LOS ANGELES — The approval last year of the first new drugs for treatment of hepatitis C (HCV) in 20 years substantially increased the rate of virologic cure for patients with the most common form of the disease. At the same time, the complex regime of medications has made adherence more difficult, increased the likelihood of development of treatment-resistant strains of HCV and made the role of the pharmacist in HCV management more important than ever.

WASHINGTON — Politics played no role in the timing of a request to investigate corruption and patient neglect at a U.S. funded hospital in Afghanistan, a U.S. general told Congress.

ORLANDO, FL — After four years of construction on a new state-of-the-art VA Orlando Medical Center, lawmakers want to know why the VA and the contractor still cannot agree on a delivery date for the new facility.

Is Applied Behavioral Analysis Unproven?
WASHINGTON — Is a commonly used autism therapy a medical or educational intervention?

BEDFORD, MA — Natalie Dell, MPH, a project coordinator for mental-health studies focusing on depression and post-traumatic stress disorder in veterans, has served VA since completing graduate school in 2009.

Age, not overall health or prognosis, plays too large a role in determining what patients get cancer treatment, according to a new study from the San Francisco VA Medical Center and the University of California, San Francisco.

$52,000 Patton Impersonator Raises Eyebrows
WASHINGTON — Training human resources personnel to recruit, train and retain medical professionals and other personnel is critical to VA’s mission, but has the agency gone overboard in spending on HR training conferences?