How VA’s Telehealth Kidney Program Saves the Lives of Rural Veterans

Published Jun 8, 2026, 7:56 AM EDT

If you’re a rural veteran with chronic kidney disease or its risk factors, ask your VA provider about telenephrology.

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Published Jun 8, 2026, 7:56 AM EDT

Kidney disease is a leading cause of death in the United States, and it is getting worse. For veterans living in rural areas, a national shortage of nephrologists — along with the reality that the nearest kidney specialist may be hours away — compound the problem. Rural veterans with chronic kidney disease and refractory hypertension are hospitalized more frequently and die at higher rates than veterans in urban or suburban areas. Many go years with their kidney care managed exclusively by a primary care provider who may not have the training or time to adjust the specialized medications these patients need. A new VA study published in the Clinical Journal of the American Society of Nephrology shows that the VA’s telenephrology program is closing that gap, and saving lives in the process.