US Veterans Health Administration expands virtual reality therapy for chronic pain relief
The Veterans Health Administration (VHA), a division of the Department of Veterans Affairs, is enhancing its partnership with AppliedVR to increase access to virtual reality (VR) therapy for military veterans suffering from chronic lower back pain. This development follows the extension of their contract to support AppliedVR’s FDA-authorised RelieVRx programme, a home-based solution designed to treat chronic pain.
This collaboration between AppliedVR and the VHA began in 2020, initially focusing on providing comfort to veterans in palliative care and improving the life quality of those experiencing chronic pain, stress, and anxiety in various healthcare settings. The contract was awarded through VA Immersive, a sector of the VHA Office of Healthcare Innovation and Learning (OHIL), which is dedicated to exploring innovative healthcare technologies like VR and augmented reality (AR) in clinical environments. This initiative aims to revolutionise care delivery and patient experiences.
The VHA, responsible for the care of over 9 million veterans nationwide, has noted that more than half of the veterans receiving care at VA facilities suffer from chronic pain. In response, the VHA is actively exploring innovative, non-pharmacological approaches to address this issue, particularly focusing on the intersection of mental health and chronic pain.
Matthew Stoudt, co-founder and CEO of AppliedVR, in an interview with Fierce Healthcare, highlighted the VA’s pioneering role in the use of immersive technology as a medical intervention. The VA’s emphasis on immersive technology, including its use for treating post-traumatic stress disorder, has led to a focused effort to integrate such technologies as a standard of care within the VA system.
AppliedVR was initially awarded a contract with the VA in December 2022, enabling doctors at 18 VA facilities to prescribe the VR-based pain treatment solution for veterans’ home use. The RelieVRx program, AppliedVR’s flagship product, received marketing authorisation from the Food and Drug Administration in 2021 for chronic lower back pain treatment. It comprises a headset and software that guides patients through pain management exercises.
With the funding granted last year, AppliedVR concentrated on establishing pathways for prescribing VR therapy within the VA population. According to Stoudt, this funding was utilised rapidly, indicating a high demand and acceptance for the technology. The extended partnership will now allow doctors at 16 VA facilities to prescribe the VR-based pain treatment solution to veterans.
AppliedVR’s eight-week programme has been clinically proven to reduce pain intensity and interference in the lives of individuals with chronic lower back pain. In a recent clinical trial follow-up study, the RelieVRx programme demonstrated long-lasting effects up to 24 months after treatment completion.
Through various partnerships, the VA has deployed over 2,200 VR headsets across more than 165 VA medical centres and 18 additional care sites in all 50 states. VA Immersive’s mission is to establish national standards for VR use, accelerating the adoption of immersive therapeutics across VA and enabling veterans to access next-generation treatments like RelieVRx.
AppliedVR reports that its VR-based treatments are now utilised by over 60,000 patients in 240 hospitals and 1,500 patient homes. The company faced regulatory and reimbursement challenges typical of prescription digital therapeutics but gained FDA de novo clearance to market its RelieVRx system as a hardware-software device combination. This distinction enabled AppliedVR to secure Medicare reimbursement for its device.
In March, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) granted AppliedVR a unique Healthcare Common Procedure Coding System (HCPSC) Level II code for RelieVRx, categorising it as durable medical equipment. This CMS ruling is significant as it creates a reimbursement pathway for providers billing for the AppliedVR device.
Stoudt emphasises that adherence to digital medicine is a critical challenge, and AppliedVR’s high adherence levels are a testament to its effectiveness. The company’s approach positions it distinctly within the digital therapeutics market, which has seen struggles among other companies in gaining acceptance from payers and providers.