PITTSBURGH — Despite a tightly managed national formulary, the use of high-cost drugs to treat diabetes shows “substantial” variation across the VA healthcare system, according to a new research letter.

WASHINGTON — In response to congressional criticism and an Inspector General’s report last year, VA has restricted use of retention bonuses across its health system, in effect reducing compensation for more than 6,700 employees.
Please read this article and participate in this month's online opinion poll whether VA should be allowed to rescind retention bonuses for healthcare providers without explanation or recourse?

The recent General Services Administration (GSA) Las Vegas conference scandal, involving clowns and a mind reader (I could not dream this stuff up if I tried), must seem like manna from heaven for the likes of John Stewart and Stephen Colbert.

WASHINGTON--Federal civilian healthcare professionals hoping that the federal pay freeze would be lifted this holiday season will have to wait a little longer. President Obama signed legislation at the end of September that will extend the two-year federal pay freeze through March 2013.

WASHINGTON — The clock is ticking in Washington as the January 2013 implementation of sequestration looms ever nearer. Pentagon officials warned that such drastic cuts would make it difficult to pay Defense Health Program providers and likely would require denial of services to beneficiaries.

WASHINGTON — Pilots will be able to breathe easier as a result of changes to the oxygen systems in the F-22 aircraft, Air Force officials recently assured a House committee. The F-22 fleet has been under intense scrutiny after some pilots flying the aircraft mysteriously experienced an unexplained loss of oxygen, causing hypoxia-like symptoms.

Report Says Young Americans Still ‘Too Fat to Fight’.
WASHINGTON — With 1 in 4 young adults too overweight to join the military, a group of retired senior military leaders offers this advice: Remove junk food from the schools.

WASHINGTON —The No. 1 killer of women in the United States is heart disease, and women veterans are in no way exempt. In fact, by some measures, they have higher rates of heart disease risk factors.

BETHESDA, MD — The Army is retaining an increasing number of personnel with diabetes, and, despite directives to the contrary, these soldiers may be deployed to active war zones where typically recommended methods for managing the disease might create more problems than they solve.

WASHINGTON — For the more than one million VHA patients who have diabetes, peer support and shared medical appointments offer an efficient, surprisingly effective, way to deliver care and improve disease management.