NPR ran a story the other day, Veterans will be hurt by Trump’s back-to-office order for VA therapists, sources say : Shots – Health News : NPR. The gist of it is that there simply is not enough room at the VA offices to bring everyone back. The telehealth provided by the VA will be like an open-air call center. There will be no privacy which is a violation of HIPAA. As a result, doctors could lose their medical licenses, or the VA could lose a lot of staff. There is also a little bit in the article about the return to the office order hurting the quality of care.
Privacy is not just a legal concern. It is necessary in treating patients, especially patients with mental health issues and sexual health issues. Patients simply won’t share as much, they won’t be as honest and forthcoming, if they are not guaranteed confidentiality. In a call center setting, they cannot be guaranteed confidentiality.
I know from personal experience that mental health disorders can be embarrassing. I would imagine the same is true of sexual health disorders. There has to be a high level of trust between the patient and the clinician. Without that trust, true healing is impossible.
So, why don’t patients meet with clinicians in person? That is simply impossible for many patients, especially those who live in rural areas. The VA offices are too far away.
This is just another way we are failing our veterans. We pay all kinds of lip service to supporting them. (Except for Trump who thinks anyone who served is a sucker.) But in practice we fail veterans in almost every conceivable way. Everyone is quick with a, “Thank you for your service,” but only a very few are willing to back it up. Our government is not one of those very few.
