Ireland Degges
The Veterans Health Administration has lengthened its contract with AppliedVR, under which the company is providing an at-home chronic lower back pain, or CLBP, treatment program.
Issued by the administration’s VA Immersive division, the extended award will support continued access to RelieVRx, AppliedVR’s virtual reality-based immersive therapeutics program, the company announced from Los Angeles, California on Wednesday.
“VA Immersive has been a trailblazer that is consistently at the forefront of health care innovation, actively fostering exploration and integration of cutting-edge technologies to enhance health care delivery and services,” said AppliedVR Co-founder and CEO Matthew Stoudt.
He said the unit’s mission to establish national standards for VR technologies “will accelerate the adoption of immersive therapeutics,” such as RelieVRx, within the Department of Veterans Affairs.
RelieVRx is an eight-week treatment program that has shown to reduce the intensity of CLBP for patients, minimizing the condition’s interference on one’s life. Recently, a clinical trial follow-up demonstrated that the effects of the treatment can last for up to two years following its completion. It is currently the sole at-home VR pain treatment approved by the FDA.
A part of the VHA’s Office of Healthcare Innovation and Learning, VA Immersive strives to test and evaluate immersive technologies in clinical settings. Immersive therapeutics like RelieVRx are a current priority for the division.
Prior to this award, AppliedVR collaborated with the VHA to test a hospice care offering. Under an agreement made in 2020, the company piloted its RiseVR program, which is designed to reduce general chronic pain, stress and anxiety for patients.
