DCG and VA’s Work to Modernize Access to Health Care Recognized with Granicus Digital Government Service Delivery Award
The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) strives to serve all Veterans, not just those who can access in-person care.
One way to reduce barriers to care and serve more Veterans is implementing digital solutions, which allow Veterans who live far from VA facilities or have transportation issues to more easily use the health care they’ve earned.
After successfully supporting the rollout of VA Health Chat, a critical addition to Veteran health care, DCG and the VA’s My HealtheVet Web Content Team received the 2024 Granicus Digital Government Service Delivery Award. This award recognizes organizations delivering better, more relevant government experiences for the public through the strategic use of digital tools and tactics.
VA Health Chat Impacts
VA Health Chat was developed to provide Veterans with immediate access to VA health care from the convenience of their home. The chat service is accessible through both a mobile and desktop app. This tool allows caring VA staff to provide virtual health care, share medical advice, schedule appointments, refill prescriptions, and more.
When the app was launched in early 2022, the service was rolled out in a staggered release across VA’s regional systems of care, posing a unique communications challenge. Our team wanted to make as many Veterans as possible aware of the new service available to them. We also wanted to consider the Veterans who didn’t yet have the new service in their area.
A targeted content strategy was implemented using Granicus’ GovDelivery bulletins to communicate with a gradually expanding audience. As VA medical centers launched the VA Health Chat service, the message, “Get Care Now with VA Health Chat,” was shared with more My HealtheVet users.
We found this messaging and delivery strategy extremely effective in the first few rounds of communication as the VA medical centers saw:
- 250% to almost 2000% increase of daily chat encounters for regional groups of medical centers on the day the bulletin was sent
- 46% open rate
- 3% click rate
These findings confirmed that bulletin recipients were highly receptive to the messaging and were taking direct action to try VA Health Chat. To avoid messaging fatigue for those who had already received the information, our team took steps to send any additional bulletins only to users who had gained new access.
Customized Messaging Strategy Pays Off
In 2024, VA Health Chat became available to all but a small number of VA medical centers across the United States. However, the specific services available, such as urgent care, pharmacy support, and appointment scheduling, varied from region to region. At this point, the messaging shifted to focus on these specific areas of service, called “channels” in the app, as they became available regionally.
After two years of promoting VA Health Chat, bulletins continue to boast an impressive 40% open rate, highlighting Veterans’ ongoing enthusiasm for the expanding services that enhance their access to health care. This tool has played a key role in VA’s pioneering of modern digital solutions to care.
Free Webinar Will Share Strategies Behind Federal Health Care Communications
Join us on February 6 at 2 p.m. (ET) for the Award-Winning Comms and Engagement Approach for Federal Agencies webinar. During this webinar, federal leaders, including My HealtheVet Content Lead Dennis Rennock, will discuss how they transformed communications with key stakeholders through multimodal strategies, resulting in across-the-board positive audience feedback and stronger relationships. Each agency has embraced new methods and insights to advance digital communications with both internal and external constituencies, ultimately resulting in stronger support for agency mission objectives.
