One of the most commonly prescribed classes of drugs, proton pump inhibitors (PPIs), reduces the risk of gastrointestinal bleeding in certain patients at increased risk. Most PPI prescriptions are written for other reasons, however. In fact, an estimated 25-70% of PPI users might not have an appropriate indication.
OIG Report Puts Spotlight on Questionable Bonuses to Top VA Executives
In September 2023, VA revealed that it had erroneously awarded $10.8 million in bonuses to 182 senior executives at its central office using retention provisions included in the PACT Act.
Risk of Dying from COVID-19 Remains Much Greater Than With Influenza
The risk of dying while hospitalized for COVID-19 might have decreased since the pandemic began, but SARS-CoV-2 still has a considerably higher mortality rates than seasonal influenza, according to a new VA study.
VHA Nursing Home Residents Have More Fractures With Antihypertensive Use
Starting an antihypertensive treatment is associated with a significant increase in fracture risk in older long-term VHA nursing home residents, according to a recent study.
Legislators Told AI Both Promising, Scary for Improving VA Healthcare
The speed at which artificial intelligence (AI) is being embraced at the VA has legislators both hopeful and concerned, optimistic that it can improve veterans’ health but worried about data privacy and the possibility of software superseding human decision-making in clinical settings.
Shields Helped Implement Program to Bring Infusion Closer to VHA Patients
The idea for VA’s Close To Me Infusion Service has its roots in many places. One of them was a veteran that Jenna Shields, PharmD, BCOP, saw weekly at the Pittsburgh VAMC. Suffering from a hematologic condition, he required weekly infusions that could only be given at the medical center.
Change Takes Courage
I am tapping out this editorial on my 60th birthday in May. I prefer the annual and unavoidable nonevent—which is the date of my birth—to go by quietly and without too much hoopla. Family and friends have been asking if I feel any different at 60. I have responded that it seems no different from how I felt yesterday at 59. That is not to suggest I have not noticed the changes to my appearance associated with aging as I gaze in the mirror. I have no idea where all the gray hair is coming from (damned barber) or why less of it seems to be growing on my head but has sprouted with renewed aggressive vigor from my nose and ear canals (God does have a sense of humor).
Guideline Discordant Care Leads to Lower NSCLC Survival in AI/AN
American Indian/Alaska Native (AI/AN) patients have lower overall survival rates from non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), and at least part of the reason is that they are less likely to receive guideline-concordant care, according to a new study.
Lung Cancer Survival Rates Continue Improvement Within VHA
VA’s increasing usage of cutting-edge diagnostic and therapeutic treatments for lung cancer, as well as its equal access model to address healthcare disparities, could be a model for other medical systems, according to a new study.
Veterans Study Found Positive Sotorasib Results Similar to CodeBreak Trials
Three years ago, based on the CodeBreak100 trial, the Food and Drug Administration granted accelerated approval to the KRAS G12C inhibitor sotorasib for treating advanced non-small cell lung cancer in the second line or later.
Mutant HRAS-Driven BC Tumors More Linked to Skeletal Muscle Dysfunction
The quality of life for many breast cancer patients is affected by skeletal muscle dysfunction, which is estimated to appear in about 39% of cases.
Here’s How Much Nonadherence to ET Increases Breast Center Recurrence
What is the likelihood of breast cancer recurrence in nonmetastatic survivors who are nonadherent to endocrine therapy, the mainstay treatment to reduce BC recurrence risk?
Limited Information on Breast Cancer Risk After Military Exposures
A long list of health effects have been attributed to military environmental exposures (MEE) such as volatile organic compounds (VOCs), endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs), tactile herbicides, airborne hazards and open burn pits (AHOBP), and depleted uranium.
VA Examines Strategies to Increase Mammography Uptake
Screening mammography plays a crucial role in identifying and treating breast cancer at its early stages, yet many women who could benefit from regular mammogram screenings don’t receive them.
Risk of Aggressive Endometrial Cancer Diagnosis Varies by Race, Ethnicity
The risk of an aggressive endometrial cancer diagnosis varies by race, ethnicity and country of origin, and non-Hispanic Black patients had the highest risk, according to a recent study.
VHA Has Very Low Use of Antiobesity Drugs Despite High Percentages of Overweight Veterans
Antiobesity medications have tended to be underused in the VHA despite a high prevalence of obesity in the veteran population, according to a new study, which added that real-world outcomes reports on use of drugs in veterans also have been limited.
Thyroid Dysfunction Affects Myocardial Disease in Older Patients
What is the relationship between thyroid dysfunction and measures of myocardial disease in older patients?
Better Detection Might Explain Higher Thyroid Cancer Rates in Military Cohort
Even though a previous study found higher papillary thyroid cancer incidence in the U.S. military than the general population—with larger differences among Black than white individuals—it did not provide an explanation for why that might be the case.
SGLT-2i, Testosterone Combo Can Increase Risk of Erythocytosis
Red blood cell production is stimulated with the combination of sodium-glucose cotransporter-2 inhibitors (SGLT-2i) and testosterone replacement therapy TRT), based on clinical trial findings.
A Fight Over In-Vitro Fertilization at VA, as Some Lawmakers Seek to End It
Conservative lawmakers are seeking to limit VA’s ability to provide family planning care on two very different fronts.
Differentiating Reversible Dementia from AD, PD and TBI
Structural imaging markers hold promise for developing accurate, noninvasive, and accessible solutions to differentiate Parkinson’s disease (PD) and Alzheimer’s dementia (AD) reversable conditions and those caused by traumatic brain injury (TBI).
Olfactory Function Loss in GW Veterans Linked to Cognitive Deficits
A disorder related to military service in the 1991 Gulf War (GW), Gulf War illness (GWI)/Chronic Multisymptom Illness (CMI) includes symptoms such as fatigue, pain and cognitive dysfunction.
Herpes Zoster Infection Doesn’t Increase Parkinson’s Risk
Some researchers have postulated for years that systemic infections are associated with development of Parkinson’s disease (PD). Recent studies on the relationship between herpes zoster (HZ) and PD have been conflicting, however.
VA Resource Crunch Less Than Feared With PACT Act-Related Enrollment Surge
The VA is experiencing less of a resource crunch this year due to the PACT Act-related surge than previously expected, according to VA Secretary Denis McDonough. He gave the credit to early planning and increased hiring.
VA Has Low Rates of Preoperative Life-Sustaining Treatment Documentation
Surgery is a significant healthcare event that necessitates timely planning for goals of care (GOC), involving discussions about one’s current values, aspirations and treatment preferences.
Bramhall Works to Resolve Common Hearing Loss in Military Veterans
It’s such a common ailment among veterans that it’s almost a given: If you served any time in the military, you’re walking out with some type of hearing problem. That usually presents as hearing loss or tinnitus—a persistent ringing sound in the ears.
Many Patients with Limited Life Expectancy Choose to Undergo Lung Cancer Screening
Lung cancer screening has the potential to save lives by catching lung cancer at an early stage with definitive treatment. But it also carries potential harms—including overdiagnosis, distress from false-positive results and complications of further testing. For some people, those downsides can outweigh any benefits.
Women Veterans Receiving Surgery at the VHA Have Half the Risk of Mortality
Only 11% of U.S. military veterans are women, according to recent statistics, and they make up even a smaller percentage of patients using VA healthcare—about 10%.
Navy Investigates Sailor Suicides; Exacerbated by Shipyard Maintenance Periods
The Navy has been under public scrutiny in recent years after experiencing a rash of suicides aboard multiple ships, many of them undergoing maintenance at shipyards.
VA Seeks ‘Maintenance Budget’ After Record Growth in Enrollment, Hiring
While VA’s proposed budget represents a 10% increase from last year, it includes decreases in key areas like hiring and infrastructure.
