Perioperative outcomes at the VHA are consistently better than those in private sector hospitals, according to a new study.
Costs of Cataract, Other Surgeries at VA Vs. Outside Care
A new study raises questions about which veterans requiring cataract and total knee replacement surgeries received community care, as opposed to the cases kept within the VA system.
Cancer Patients Have Better Survival With Military Health Service Care
MHS provides universal healthcare to beneficiaries, reducing barriers to medical care access. That appears to be especially beneficial for military beneficiaries facing a colon cancer diagnosis and treatment.
Healthcare Quality Assurance Programs Again Found Lacking by OIG Report
The quality, safety and value (QSV) programs in some VA facilities continue to fall short, according to a new VA Inspector General report.
Veteran Was Missing for Almost a Month Before Decomposed Body Found
On June 12, 2020, a badly decomposed body was found in the emergency exit stairwell of the Bedford Veterans Quarters (BVQ), a privately operated, independent living facility on the campuses of VA’s Edith Nourse Rogers Memorial Veterans Hospital.
Veterans Receiving Total Knee Replacements at VA Facilities
Thanks to the MISSION Act, VA is increasing purchasing healthcare for veterans in the communities where they live.
COVID-19 Vaccine Expected to Be Required for Military Personnel This Month
The DoD plans to request a presidential waiver to require all servicemembers to receive the COVID-19 vaccine starting in mid-September, according to a memo sent by Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin.Â
Despite Delays, NCAA Attorney Donald Remy Confirmed as VA’s Deputy Secretary
Former National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) attorney Donald Remy, an Army veteran, has been confirmed by the Senate to be the VA’s deputy secretary.
OIG Finds That VA’s Computer Systems Remain Vulnerable to Cyberattacks
Although no data was stolen from VA’s computer systems during the 2020’s SolarWinds hack, cybersecurity remains a long-standing material weakness for the VA, agency overseers pointed out.
Problems With DoD-to-VA Transition Program Intensified by Pandemic
Transitioning from active duty military service to civilian life is difficult at the best of times. The pandemic added a host of new challenges, highlighted existing problems with the transitioning process and widened the cracks through which those veterans who are most in need of support are in danger of falling.
How Was a VA Nurse Assistant Able to Murder Seven Patients in One Year?
In May, Reta Mays, a former nurse’s assistant at VA’s Louis A. Johnson Medical Center in Clarksburg was sentenced to seven consecutive life sentences—one each for the patients that she had pleaded guilty to murdering.
Workflow Issues Plague Rollout of VA’s New Electronic Health Record
Many of the design issues delaying the continued rollout of VA’s new electronic health record (EHR) system are in the area of standardized workflow rather than simple technical glitches, VA officials explained.
Mortality Rate Lower for Kidney Transplant Patients at VHA Than Outside Care
Mortality rates are lower for veterans who receive all of their post-kidney transplant care within the VHA than those who receive care outside the VA through Medicare coverage, according to a recent study.
Lawmakers Seek to Expand VA Coverage Related to Fertility Issues
Veterans who have service-connected infertility issues should have access to the full range of fertility services science now available, especially in vitro fertilization, without the constraints imposed by antiquated and sometimes nonsensical regulations, legislators and veterans’ advocates argued last month.Â
Early Discharge Follow-Up Improves HF Outcomes
The benefit of early post-discharge hospital followup for heart failure patients was demonstrated in a new approach at the Southern Arizona VA Healthcare System.
House VA Committee Engages in Partisan Squabbling Over Funding
In its first meeting of the 117th Congress, the House VA Committee advanced a proposal that would allocate $17 billion for VA as part of President Joe Biden’s American Rescue Plan.
VA Doctors Sentenced for Crimes Committed Against Veteran Patients
The first months of 2021 saw the progression of a number of high-profile criminal cases involving VA employees charged with harming the patients they were tasked to serve.
VA Officials: Pandemic Recovery Expected to Strain VA Funding
The aftermath of the pandemic at VA will require as much emergency funding, if not more, than was required during the actual pandemic, according to VA leadership.
GAO Finds Problems With Oversight of Community Healthcare Providers
MISSION Act critics have raised alarms about the legislation consolidating and expanding VA’s community care program– that healthcare provided by non-VA providers would fail to meet VA’s standards.
Debate Continues on Overhaul of VA’s Eligibility Criteria
Is it time to overhaul VA’s eligibility rules? According to some legislators, the process is long overdue for an update, although veterans’ service organizations are split on the issue.Â
National Guard Gives States’ Vaccine Distribution Plans a Shot in the Arm
The National Guard has stepped up again to help states in their battle against the novel coronavirus.
Are State Veterans Homes Falling Through Cracks of Oversight?
What responsibility does VA have for state veterans homes and the tsunami of COVID-19 infections and deaths that have swept through facilities nationwide?
Most At-Risk Veterans Don’t Get Suicide Counseling
Despite all of the focus on preventing suicides in those who have served in the military, a significant proportion of veterans with suicidal ideation do not take advantage of available mental health treatment, according to a new study.
VA Pushes for More Use of NSCLC Targeted Therapies
DURHAM, NC — To help guide therapeutic decisions for patients with advanced stage non-small cell lung cancer, Next-Generation Sequencing (NGS) gene panels are often completed.
Air Force Says Changes to F-22 Aircraft Will Let Pilots Breathe Easier in Flight
By Sandra Basu 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...
Award-Winning Assistance Adviser Fulfills Life Goal of Helping Vets
By Steve Lewis MADISON, WI — At age 21, Jeffrey Unger said he already had a clear vision of what would become one of his lifelong goals — to help returning veterans get the care they needed. “In my life I’ve enjoyed every day I served in uniform,” says Unger, who was...
Air Force Medicine: Averting an Identity Crisis
By Lt. Gen. Thomas W. Travis, Surgeon General, United States Air Force Lt. Gen. Thomas W. Travis U.S. military forces, now in the second decade of war, benefit from the vast achievements Army, Navy and Air Force medics have jointly made in deployed and enroute health...
Retired Air Force Urologist, General Officer Urges Doctors to Take Command
By Steve Lewis TEMPLE, TX - Retired Brig. Gen. James T. Turlington, MD, may no longer be an active duty general officer in the Air Force, but he’s still practicing medicine — and still making a difference. In fact, Turlington, a urologist at the Central Texas Veterans...
DoD Budget Seeks to Cut More Than 5,000 Civilian Healthcare Workers Over Five Years
By Sandra Basu WASHINGTON - The DoD plans to cut its civilian workforce by 5% to 6% by the end of fiscal year 2018, including more than 5,000 from the Military Health System. President Barack Obama’s FY 2014 proposed base budget request of $526.6 billion for the...
Once Used to Keep Women from Top Ranks, Menopause Now Managed Within VA, Military Health Systems
When President Harry Truman signed the Women’s Armed Services Integration Act into law in 1948, it was touted as opening full military service and veterans’ benefits to women, but many restrictions remained in place. Women were not allowed to fly aircraft engaged in...
