Earlier this month, Military Officers Association of America (MOAA) contacted the Office of Connected Care to ask about Annie, VA's new automated text messaging program.
"Annie's kind of like a nurse that you have in your pocket," explained Dr. Neil Evans, Connected Care's Chief Officer. "She's able to deliver messages to remind Veterans about the care plan that they've worked out with their VA care provider."
Annie sends messages with health information and reminders, and it can prompt users to text back with self-recorded health readings, like body temperature or blood pressure.
Another advantage of the Annie system is that VA can quickly add new message protocols. When COVID-19 became concerning, the Annie team developed new coronavirus protocols that send daily messages asking Veterans how they feel and asking them to text back with potential virus-related symptoms. If symptoms become concerning, Annie then sends instructions to contact their VA health care team or nurse triage line
