On numerous occasions, VA officials testifying before Congress have, upon being asked, been unable to provide accurate demographics on the department’s patient population, because the information had not been collected or collated.
Military Surgeon Readiness Continues to Decline as Patient Caseloads Drop
Military surgeon readiness continues to decrease because of declining workload, and a new study suggested that patient flow care at the MHS will have to dramatically change to reverse the situation.
LA VAMC Researcher Works to Create Racial, Ethnic, Gender Equity in Healthcare
When Donna Washington, MD, MPH, moved to Los Angeles for a health services fellowship at UCLA following her residency, she imagined that she would end up working in a county or public health system.
House VA Committee Investigates Recruitment of Veterans by Extremist Groups
What role, if any, does VA have in preventing the recruitment of veterans into organizations that promote violence against the United States and its citizens? A trio of hearings hosted by the House Veterans Affairs Committee explored the question.
VA Seeks More Contractors to Support Expanding Telehealth Programs
As VA faces a post-pandemic landscape that includes an increased reliance on telehealth, it is looking to put its money where its healthcare needs are.
VA Study Questions Value of Remdesivir in Hospitalized COVID-19 Patients
Last October, the Food and Drug Administration approved remdesivir, marketed as Veklury, for use in adults and children 12 and older who weight at least 40 kg for the treatment of COVID-19 requiring hospitalization.
LGBTQ Legislation Seeks to Make VA More Inclusive, Welcoming
While there has been considerable focus by VA in recent weeks on reaching out to LGBTQ veterans, especially those discharged under Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell restrictions, some legislators and veterans advocates are seeking to broaden the conversation around equity and inclusion.
TAPS Can Be the Start of Something Good for Veterans with Essential Tremor
Veterans are used to the sound of Taps marking an end. For a growing number, TAPS may indicate the beginning of a road to recovery of independence.
For Veterans With Cancer, Teleoncology Offers High Patient Satisfaction
Approximately 50,000 U.S. military veterans are diagnosed with cancer annually, representing 3% of all cancers across the nation.
Healthcare Quality Assurance Programs Again Found Lacking by OIG Report
The quality, safety and value (QSV) programs in some VA facilities continue to fall short, according to a new VA Inspector General report.
Military Bases Add Additional Restrictions to Help Stem COVID-19 Spread
U.S. military bases around the country—and some around the world—have begun to increase health protection measures to guard against the surge in COVID-19 cases due to variants, such as delta, that have been spreading for months.
LGBTQ Veterans Ousted By ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ Eligible for VA Benefits
VA Secretary Denis McDonough sent guidance to Veterans’ Benefit Administration adjudicators restating that veterans who were given other than honorable discharges under the military’s former Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell (DADT) policy are eligible for the full range of VA benefits.
Veteran Was Missing for Almost a Month Before Decomposed Body Found
On June 12, 2020, a badly decomposed body was found in the emergency exit stairwell of the Bedford Veterans Quarters (BVQ), a privately operated, independent living facility on the campuses of VA’s Edith Nourse Rogers Memorial Veterans Hospital.
How Mandatory HCP Vaccines Affect Infections
The VA led the way among federal agencies in requiring front-line health workers to be vaccinated against COVID-19. It later expanded the requirement to most VHA employees, volunteers and contractors who work in those facilities or come in contact with veteran patients and healthcare workers as part of their duties.
AMA, Other Physician Groups Strongly Oppose New VA Standards of Practice
Partly spurred by the COVID-19 pandemic, the VA late last year released an interim final rule clarifying that VA nurses and other healthcare professionals can deliver services in a state other than their state of licensure, registration or certification.
VA Will Use Rescue Funds to Digitize Records Used for Veteran Claims
The VA will use millions of dollars from its American Rescue Plan grants to expand the scope of the digitization of federal records. One key goal is to reduce a backlog of record requests created by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Some Patients Who Would Benefit Most From Telemedicine Can’t Access It
Telemedicine offers convenient healthcare for many, but those who could stand to benefit most could be the least able to access it, according to a new analysis.
Somatic Symptom Disorder Ups PTSD Risk
In somatic symptom disorder, patients develop too much focus on physical symptoms, such as pain, weakness or shortness of breath, which causes them significant distress and often creates problems for normal function, according to the American Psychiatric Association.
LAIs Improve VHA Schizophrenia Medication Adherence
Ensuring high rates of medication adherence is one of the greatest challenges in treating schizophrenia patients at the VA and elsewhere.
COVID-19 Pandemic Provides Lessons on Protecting VA LTC Facilities
The VA can learn important lessons from how it handled infection control in its senior centers during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a recent Government Accountability Office (GAO) report.
National Guard Responds to Hurricane Ida Catastrophe
As of the end of August, the National Guard had activated more than 5,200 personnel in Louisiana, Mississippi, Texas and Alabama in response to Hurricane Ida, according to Army Maj. Gen. William D. “Hank” Taylor, the Joint Staff deputy director for regional operations.
Aging Baby Boomers Will Require VA to Double Long-Term Care Spending
As the baby boomer generation begins to reach the age where they will require regular, long-term care, VA will be required to shift a huge portion of its resources to care for them.
Strebel Helps Create Tool to Identify VA COVID-19 Patients Most at Risk
Is it possible to create an algorithm that not only accurately predicts which COVID-19 patients will be hardest hit by the virus but will also be accepted and trusted by clinicians?
VA Police Likely Will Be Equipped With Body Cameras to Provide More Data
VA’s police force will likely soon be equipped with body-worn cameras, either through the department’s own initiative or by legislative fiat.
COVID-19 Vaccine Expected to Be Required for Military Personnel This Month
The DoD plans to request a presidential waiver to require all servicemembers to receive the COVID-19 vaccine starting in mid-September, according to a memo sent by Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin.
Legislator: VA Is Using ‘Opaque Slush Fund’ to Fund IT Costs
The VA’s plans to use money left over from another fund to increase its information technology budget has raised concerns among some members of Congress.
VA EHR Rollout at First Site Was Flawed, Needs Reconfiguration
The initial rollout of VA’s new electronic health record (EHR) system at the Mann-Grandstaff VAMC was deeply flawed and requires serious reconfiguring.
SGLT2 Inhibitors Found to Be Superior to Sulfonyureas in Veterans’ T2D
Sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 (SGLT2) inhibitors, a relatively new class of antihyperglycemics, have become an important tool in the treatment of Type 2 diabetes—a disease that affects an estimated 25% of VA patients.
Despite Delays, NCAA Attorney Donald Remy Confirmed as VA’s Deputy Secretary
Former National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) attorney Donald Remy, an Army veteran, has been confirmed by the Senate to be the VA’s deputy secretary.
VA Opposes Senate Bill Requiring It to Research Cannabis Use
A bill that would require the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs to run clinical trials on the potential benefits of cannabis for the treatment of military veterans suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder and chronic pain was again rejected by the VA, even though the legislation—S.1467 VA Medicinal Cannabis Research Act of 2021—is supported by a plethora of veterans groups.