About Those Online VA Systems
We’ve all heard about the troubles the VA has been having lately. But give them credit where credit is due.
Take their new online system, MyHealtheVet. It’s a way you can sign up to do a load of stuff online related to VA healthcare. You can check appointments, access medical records, renew prescriptions, and stuff like that.
Or so I’m told. I don’t have an account.
And given what is says in this little GAO report – and the multiple VA data breaches that seem to happen periodically – maybe not having an account is a good thing. Seems like the VA’s IT security still kinda, well . . . sucks.
Yeah, take MyHealtheVet. Please. And secure the damn thing – along with the rest of the VA’s IT systems.
Because until then, getting on-line access to your electronic information at the VA certainly sounds like a case of caveat emptor.
Category: "The Floggings Will Continue Until Morale Improves", "Your Tax Dollars At Work"
I don’t trust any web-portal through the VA.
Word.
Hondo,
If it’s ant thing like their customer service, good luck with getting a fix.
I’ve had to wrestle with VA twice this week in my work capacity, pretty much every stereotype of the VA’s customer focused image was on full display; and I’m someone who is working to provide them with additional bed capacity for their patients.
I’ve used this portal for over a year now and am very happy with it. I’ve been able to download pdf’s of my medical records, renew prescriptions, check on appointments, etc.
One of my favorite parts is that it has a secure messaging system for emails between me and my doctor, her nurse, etc. Lets me give her a list ahead of time of things I want to talk about, ask for referrals for other departments, renew prescriptions, etc. All without me having to travel an hour to the VA hospital and hope to see whoever I need to see, etc.
I like it and to date, haven’t had any word on data breaches, hacking, or other such nefarious things. For folks like me, with mobility and travel issues, it’s been a real gift.
YMMV, of course, but that’s my experience with it. Very positive, and highly recommended.
V/R
The greatest risk, right now, is the security of the user’s own access device, fixed or mobile. And then there’s the matter of seeing certain test results that are probably best left to a face-to-face with medical people. VA reportedly saves $2000 per patient with the online system and, for many Vets, I imagine, the fewer visits to the VA, the better.
Actually the greatest risk is a weak or trivial user password.
If you use something stupid like “dog” or “GI” or “vet” or even your name, how hard will it be for someone to guess what it is and hack your account?
Use your head, people!
Yep, I’ve been using it for over a year now. I have all my medical records, I can pull up my own appointment schedule, all my results, etc.
I think the best part of it is, if you put an appointment in, its there and you can pull the appt report yourself and then no one can tell you later “oh, you didn’t have an appt…” or some BS like went on in Phoenix.
Going along with AW1 Tim, I’ve been using this for a couple of years and I haven’t had any issues with it. The two best parts are the online prescription refill function and the “secure messaging” function where you can send an email to your providers and ask simple questions, request appointments, cancel appointments, etc. Plus if you file a claim you can read the doctors notes from your C&P exams and compare it to the CFR for disability ratings and have an idea of what you might get. So far I’m happy with it.
been using it for about 5 years now, had no problems which means it will turn to crap now.
As a guy still on active duty, who is looking at retiring in the near future, it seems like a pretty good idea. I’ve got my mandatory pre-retirement seminar the first week of Jan and registering for the website was a prerequisite. I’m not optimistic about anything dealing with the VA, although I’m learning a lot. Any lessons learned would be appreciated, I can send my email to those with items or good ideas to share.
The VA is what it is. You can get the help you need if you want to go through the steps to get it, or you can get overwhelmed and just complain about it like a lot of people on here. Good luck.
Thanks Ed. I don’t expect it to be easy but also don’t want to learn too many things the hard way.
I’ve had good experiences with the VAMC (hospital) in DC and the CBOC (clinic) in Greenbelt. I’ve been told that the VAMC in Baltimore is a total mess, with a new facility and old attitudes. I cant say; I’ve never used it. But as always, YMMV and you get back what you give.
I’ve been useing the VA now for fifteen years and so far things have been going real well, I have no bitch coming one way or the other. The VA is not the same as your family doctor, (pick up the phone and make an appointment any time you please) it’s a large system with alot of personal that still need to be trained. Like one of our Blogger said, “GIVE THEM CREDIT WHERE CREDIT IS DUE”
after all, We’re all not perfect.
3E9, AW1 Tim: you pays your money and you takes your choices. Personally, I’d prefer my medical records and PII NOT be Internet-accessible on a system run by an agency with a lousy record of IT security.
Understood and I don’t blame you. But your records are already on the VA server so therefore they are internet accessible by hackers. The only thing not enrolling in the My Health eVet does is prevent the patient from accessing their records. Like 2/17 AirCav said above many times the greatest risk is the user’s device; not necessarily the owner of the server. It’s an option; some people like it some don’t. I happen to be one of the ones who does.
The only real saving grace is “Security by Obscurity.” Unless you’re an O-6+ or a celebrity, a hacker could care less about your medical records.
Not necessarily true, 3E9. Consider storing your credit card info on a site you use frequently vice entering it each time you make a purchase. In each case, the merchant has the info somewhere in their IT systems – but you’re at far greater risk in the first case, where it’s stored in a location more easily accessible by electronic thieves.
Further, one of the ways hackers access systems is password cracking. From there, if they crack a user account privilege escalation techniques are a common way of gaining wider access. So, yes: fewer user accounts available to crack does improve security, at least marginally.
Given the VA’s IT security track record, however, you’re quite possibly right about everybody’s records being already at risk.
As I said previously: you pays your money and you takes your choices. What the VA is trying here is IMO a good thing. However, given their current IT security practices and track record, I can’t say I trust them to implement and operate it all that well.
The VA in general, sucks. I don’t have very many positive things to say about my experiences with them over the last 4 years. I will say, however, that my experience with MyHealthyVet as been pretty good. Prescriptions are very easy to fill and show up on my doorstep within a few days. I communicate faster( usually within a few hours) with my Doc(or his nurse) via the email system. Its the only part of the VA system that I like. The rest of it sucks ass.
Funny I posted about this on another site and linked to a similar report….here’s the brief:http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-15-117
and here’s the PDF:http://www.gao.gov/assets/670/666900.pdf…
Disconcerting to read that serious vulnerabilities remain, but apparently that puts the VA on the same footing as so many other large companies whose security as been exposed as so much less than secure. The difference being of course health information versus credit and credit identifying info only from those other companies.
When I was suicidal 4 years ago it was a good thing I didn’t come on this page back then. I would have seen that there is no hope going to the VA as far as this group is concerned. As luck would have it, I didn’t watch Fox News and didn’t listen to all the negative BS and instead asked for help from my local VA clinic. Happy to say I am a different man than I was then.
It’s no wonder Vets off themselves. I was 30 years old and all the VSO’s and older vets made it sound like there was no hope. “Don’t go to the VA…” “The VA never did anything good for me…”… Many Vets just off themselves thinking there is nowhere to go when, in reality, if they walked into a VA hospital or clinic there is plenty of help.
When we are so negative about a solution all the time then those of us who really need help won’t consider it an option. Instead of focussing on the negative, focus on the positive. Give them a reason to have hope.
Let’s be real. We created this mess. For years we’ve been asking for more free stuff and when we get it we complain it isn’t good enough. We are never content and that is why the average citizen could care less. Learn to be humble and actually greatful for what others think we deserve. We only deserve what they want to give- not what we get through threats and “I’m a vet I deserve everything” campaigns. It’s embarrassing.
EdUSMCLeg: look, MyHealtheVet is a step in the right direction. I give the VA credit for giving this a shot.
But the VA also has a fairly abysmal IT security record. They really need to address that issue a whole lot better before putting people’s electronic medical records in a place that’s Internet accessible – if for no other reason than HIPAA.
IMO this is sort of like putting a great and expensive stereo in a car with doors that won’t lock reliably – then putting your CD collection in it and parking in a bad part of town. Do that, and you have no right to act surprised when you get back and the stereo and CDs are gone.
I simply must comment on this line. I find myself in agreement with Ed the Marine (agreeing with a Marine…) on the VA anwid the My HealthE Vet and the VA as a whole. I have had 3 distinct serious medical conditions that required hospitalizations and years of follow up. The VA itself has saved my life literally 3 times and has taken the follow up care to a very high level of caring. 4 years ago I was on a heart transplant list and was introduced to the heart failure clinic at the Milwaukee VA hospital on a weekend that saw my entire life plans get tossed out the window in one day. The Heart Failure Clinic at Milwaukee is no doubt one of the best run and displays the most caring from any health care system I have seen. I’m an LPN for many years so I have first hand experience at being on both sides of the med cart. I also went through some things at that time that changed me right down to my soul. The people at the VA worked with me on that and walked me through one of the most horrendous periods I ever had. The My HealthE Vet is a very good system for me. I can get refills for my Rx’s and communicate with my RN’s on staff easily. I am now in Houston and although I have had one run in with a not so good caregiver overall my experiences remain the same and I have no qualms about going there. I would also advise others to at least sign up while they are young so if they need long term care later in life the VA will pick up on that and save your families from the expense of paying for that care. I can’t tell you how expensive that is. It is also what you make of it at the VA. You can go in with a good attitude or a chip on your shoulder. The outcome will be probably what you expect from it. I truly cannot… Read more »
Thunder, glad the VA gave you the help to stay with us. If’n your like a cat you’ve got 6 to go. 😉
I trust you’re still on the mend?
I’m still employed and enjoy pretty good health insurance, so I won’t have to deal with VA for awhile yet.
OC