As the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) explores new ways to give veterans better access to their care and care records, they have announced a feature that will allow veterans to securely access their medical images online.

Learn more about this new feature and how it is impacting veterans and their care.

Veterans Can Now Securely Access Medical Images Online

First introduced in 2017, the new feature called "VA Medical Images and Reports" will allow veterans to access their medical images and related reports online.

Veterans with a premium account will be able to download, share and view copies of medical images like CT scans, mammograms, MRIs and x-rays. Veterans will also be able to view a list of radiology reports, available in My HealtheVet three calendar days after the study report has been verified. Veterans can opt to receive an email notification after the download request is complete for larger files. These images and reports can also be shared with doctors inside and outside of the VA health care system.

VA Acting Secretary, Robert Wilkie, says, “With VA Medical Images and Reports, patients have the option of obtaining their images and reports online, eliminating the need to visit a VA facility to acquire a copy of their information. This feature aligns with VA Blue Button’s concept, which simplifies patient access to their personal health information by allowing them to retrieve it securely online.”

Veterans are excited about the new feature saying, “This is awesome if I ever need to share the images and reports with other providers in the future. Thank you so much for providing this for us!” Another veteran remarked, “I downloaded a free version of viewing software and had crystal clear images. I am so glad this feature is available so I could show my X-rays to my husband.”

Written by Alissa Sauer