For the first time in more than 50 years, the VA will fund a study on psychedelic-assisted therapy for post-traumatic stress disorder and alcohol-use disorder among veterans.
Will New Supreme Court Ruling Change Ability of VA Leaders to Interpret New Legislation?
Republicans on the House VA Committee are looking to a recent Supreme Court case as an opportunity to strip the power from VA when it comes to interpreting how to enact legislation.
VA Argues That Extra $6.6 Billion Still Needed; Inflation Driving Up Costs of Drugs, Prosthetics
At a public examination of VA’s ongoing budget crisis, Republican legislators accused agency leaders of general incompetence and of using the budget as political leverage during an election season.
Melatonin Appears to Have Some Effect Enhancing Flu Vaccine
Noting that vaccine immunogenicity is affected by a variety of factors, melatonin has been reported to affect immune responses to vaccines and infection, according to a new study.
Past COVID-19 Infection Increases Frailty in Older Veterans
COVID-19 survivors appear to be at greater risk for new medical conditions. A new study sought to determine if previous infection with the SARS-CoV-2 virus is associated with a change in frailty among older U.S. veterans.
Older White Veterans Most Likely to Get Flu Vaccines
How do race, ethnicity, sex and rurality affect influenza vaccination adherence in a VHA cohort?
‘Prescription Rules’ Could Lengthen Survival in mCRPC
If detected and treated at an early stage, prostate cancer is often curable. That is not the case, however, with an advanced stage such as metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC), which has a high risk of mortality.
How General Obesity Affects Prostate Cancer
How does general obesity affect prostate cancer? Thus far, inconsistent evidence has been found for the association between general obesity and prostate cancer among men in the United States.
No Problems Found With Concurrent Spironolactone, Abiraterone Administration
The most common cancer in men in the United States, prostate cancer has low survival rates once metastasized.
What Happened When VA Formulary Transitioned to Different Inhalers?
The VA’s experience provided valuable information on what is likely to occur when a formulary changes for environmental reasons, according to a new report.
Technology-Based Eye Care Services Offer Quality, Comprehensive Care to Veterans Nationwide
Veteran patients nationwide who received care from Technology-based Eye Care Services (TECS), a tele-ophthalmology program operating in the VHA, reported having a favorable experience.
Inclusive Genetic Tools Needed to Evaluate Primary Open-Angle Glaucoma Risk
Primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG), the most common type of glaucoma, develops gradually and is often asymptomatic in its early stages.
VA/DoD Guideline Update Reflects Newest Therapies for Headaches
Expanded recommendations for treatment, preventive therapies and nonpharmacologic therapies are among noteworthy changes in the recently updated VA and Department of Defense (DoD) Clinical Practice Guideline for the Management of Headache.
As-Needed Blood Pressure Medication Linked to Adverse Outcomes in VA Hospitals
In hospitalized veterans, use of at least one as-needed blood pressure medication was associated with higher risk of acute kidney injury and rapid drop in blood pressure, as well as increased risk of stroke, heart attack or death, according to a recent study.
VA Hospitals Went from Worse Than Community Facilities in 2017 to Outperforming Them in 2021
With the debate heating up about how much VA care should be shifted to the community, a new study found that VA hospitals changed in a 5-year period from 2017 to 2021 from providing worse experiences for Black and poor-health patients to outperforming community hospitals for those and all other patient subgroups examined.
Congressional Republicans Seek to Further Expand VA’s Use of Community Care
Republican legislators are looking to expand VA’s use of community care further with the coming Congress.
VA’s Landmark Study Shifted Paradigm for Managing Diabetes
MEMPHIS, TN — As part of our ongoing series highlighting milestones in federal medicine as part of the 60th anniversary of U.S. Medicine, we spoke with William Cushman, MD, medical director, Department of Preventive Medicine, and professor of Preventive Medicine,...
Everybody’s Got a Different Circle of Competence. The Important Thing Is Not How Big the Circle is.
There was a time following my anesthesiology fellowship when I experienced the sublime joy of being competent in my chosen profession. I had completed my residency training at Walter Reed Army Medical Center, passed the oral boards and was on the cutting edge (at the time) of an acute-pain medicine fellowship at Duke University.
VA Accused of Not Keeping Up with a More Active Amputee Patient Population
While VA has long considered itself a provider of world-class prosthetics care, younger veterans are reporting that the department has yet to adapt to a more active patient population.
Prediction of Patient Outcomes After Severe Traumatic Brain Injury
Serum cytokines, neuronal proteins and clinical data can be used to predict vasospasm and early mortality in patients with severe traumatic brain injury, according to a recent study.
VARA Registry Seeks to Improve the Lives of Veterans With Rheumatoid Arthritis
New findings concerning the risk of interstitial lung disease in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and how body composition and metabolic dysregulation are tied to RA and inflammation were among the highlights of research presented at the 20th Annual Fall Meeting of the VA Rheumatoid Arthritis (VARA) Registry held in September.
Higher CVD Events in Older Adults Undergoing Chemotherapy, With Certain Cancers
Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is a greater risk for cancer survivors because of either their malignancy or its treatment.
Sexual Orientation Affects Prevalence of Atherosclerotic CVD in Veterans
Sexual orientation appears to have some unexplained effect on cardiovascular health, according to a new study.
Prescribing of Antihypertensives Not Always Guideline Concordant at VHA
While more than half of U.S. veterans diagnosed with hypertension with a pretreatment systolic BP ≥160 mm Hg were started on antihypertensive monotherapy, disparities existed between guideline-recommended first-line treatments and the actual regimens initiated, according to a new study.
Higher Psychosocial Well-Being at Time of Trauma Reduces PTSD Risk
Victims of traumatic events with higher well-being in three areas—vocational well-being, financial well-being and social well-being—are less likely to experience post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), according to a recent study.
VA Overtreats Prostate Cancer in Veterans with Limited Life Expectancy
Overtreatment, especially with radiotherapy, has increased for veterans with limited life expectancy and intermediate-risk or high-risk prostate cancer, according to a new study.
Understanding Long-Term Surgical Outcomes Can Help Ensure Treatments Align With Patient Priorities
Surgical outcome studies often focus on mortality, complications or hospital readmissions. While such outcomes are important, they don’t always align with matters most to older patients, particularly those nearing the end of life.
Audit, Feedback Increase HF Medication Management by VA Pharmacists
Giving more active feedback to primary care pharmacists about their heart failure patients led to more interactions and a greater number of medication adjustments, according to a presentation at a recent conference.
Hearing Loss Linked to Parkinson’s Disease; Hearing Aids Help Offset Risk
A complex and progressive neurological disorder, Parkinson’s disease (PD) has been diagnosed in more than a million Americans and disproportionately impacts veterans.
Operator of Fraudulent Pain Clinics Took Advantage of Veterans, Servicemembers, Others; Sentencing Scheduled for February
Michael Kestner, the owner and operator of medical clinics in Tennessee, Virginia and North Carolina, was convicted last month in federal court of fraudulently billing Medicare and TRICARE for $35 million in unnecessary opioid injections.
