequently used the secure messaging feature on the portal (mean of 2.6 messages (SD 7.0) v. 0.87 messages (SD 3.3) in January-July 2013), but their higher use of secure messaging began prior to VA Notes implementation, and thus was not temporally related to the implementation. When comparing clinic visit rates pre- and post-implementation, Notes users had a small but significant increase in rate of 0.36 primary care clinic visits (2012 v. 2013) compared to portal users who did not view their Notes (p = 0.01). At baseline, the mean reading ease of primary care clinical notes was 53.8 (SD 10.1) and did not improve after implementation of VA Notes. CONCLUSIONS: VA Notes users were different than patients with portal access who did not view their notes online, and they had higher rates of healthcare service use prior to and after VA Notes implementation. Opportunities exist to improve clinical note access and readability.

Health-Related Goal Setting and Achievement Among Veterans with High Technology Adoption.

BACKGROUND: There is increasing recognition of the importance of supporting patients in their health-related goals. Patient-provider discussions and health-related mobile applications (apps) can support patients to pursue health goals; however, their impact on patient goal setting and achievement is not well understood. OBJECTIVE: To examine the relationships between the following: (1) patient demographics, patient-provider discussions, and health-related goal setting and achievement, and (2) patient mobile health app use and goal achievement. DESIGN: Cross-sectional survey. PARTICIPANTS: Veterans who receive Veterans Health Administration (VA) healthcare and are users of VA patient-facing technology. MAIN MEASURES: Veteran demographics, goal-related behaviors, and goal achievement. METHODS: Veterans were invited to participate in a telephone survey. VA administrative data were linked to survey data for additional health and demographic information. Logistic regression models were run to identify factors that predict health-related goal setting and achievement. KEY RESULTS: Among respondents (n=2552), 75% of patients indicated having set health goals in the preceding 6 months and approximately 42% reported achieving their goal. Men (vs. women) had lower odds of setting goals (OR: 0.71; CI95: 0.53-0.97), as did individuals with worse (vs. better) health (OR: 0.18; CI95: 0.04-0.88). Individuals with advanced education-some college/college degrees, and post-college degrees (vs. no college education)-demonstrated higher odds of setting goals (OR: 1.35; CI95: 1.01-1.79; OR: 1.71; CI95: 1.28-2.28, respectively). Those who reported having discussed their goals with their providers were more likely to set goals (OR: 3.60; CI95: 2.97-4.35). Patient mobile health app use was not statistically associated with goal achievement. CONCLUSIONS: Efforts to further promote patient-led goal setting should leverage the influence of patient-provider conversations. Use of patient-facing technologies, specifically mobile health apps, may facilitate goal-oriented care, but further work is needed to examine the potential benefits of apps to support patient goals, particularly if providers discuss and endorse use of those apps with patients.

Assessing Patients' Perceptions of Clinician Communication: Acceptability of Brief Point-of-Care Surveys in Primary Care.

BACKGROUND: Improving patient-centered (PC) communication is a priority in many healthcare organizations. Most PC communication metrics are distal to the care encounter and lack clear attribution, thereby reducing relevance for leaders and clinicians. OBJECTIVE: We assessed the acceptability of measuring PC communication at the point-of-care. DESIGN: A brief patient survey was conducted immediately post-primary care appointments at one Veterans Affairs Medical Center. Audit-feedback reports were created for clinicians and discussed in qualitative interviews. PARTICIPANTS: A total of 485 patients completed the survey. Thirteen interviews were conducted with clinicians and hospital leaders. MAIN MEASURE(S): Measures included collaboRATE (a 3-item tool measuring PC communication), a question about how well needs were met, and overall visit satisfaction. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics to characterize the mean and distribution of collaboRATE scores and determine the proportion of patients giving clinicians a "top score" on each item. Associations among responses were examined. Interviews focused on the value of measuring PC communication and were analyzed using a framework approach. KEY RESULTS: The proportion of patients giving PC communication "top scores" ranged from 41 to 92% for 16 clinicians who had ≥ 25 completed surveys. Among patients who gave "top scores" for PC communication, the odds of reporting that needs were "completely met" were 10.8 times higher (p < .001) and the odds of reporting being "very satisfied" with their care were 13.3 times higher (p < .001) compared with patients who did not give "top scores." Interviewees found clinician-specific feedback useful; concerns included prioritizing this data when other measures are used to evaluate clinicians' performance. Difficulties improving PC communication given organizational structures were noted. Recommendations for interventions included peer-to-peer education and mentoring by top-scoring clinicians. CONCLUSIONS: Assessing provider communication at the point-of-care is acceptable and useful to clinicians. Challenges remain to properly incentivize and support the use of this data for improving PC communication.

Secure Messaging, Diabetes Self-management, and the Importance of Patient Autonomy: a Mixed Methods Study.

BACKGROUND: Diabetes is a complex, chronic disease that requires patients' effective self-management between clinical visits; this in turn relies on patient self-efficacy. The support of patient autonomy from healthcare providers is associated with better self-management and greater diabetes self-efficacy. Effective provider-patient secure messaging (SM) through patient portals may improve disease self-management and self-efficacy. SM that supports patients' sense of autonomy may mediate this effect by providing patients ready access to their health information and better communication with their clinical teams. OBJECTIVE: We examined the association between healthcare team-initiated SM and diabetes self-management and self-efficacy, and whether this association was mediated by patients' perceptions of autonomy support from their healthcare teams. DESIGN: We surveyed and analyzed content of messages sent to a sample of patients living with diabetes who use the SM feature on the VA's My HealtheVet patient portal. PARTICIPANTS: Four hundred forty-six veterans with type 2 diabetes who were sustained users of SM. MAIN MEASURES: Proactive (healthcare team-initiated) SM (0 or ≥ 1 messages); perceived autonomy support; diabetes self-management; diabetes self-efficacy. KEY RESULTS: Patients who received at least one proactive SM from their clinical team were significantly more likely to engage in better diabetes self-management and report a higher sense of diabetes self-efficacy. This relationship was mediated by the patient's perception of autonomy support. The majority of proactive SM discussed scheduling, referrals, or other administrative content. Patients' responses to team-initiated communication promoted patient engagement in diabetes self-management behaviors. CONCLUSIONS: Perceived autonomy support is important for diabetes self-management and self-efficacy. Proactive communication from clinical teams to patients can help to foster a patient's sense of autonomy and encourage better diabetes self-management and self-efficacy.

The Promise of Patient Portals for Individuals Living With Chronic Illness: Qualitative Study Identifying Pathways of Patient Engagement.

BACKGROUND: Patients play a critical role in managing their health, especially in the context of chronic conditions like diabetes. Electronic patient portals have been identified as a potential means to improve patient engagement; that is, patients' involvement in their care. However, little is known about the pathways through which portals may help patients engage in their care. OBJECTIVE: Our objective is to understand how an electronic patient portal facilitates patient engagement among individuals with diabetes. METHODS: This qualitative study employed semistructured telephone interviews of 40 patients living with diabetes since at least 2011, who had experienced uncontrolled diabetes, and had used secure messaging through a portal at least 4 times over 18 months. The interviews were recorded, transcribed, coded, and analyzed using primarily an inductive approach to identify how patients living with diabetes use an online health portal to support diabetes self-management. RESULTS: Overall, patients who used the portal reported feeling engaged in their health care. We identified four pathways by which the portal facilitates patient engagement and some challenges. The portal provides a platform that patients use to (1) better understand their health by asking questions about new symptoms, notes, or labs, (2) prepare for medical appointments by reviewing labs and notes, (3) coordinate care between VA (Veterans Affairs) and non-VA health care teams, and (4) reach out to providers to request help between visits. Several patients reported that the portal helped improve the patient-provider relationship; however, aspects of the portal design may hinder engagement for others. Patients reported challenges with both secure messaging and access to medical records that had negative impacts on their engagement. Benefits for patient engagement were described by many types of portal users with varying degrees of diabetes control. CONCLUSIONS: Patient portals support engagement by facilitating patient access to their health information and by facilitating patient-provider communication. Portals can help a wide range of users engage with their care.

Impact of Patient-Clinical Team Secure Messaging on Communication Patterns and Patient Experience: Randomized Encouragement Design Trial.

BACKGROUND: Although secure messaging (SM) between patients and clinical team members is a recommended component of continuous care, uptake by patients remains relatively low. We designed a multicomponent Supported Adoption Program (SAP) to increase SM adoption among patients using the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) for primary care. OBJECTIVE: Our goals were to (1) conduct a multisite, randomized, encouragement design trial to test the effectiveness of an SAP designed to increase patient engagement with SM through VHA's online patient portal (My HealtheVet [MHV]) and (2) evaluate the impact of the SAP and patient-level SM adoption on perceived provider autonomy support and communication. Patient-reported barriers to SM adoption were also assessed. METHODS: We randomized 1195 patients at 3 VHA facilities who had MHV portal accounts but had never used SM. Half were randomized to receive the SAP, and half served as controls receiving usual care. The SAP consisted of encouragement to adopt SM via mailed educational materials, proactive SM sent to patients, and telephone-based motivational interviews. We examined differences in SM adoption rates between SAP recipients and controls at 9 months and 21 months. Follow-up telephone surveys were conducted to assess perceived provider autonomy support and self-report of telephone communication with clinical teams. RESULTS: Patients randomized to the SAP had significantly higher rates of SM adoption than the control group (101/595, 17.0% vs 40/600, 6.7%; P<.001). Most adopters in the SAP sent their first message without a motivational interview (71/101, 70.3%). The 10-percentage point difference in adoption persisted a full year after the encouragement ended (23.7%, 142/600 in the SAP group vs 13.5%, 80/595 in the control group, P<.001). We obtained follow-up survey data from 49.54% (592/1195) of the participants. SAP participants reported higher perceived provider autonomy support (5.7 vs 5.4, P=.007) and less telephone use to communicate with their provider (68.8% vs 76.0%, P=.05), compared to patients in the control group. Patient-reported barriers to SM adoption included self-efficacy (eg, not comfortable using a computer, 24%), no perceived need for SM (22%), and difficulties with portal password or login (17%). CONCLUSIONS: The multicomponent SAP was successful in increasing use of SM 10 percentage points above standard care; new SM adopters reported improved perceptions of provider autonomy support and less use of the telephone to communicate with their providers. Still, despite the encouragement and technical assistance provided through the SAP, adoption rates were lower than anticipated, reaching only 24% at 21 months (10% above controls). Common barriers to adoption such as limited perceived need for SM may be more challenging to address and require different interventions than barriers related to patient self-efficacy or technical difficulties. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT02665468; https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT02665468.

Impact of Patient Portal Use on Duplicate Laboratory Tests in Diabetes Management.

Background: Patients seek care across multiple health care settings. One coordination issue is the unnecessary duplication of laboratory across different health care settings. This analysis examined the association between patient portal use and duplication of laboratory testing among Veterans who are dual users of Veterans Affairs (VA) and non-VA providers. Materials and Methods: A national sample of Veterans who were newly authenticated users of the portal during fiscal year (FY) 2013 who used Blue Button at least once were compared with a random sample of Veterans who were not registered to use the portal. From these two groups, Veterans who were also Medicare-eligible users in FY2014 were identified. Duplicate testing was defined as receipt of more than five HbA1c (hemoglobin A1c) in 1 year. Results: Use of the Blue Button decreased the odds of duplicate HbA1c testing in VA and Medicare-covered facilities across three comparisons: (1) overall between users and nonusers: portal users were less likely to have duplicate testing; (2) pre-post comparison: there was a trend toward lower duplicate testing in both groups across time; and (3) pre-post comparisons accounting for use of the portal: the trend toward lower duplicate testing was greater in Blue Button users. Conclusion: Duplicate HbA1c testing was significantly lower in dual users of VA and Medicare services who used the Blue Button feature of their VA patient portal. Non-VA providers encounter barriers to access of complete information about Veterans who also use VA health care. Provider endorsement of consumer-mediated health information exchange could help further this model of sharing information.

A web-based physical activity intervention benefits persons with low self-efficacy in COPD: results from a randomized controlled trial.

Promoting physical activity (PA) is of top priority in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). This study examines the influence of an internet-delivered intervention on the relationship between exercise self-efficacy and changes in PA, physical health, and exercise capacity in COPD. 112 U.S. Veterans with COPD were randomized to either a comparison (pedometer alone) or an intervention group (pedometer plus access to an internet-mediated PA intervention). There was a significant interaction between baseline exercise self-efficacy and randomization group on change in PA. In the comparison group, there was a significant relationship between higher baseline exercise self-efficacy and greater change in PA, whereas in the intervention group, improvements in PA were independent of level of baseline self-efficacy. Similar patterns were found with physical health and exercise capacity as outcomes. The use of an internet-mediated intervention significantly benefited persons with COPD who had low baseline self-efficacy to increase PA and physical health.Clinical trial registration The randomized clinical trial was registered on ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT01772082).

How Do Patients with Mental Health Diagnoses Use Online Patient Portals? An Observational Analysis from the Veterans Health Administration.

Online patient portals may be effective for engaging patients with mental health conditions in their own health care. This retrospective database analysis reports patient portal use among Veterans with mental health diagnoses. Unadjusted and adjusted odds of portal feature use was calculated using logistic regressions. Having experienced military sexual trauma or having an anxiety disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder, or depression were associated with increased odds of portal use; bipolar, substance use, psychotic and adjustment disorders were associated with decreased odds. Future research should examine factors that influence portal use to understand diagnosis-level differences and improve engagement with such tools.

Dual Use of a Patient Portal and Clinical Video Telehealth by Veterans with Mental Health Diagnoses: Retrospective, Cross-Sectional Analysis.

BACKGROUND: Access to mental health care is challenging. The Veterans Health Administration (VHA) has been addressing these challenges through technological innovations including the implementation of Clinical Video Telehealth, two-way interactive and synchronous videoconferencing between a provider and a patient, and an electronic patient portal and personal health record, My HealtheVet. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to describe early adoption and use of My HealtheVet and Clinical Video Telehealth among VHA users with mental health diagnoses. METHODS: We conducted a retrospective, cross-sectional analysis of early My HealtheVet adoption and Clinical Video Telehealth engagement among veterans with one or more mental health diagnoses who were VHA users from 2007 to 2012. We categorized veterans into four electronic health (eHealth) technology use groups: My HealtheVet only, Clinical Video Telehealth only, dual users who used both, and nonusers of either. We examined demographic characteristics and mental health diagnoses by group. We explored My HealtheVet feature use among My HealtheVet adopters. We then explored predictors of My HealtheVet adoption, Clinical Video Telehealth engagement, and dual use using multivariate logistic regression. RESULTS: Among 2.17 million veterans with one or more mental health diagnoses, 1.51% (32,723/2,171,325) were dual users, and 71.72% (1,557,218/2,171,325) were nonusers of both My HealtheVet and Clinical Video Telehealth. African American and Latino patients were significantly less likely to engage in Clinical Video Telehealth or use My HealtheVet compared with white patients. Low-income patients who met the criteria for free care were significantly less likely to be My HealtheVet or dual users than those who did not. The odds of Clinical Video Telehealth engagement and dual use decreased with increasing age. Women were more likely than men to be My HealtheVet or dual users but less likely than men to be Clinical Video Telehealth users. Patients with schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder were significantly less likely to be My HealtheVet or dual users than those with other mental health diagnoses (odds ratio, OR 0.50, CI 0.47-0.53 and OR 0.75, CI 0.69-0.80, respectively). Dual users were younger (53.08 years, SD 13.7, vs 60.11 years, SD 15.83), more likely to be white, and less likely to be low-income than the overall cohort. Although rural patients had 17% lower odds of My HealtheVet adoption compared with urban patients (OR 0.83, 95% CI 0.80-0.87), they were substantially more likely than their urban counterparts to engage in Clinical Video Telehealth and dual use (OR 2.45, 95% CI 1.95-3.09 for Clinical Video Telehealth and OR 2.11, 95% CI 1.81-2.47 for dual use). CONCLUSIONS: During this study (2007-2012), use of these technologies was low, leaving much potential for growth. There were sociodemographic disparities in access to My HealtheVet and Clinical Video Telehealth and in dual use of these technologies. There was also variation based on types of mental health diagnosis. More research is needed to ensure that these and other patient-facing eHealth technologies are accessible and effectively used by all vulnerable patients.

African American Veterans Storytelling: A Multisite Randomized Trial to Improve Hypertension.

BACKGROUND: Disparities in hypertension control persist for African American Veterans. OBJECTIVE: To enhance cultural relevance of hypertension control self-management education, in a multisite, stratified randomized trial, we tested an interactive Veteran-to-Veteran storytelling digital video disk (DVD) intervention created with Veteran partners, versus an education-only DVD comparison. METHODS: At 3 VA facilities, African American Veterans with uncontrolled hypertension were randomized to storytelling DVD intervention or didactic comparison DVD and followed for 6 months. We hypothesized that follow-up blood pressure (BP) would be lower among Veterans in the intervention group. RESULTS: African American Veterans (N=619) were 92% male, 39% over age 65, most had a high-school education, over 50% of both the intervention and comparison group reported a household income of <$20,000, and 40% had less than adequate health literacy. At baseline, mean intervention and comparison group BPs were 138/80 and 139/81 mm Hg, respectively; at 6 months, mean systolic BP (SBP) increased by 0.1 in the intervention group and by 1.9 for the comparison group; diastolic BP fell by 0.1 in the intervention group and rose by 0.2 in the comparison group. No differences between the intervention and control groups were statistically significant (all P>0.3). Site differences were large; at one, the intervention group improved while the comparison groups deteriorated, resulting in 6.3 and 3.9 mm Hg more improvement for the intervention group in SBP and diastolic BP (P=0.06 and 0.04), respectively; at the other 2 sites, there were positive and negative changes, all small, in the 2 measures, with minimal differences-one site favored the comparison group and the other, the intervention (these comparisons did not approach statistical significance (all P>0.20). In a secondary analysis stratified by baseline BP, there was no intervention effect among those with uncontrolled BP, but intervention patients who were in control at baseline were more likely to stay in control, compared with comparison [SBP increase by 6.3 mm Hg (SD=14.4) among intervention, and by 10.9 mm Hg (SD=16.9) in comparison, P=0.02]. CONCLUSIONS: In this multisite trial, we did not find a significant overall storytelling intervention effect (Clinicaltrials.gov Reg. #NCT01276197).

Patient Use of Electronic Prescription Refill and Secure Messaging and Its Association With Undetectable HIV Viral Load: A Retrospective Cohort Study.

BACKGROUND: Electronic personal health records (PHRs) can support patient self-management of chronic conditions. Managing human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) viral load, through taking antiretroviral therapy (ART) is crucial to long term survival of persons with HIV. Many persons with HIV have difficulty adhering to their ART over long periods of time. PHRs contribute to chronic disease self-care and may help persons with HIV remain adherent to ART. Proportionally veterans with HIV are among the most active users of the US Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) PHR, called My HealtheVet. Little is known about whether the use of the PHR is associated with improved HIV outcomes in this population. OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to investigate whether there are associations between the use of PHR tools (electronic prescription refill and secure messaging [SM] with providers) and HIV viral load in US veterans. METHODS: We conducted a retrospective cohort study using data from the VA's electronic health record (EHR) and the PHR. We identified veterans in VA care from 2009-2012 who had HIV and who used the PHR. We examined which ones had achieved the positive outcome of suppressed HIV viral load, and whether achievement of this outcome was associated with electronic prescription refill or SM. From 18,913 veterans with HIV, there were 3374 who both had a detectable viral load in 2009 and who had had a follow-up viral load test in 2012. To assess relationships between electronic prescription refill and viral control, and SM and viral control, we fit a series of multivariable generalized estimating equation models, accounting for clustering in VA facilities. We adjusted for patient demographic and clinical characteristics associated with portal use. In the initial models, the predictor variables were included in dichotomous format. Subsequently, to evaluate a potential dose-effect, the predictor variables were included as ordinal variables. RESULTS: Among our sample of 3374 veterans with HIV who received VA care from 2009-2012, those who had transitioned from detectable HIV viral load in 2009 to undetectable viral load in 2012 tended to be older (P=.004), more likely to be white (P<.001), and less likely to have a substance use disorder, problem alcohol use, or psychosis (P=.006, P=.03, P=.004, respectively). There was a statistically significant positive association between use of electronic prescription refill and change in HIV viral load status from 2009-2012, from detectable to undetectable (OR 1.36, CI 1.11-1.66). There was a similar association between SM use and viral load status, but without achieving statistical significance (OR 1.28, CI 0.89-1.85). Analyses did not demonstrate a dose-response of prescription refill or SM use for change in viral load. CONCLUSIONS: PHR use, specifically use of electronic prescription refill, was associated with greater control of HIV. Additional studies are needed to understand the mechanisms by which this may be occurring.