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(02/19/2026) A recent study found Veterans whose kidney care was managed by a nephrologist via telemedicine had a 15% lower mortality rate than Veterans who had their kidney care managed by a primary care provider alone. Veterans in the telenephrology program were also significantly more likely to be on guideline-directed medications. Researchers studied nearly 12,000 Veterans with chronic kidney disease to determine the impact of VA’s telehealth program for specialty kidney care on Veterans living in rural areas. The program uses a hub-and-spoke design to connect Veterans with chronic kidney disease who are living far from VA medical centers to nephrologists via remote telemedicine access. The findings demonstrate how specialty outpatient care can be successfully delivered to rural Veterans using telehealth. (Clinical Journal of the American Society of Nephrology, Feb. 10, 2026)