For healthcare systems changing over from one electronic health record (EHR) system to another—such as the VA’s transition from its legacy EHR system to Oracle Cerner EHR modernization program—the transition poses many challenges, including an impact on medication safety.
A Review of Long-Acting Injectable Antiretroviral Therapy
Barriers to maintaining viral suppression remain a challenge to ending the HIV epidemic. Among those are medication adherence.
Healthcare Facilities Must Be Prepared to Handle Simultaneous Stressors
Healthcare systems are often required to navigate external stressors, such as policy changes, natural disasters and emerging infectious diseases, which can disrupt patient care.
Reduction in Mandated Military HIV Checkups Did Little Harm
Nearly a decade ago, in 2014, the U.S Air Force reduced the frequency of mandated HIV medical evaluation visits from every 6 months to every 12 months. The goal was to improve military readiness.
HIV Often Comorbid With Substance-Use Disorder Within VHA
HIV prevalence, which was elevated in all substance-use disorder patients at the VHA, was highest among veterans with alcohol- and opioid-use disorders (AUD/OUD), with disparities by race/ethnicity and age, according to a new study.
Gulf War Illness Reduces White Blood Cells’ Ability to Make Energy
The ability of white blood cells to make energy is significantly reduced in Gulf War Illness (GWI), which affects approximately 250,000 U.S. veterans, according to a new study finding a measurable biochemical difference in veterans who have the disease.
CRC Screening Levels Too Low for Veterans With Anemia, Hematochezia
Already the second-leading cause of cancer death in the United States, colorectal cancer (CRC) is increasing in adults younger than 50. Early-age onset CRC (EAOCRC) is often diagnosed at later stages, which require more intense treatment, according to a new study.
VA Celebrates 20 Years of Telehealth With Continued Expansion of Services
The VA launched its national telehealth services program in 2003. Twenty years later, it continues to look for new ways to break down barriers to care and expand services available to veterans from the comfort of their homes by tapping into services offered by industry leaders as well as developing internal capabilities.
Veterans’ Disinhibited Behaviors Linked to Range of Physical, Mental Conditions
Behavioral disinhibition is an externalizing (EXT) disorder common with many psychiatric conditions. Recent genome-wide association studies (GWASs) have demonstrated the overlap between EXT disorders and important aspects of veterans’ health, such as suicide-related behaviors and substance-use disorders (SUDs).
Unstable Housing Increases Veterans’ Mortality Risk With Kidney Dialysis
Unstable housing appears to contribute to socioeconomic disparities in mortality among U.S. veterans receiving dialysis, with older adults being especially vulnerable, according to a new study
MGUS Higher in Servicemembers, No Association Seen With Burn Pit Exposure
Individuals who have served in the U.S. military have about three times the risk of monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance (MGUS) as a similarly aged cohort in the Icelandic iStopMM study.
Mental Health Issues Increase Mortality in Some Veterans With AML
Venetoclax combinations are common treatments for individuals with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) who are unable to withstand the rigors of intensive induction chemotherapy.
BTK Inhibitors Provide Option for CLL Patients With Severe Renal Dysfunction
BTK inhibitors have proven to be a powerful tool in CLL treatment and have replaced chemoimmunotherapy as the preferred first-line treatment.
Evaluate Veterans With MGUS for Cardiovascular Disease
Monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance (MGUS) is not considered a hematological condition of concern, yet it is associated with lower overall survival. VA researchers led by Lawrence Liu, MD, of the St. Louis VAMC, explored whether the reduced life expectancy arose from an increased risk of cardiovascular events.
Dasatinib Fails to Improve Outcomes in B-ALL With ABL-Class Fusions
While most blood cancers affect people in their later years, B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (B-ALL) strikes at a much earlier age. It is the most common hematologic malignancy in adults under the age of 40, the age range of 80% of U.S. servicemembers.
Deployment Linked to Longer Survival in Servicemembers, Veterans With NHL
A study presented at the 2023 ASH Conference, provided additional evidence for the healthy deployer effect, this time in individuals with non-Hodkin lymphoma.
Which Veterans Should Undergo SPEP Testing for Plasma Cell Dyscrasia?
Plasma cell dyscrasia affects up to 5% of adults. While often asymptomatic, its characteristic clonal expansion of bone marrow plasma cells can also indicate the presence of several hematological malignancies including multiple myeloma.
GLP-1 Use Reduces Risk of MGUS Progression in Some Veterans
Glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP-1) receptor agonists have gained huge popularity as they have demonstrated the ability to substantially reduce both blood-glucose levels and weight. In addition, recent research suggests cardiovascular and renal benefits to their use in certain populations.
Agent Orange Increases CVD Risk in Veterans With Myeloproliferative Neoplasms
As Vietnam-era veterans move into the age range in which most myeloproliferative neoplasms (MPNs) develop, the VA has a keen interest in fully understanding the full impact of exposure to Agent Orange in veterans with these malignancies.
Despite Expanded Efforts by VA, Veteran Suicides Rose Slightly in Recent Report
A new VA report revealed that 6,392 veterans died by suicide in 2021, the most-recent year for which data was available. That was 114 more than in 2020.
McDonough: VA Can Only Be So Competitive in Physician Salaries
For many high-demand medical professions, VA will likely never be able to fully compete with the private sector, regardless of the breadth of benefits the department can offer, according to VA Secretary Denis McDonough.
Cardiac Mortality for Women Veterans Has Not Improved Over Two Decades,
Women veterans have shown a lack of improvement in cardiac mortality compared to civilian women over nearly two decades, suggesting a need for clinical interventions to improve cardiovascular care, according to a recent study.
Million Veteran Program Study Pinpoints Concerns About Cannabis-Use Disorder
A study using data from the VA’s Million Veteran Program raised serious concerns about risks associated with cannabis use.
Signage, Targeted Education Can Improve Acute Appendicitis Care
Targeted in-person education and visible signs in the emergency department can increase adherence to institutional protocols designed to improve compliance with best practices for treating uncomplicated acute appendicitis, according to a recent study.
New Strategic Lab Director Fosters Disruptive Technologies, Seeks Growth
As the executive director of VA’s brand-new Strategic Initiatives Lab (Strat Lab), it is the mission of Anne Lord Bailey, PharmD, BCPS, to encourage VA to play the long shots.
What Drives Higher CRC Rates, Worse Survival Among Blacks in U.S.?
If screening availability was equalized, the U.S. Black population would have a greater colorectal cancer incidence reduction than the White population, because of its slightly higher risk, according to a new study.
We survived!
As 2023 passes into history, I cannot suppress the feeling that I am on a perpetual rollercoaster ride, from which I cannot get off. The planet continues to warm, sea levels keep rising, frequent weather extremes, war in Ukraine and Israel, inflation, COVID, and so on. In the era of instant and constant media, one can be challenged to find a respite from the pressure of modern life. For many federal healthcare professionals, the barrage of world events is compounded by the everyday drama of patient care. Society recognizes the extraordinary daily challenges healthcare providers face, which explains our exulted status within the social fabric.
CRC Screening Too Low for Veterans With Anemia, Hematochezia
Among veterans with hematochezia, those aged 30 to 49 years were more likely to receive diagnostic testing than adults younger than 30 years of age.
MHS Patients Receive Earlier Diagnoses for Colorectal, Other Cancers
Military Health System patients tend to receive earlier diagnoses of colon cancer and other types of malignancies than members of the general U.S. population covered by insurance, especially Medicaid.
VHA Venous Thromboembolism Rates Low After Cancer Surgery
The rates of venous thromboembolism (VTE) diagnosis are low after major cancer surgery among veterans treated at the VHA, according to a recent study
