VA's National Oncology Program has launched a new National TeleOncology (NTO) Program. The goal of this program is to increase Veterans' access to oncology care, especially in the 66% of U.S. rural counties that do not have an oncologist. TeleOncology delivers cancer screenings, diagnostics, and treatment for Veterans via telehealth.
VA uses a "hub-and-spoke" model for TeleOncology, with the main hub based in the Durham VA Medical Center. VA cancer specialists around the country work from their local VAMC, providing care virtually to a selected spoke site. Patients can connect with providers two ways: They can either travel to a spoke site to connect via clinical video telehealth (CVT), or they can connect from home using VA Video Connect.
