Initiative - VAMC Mobile Clinic

Background

The VAMC MVP pages were designed with fixed locations offering multiple services in mind. As systems have rolled out nationwide, we realized this model doesn't fit mobile locations offering multiple services (mobile clinics). Forcing them into the fixed location model can lead to misleading, incomplete and/or inaccurate information.

Problems to solve

Current page displays one address, which is probably where it is parked overnight. How might we represent the various locations where services are delivered/available?
- Some MMUs travel hundreds of times in a calendar year making it inefficient to create a complete facility site for each stop.
- Some MMUs travel to multiple addresses with a shared city and state.
Current page associates services with a given location.
Current page displays one set of hours. How might we represent more than one set of hours? How might we represent hours of operation at the service or location level?
Current page includes parking, public transportation information and campus maps. What information is necessary or relevant to a mobile location?
How might this pattern be extended to Vet Centers?
How might we represent a variety of use cases, including
- routine, regular schedule of either services or locations, with or without an appointment
- emergency response
- clinical health services
- counseling rooms
What is the best approach to IA for these mobile units?
How might we surface these locations on the Facility Locator?
The list of Mobile clinics in VAST is inaccurate.
- Maintaining data accuracy for a fluctuating number of websites may be difficult, if not impossible, for some low-staffed locations.
Some VAMC Mobile clinics exist as facilities, others have been suppressed and are not discoverable.

Research and initial designs

Initial discovery and multiple rounds of exploratory designs have been done.

See Mobile Health Clinics UX research and design hub for full summary of artifacts
Proposed MVP solution designed to unblock health systems by publishing mobile clinic facility pages with multiple schedules: UXPin file (.UXP) Note: This design does not address all the use cases uncovered as detailed in discovery research findings and design validation documentation
Knowledge transfer: VHA Mobile clinic design, recorded October 29, 2021

Next steps

Research should be conducted to validate that the new design

helps Veterans understand how to find mobile clinic options at the system level (new grouping on VAMC Locations page)
includes the information Veterans expect to find for mobile clinics
supports understanding about mobile clinic location and service availability

An issue is framed out for this work: RESEARCH VAMC mobile clinic detail page redesign #24630

See also: What to push for Mobile Clinics and Domiciaries #8839

department-of-veterans-affairs / va.gov-cms