Pam and I have had our share of hard knocks this summer. From the ongoing personal and financial trauma of our sailboat/home lightning strike to our latest bout of COVID-19, the hits just seem to keep on coming. I also (finally) finished a fictional novel, but was utterly unprepared for the hell that is getting published.
Traumatic brain injury, especially involving penetration, significantly increased the risk for atrial fibrillation or atrial flutter in U.S. military servicemembers and veterans, according to a new study.
VA is close to restarting a software tool integral to allowing the department to track its billing of community providers. The Program Integrity Tool (PIT) has been offline since flaws in the system were discovered in February 2023.
Native Americans serve in the military at the highest rates per capita of any racial or ethnic group. According to the Office of Health Equity, analysis of fiscal year 2016 to 2019 data revealed that American Indian veterans, less than half were enrolled in VA care.
The issue of metastasis in prostate cancer can’t really be discussed without a startling fact: Black men are disproportionately affected by prostate cancer (PCa), with earlier presentation, more aggressive disease, and higher mortality rates vs. white men.
The promising outcomes from studies of the radioligand lutetium Lu 177 vipivotide tetraxetan (Lu177-PSMA) as a second-line therapy for metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC) has encouraged researchers to explore its effectiveness when moved earlier in treatment and in combination with other cancer therapies.
The U.S. government and the VA increasingly recognize the increased risk of prostate cancer faced by veterans and its relationship to service in areas of conflict.
Since receiving Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval in 2022 for use in metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC), adoption of lutetium Lu 177 vipivotide tetraxetan (Lu177-PSMA) has grown rapidly.
As the options for treatment of metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC) continues to increase, determining the best order for sequencing them becomes more complicated.
For individuals seeking relief from painful health conditions, there’s low certainty of evidence that massage therapy will ease their pain, according to a recent review article.
Congress recessed for August without passing legislation to close the nearly $15 billion budget shortfall VA is facing for this year and next. The shortfall, which came to light in July, includes $2.88 billion for the remainder of FY2024 and $12 billion for FY2025.
A new algorithm could improve care for adult inpatients who need to be evaluated for urinary retention and possible catheterization, according to a recent study.
For the past several years, VA has been identifying the most underserved facilities in its system and requiring them to create action plans to improve care to their veterans.
By March 2020, the SARS-COV-2 virus had reached every inhabited continent on the globe, with devastating impact. In response, the U.S. and many other countries entered lockdowns to slow the spread and reduce deaths from the virus.
For almost three decades, antiretroviral therapy (ART) has enabled people with HIV to have nearly normal life expectancies. But as many as 85% of them experience chronic pain, due in part to common medical comorbidities and the side effects of life-saving treatments.
Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) has a range of adverse effects in veterans, and about 7% are affected at some point in their lifetimes. A recent study puts a spotlight on an unexpected co-morbidity—worsening Type 2 diabetes (T2D) outcomes.
In the United States, Black men are at highest risk for being diagnosed with and dying from prostate cancer.
Even though half of all carriers of inherited cancer-predisposing variants in BRCA1 and BRCA2 are male, the implications for their health tend to be under-recognized compared to females, according to a new study.
One of the most commonly used medication classes worldwide, proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) are effective for treating acid-related stomach disorders, such as ulcers, heartburn or acid reflux.
How do prescription medications affect overall survival in metastatic hormone-sensitive prostate cancer?
About six months ago, the James A. Lovell Federal Healthcare Center became the sixth VA site to switch to the Oracle-Cerner electronic health record (EHR).
Hepatitis C virus (HCV) is the most common blood-borne pathogen in the United States, with HCV-related cirrhosis being the leading cause of primary liver cancer, or hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).
A study involving military researchers has raised concerns about the use of certain types of anesthesia in children with acute lymphocytic leukemia (ALL)
A recent study looked at risk factors for non-variceal bleeding within the first year after diagnosis of chronic liver disease in veterans.
MHS beneficiaries with multiple myeloma (MM) had improved overall survival compared to MM patients from the U.S. general population, according to a new report.
Deployed Gulf War veterans frequently developed several gastrointestinal symptoms, including irritable bowel syndrome, dyspepsia, diarrhea, bloating and constipation, and those often persisted long after returning home, according to a new study.
As combat casualty care improved over time during the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, the use of nontherapeutic laparotomy (NTL) decreased.
Consuming meat, especially processed and red meat, is a risk factor for the development of type 2 diabetes, according to a new study involving VA researchers.
Pneumonia diagnoses change more often than not at VA hospitals, either because a veteran initially thought to have the infection is diagnosed with something else or because the community-acquired pneumonia diagnosis was missed when the patient entered the hospital.
A study of almost a half-million veterans has found for the first time a link between environmental exposures during military service and the development of myeloproliferative neoplasms (MPNs).
