Despite a recent hiring surge, VA has been losing ground in filling key healthcare positions, with the number of severe shortages rising from this time last year.
Number of VA Patients Prescribed Opioids Has Plummeted in the Last Decade
The number of VHA patients with opioid prescriptions has plummeted by 67% since 2012, primarily because of the agency’s Opioid Safety Initiative (OSI) beginning a decade ago.
Statin, Ezetimibe Therapy Combo Shows Promise for Reducing CVD Risk
Combining two different medications used to lower high cholesterol levels, optimized statin therapy and ezetimibe, appears to be associated with reducing cardiovascular risk in U.S. military veterans with coronary artery disease, according to a new study.
Review Looks at Higher Alzheimer’s Rates Among Blacks in U.S.
Why do Black/African-American (AA) individuals have a higher risk of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) than white non-Hispanic persons of European ancestry (EUR)?
More Flexible Lookback Periods for Dementia Also Useful
Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias (ADRD) often are identified using a list of claims codes and a fixed lookback period of three years of data.
Monogalactosyl Diglyceride Levels Rise With Alzheimer’s Progression
While many clinical studies have reported brain lipidomic abnormalities in Alzheimer’s disease (AD) that affect glycerophospholipids, sphingolipids and fatty acids, no consensus exists about those abnormalities and whether they relate to disease progression.
DoD Grant Supports Innovative Treatment for Orthopedic Conditions
In September, the Department of Defense granted a small Maryland-based company up to $7.4 million to develop a targeted therapeutic that could have a big impact on the care of military personnel and veterans with orthopedic injuries and degenerative diseases.
VA Expands Program Caring for Pregnant Veterans, New Mothers
As of this month, mothers treated by the VA healthcare system pre- and post-partum have access to maternity care coordinators from the beginning of their pregnancy to 12 months after birth. That is a change from the previous end-date of 8 weeks post-partum.
New Journal Article Decries Lack of Recognition for Military Medicine;
A new Special Communication in JAMA Network Open decried that military medicine’s contribution to healthcare advances often are overlooked and that not enough communication occurs between civilian and military clinicians.
Sarah Krein Researches Whatever Is Necessary to Improve Veterans’ Care
Most VA researchers begin their research career because of a fascination with a certain clinical subject–a niche area usually discovered early in their studies that starts them off on a long, relatively straight, journey. Not for Sarah Krein, PhD, RN, who is interested in many subjects but none so deeply as the methodology of research itself.
The rights of every man are diminished when the rights of one man are threatened.
I have been enjoying the summer months (notwithstanding the heat we escaped by hiding out up north), and I hope my readers are doing the same. Sadly, some irritating and tragic medical events have interrupted my otherwise blissful season. The first issue involved my newly minted grandson, who required a routine ultrasound for a skin mass that was determined to be a benign cyst. This was and should have remained a “nothing burger” until my daughter called to tell us she had been hit with a $937 co-pay for the scan.
Thrombosis Risk With Cancer Treatment Varies With VA Patient Characteristics
PORTLAND, OR -- Has cancer-directed therapy changed patterns of the incidence and risk of cancer-associated thrombosis (CAT) at the VA? That was the question raised in a cohort study of 434,203 veterans with solid tumors and hematologic neoplasms within the VHA....
High Serum TARC Levels Predict Hodgin Lymphoma Years Before Diagnosis
A study found that TARC levels measured in pre-diagnostic serum samples had notably increased values in most patients up to over six years before diagnosis.
Lymphoma Most-Common Cancer Diagnosed in Active-Duty Military Personnel
SAN ANTONIO –Active-duty servicemembers diagnosed with lymphoma within the MHS had better overall survival than a matched civilian cohort, but the authors of a study with that finding emphasized that more information is needed to ensure optimal treatment for those...
Significant U.S. Military Response to Catastrophic Lahaina Wildfires in Hawaii
Devastating wildfires have been burning in Western Maui since the evening of Aug. 8, with Lahaina—the original capital of the Hawaiian Kingdom—being the area most affected on the island.
VA Will Assess Leukemias, Multiple Myeloma as Presumptive Service Conditions
In what could be the first conditions added to the new PACT Act, the VA is conducting a scientific review to determine any relationship between three conditions—acute leukemias, chronic leukemias, and multiple myeloma outside of the head and neck—and toxic exposures for servicemembers who deployed to Iraq, Afghanistan, Somalia, Djibouti, Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, Yemen, Uzbekistan, and the entire Southwest Asia theater of operations.
Veteran Firearm Owners Support Some Safety Counseling in Clinical Settings
Most U.S. veterans who own firearms believe that clinicians should discuss firearm safety, if the patient or the patient’s family members are at increased risk of firearm injury, according to a recent study.
Legislators Raise Concerns About VA Roll Out of New Acquisition System
VA is slowly rolling out its Integrated Financial and Acquisition Management System (iFAMS), which seeks to replace a 40-year-old legacy system and shore up a material weakness that leaves the department unable to accurately track billions in expenditures.
Women Serving in Gulf War Demonstrated Worse Health Outcomes Than Others
Women veterans who deployed to the 1990-1991 Gulf War report poorer health than Gulf War Era veterans who served during that time but didn’t deploy and women in the U.S. general population, according to a recent study.
Flexible Prevention Bundle Appears to Reduce Some Surgical Site Infections
Surgical site infections (SSIs) are associated with significant morbidity and mortality, prolonged length of hospital stay and readmission.
Statins Affect Coronary Artery Calcium Score Used to Determine CVD Risk
A retrospective study involving more than 1,000 U.S. veterans has called into question the use of a coronary artery calcium score (CACS) to assess risk of atherosclerosis.
VAMCs Outperform Community Hospitals Overall in CMS Quality Measures
The first time VA hospitals were included in the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services annual Overall Hospital Quality Star Ratings, they aced it.
Overestimation of Oxygen Saturation Delayed COVID-19 Care, Despite Race
The overestimation of oxygen saturation by pulse oximetry in patients led to the delay of COVID-19 treatment and potentially increased hospital readmissions, according to a new study.
Rheumatoid Arthritis Raises the Risk of Aortic Stenosis Development
For rheumatoid arthritis patients, cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the most frequent cause of death and leads to much of the excess mortality associated with the condition.
Real-World Prognostic Data for Radiation Therapy in Localized Prostate Cancer
Accurate information regarding treatment outcomes after radiation therapy for localized prostate cancer is important for shared decision-making.
Diabetes Has Surprising Effect on Prostate Cancer Prognosis
How diabetes affects the prognosis of advanced prostate cancer (PC) is not well documented, according to a new study which sought to provide more information.
Mast Cell Depletion Affects Prostate Cancer Progression
Better understanding of the cellular immune components underlying aggressive prostate cancer, especially among African American (AA) men who are disproportionately affected by the disease compared with white men, could help improve precision medicine treatment strategies, according to a new study.
Agent Orange Appears to Be Prostate Cancer Risk Factor
Agent Orange exposure appears to be an independent risk factor for a prostate cancer (PCa) diagnosis, although it remains unclear how Vietnam veterans exposed to the defoliant fare when it comes to metastasis or mortality.
Lower Risks of Adverse Effects in Older Adults With Moderna COVID-19 Vaccine
Receipt of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine by older adults was associated with a lower risk of adverse events than the Pfizer-BioNTech version, according to a new study.
Surgery for Cervical Disc Disease Can Be Safely Performed in Overseas MTFs
Surgical procedures for cervical degenerative disc disease, including anterior cervical discectomy and fusion (ACDF) or cervical disc arthroplasty (CDA), are safe and effective therapies for active duty servicemembers in overseas military medical facilities, according to a recent study.
