Urinary tract infection is one of the diagnoses for which antibiotics are most commonly used. So, a study determining that shorter duration treatment works as well as a longer course of antibiotics can have an outsized effect on reducing overuse of antimicrobials.
Pain Cream Sellers Sentenced for Bilking TRICARE Out of Mega-Millions
Prosecution continues for defendants charged in a number of nearly-identical schemes to defraud TRICARE and other insurers out of hundreds of millions of dollars by exploiting a former loophole in the billing process for compound drugs.
VA Takes Lead in Requiring COVID-19 Vaccine for Front-line Healthcare Workers
When the VA, the largest healthcare system in the U.S., mandated COVID-19 vaccines for front-line healthcare workers in late July, it moved to the forefront of a building trend to require COVID-19 vaccines for some employees. It also established the department as the first federal agency to take the step.
Veteran Homelessness Likely to Increase With End of Eviction Moratorium
While the last decade has seen a dramatic decrease in the number of veterans who are homeless on any given night, that trend has stalled in the last two years with numbers, even prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, starting to move upward again.
Defense Health Agency’s COVID-19 Vaccine Research Sparks Controversy
Research on rare adverse effects from COVID-19 vaccines has thrust the military into the center of the rancorous controversy about vaccination safety, causing some Congress members to question whether immunization against novel coronavirus should be required by the nation’s uniformed services.
Blood Screening Tool Increases Alzheimer’s Trial’s Diversity
Mexican American patients often aren’t participants in Alzheimer’s disease (AD) clinical research, according to a new study that suggests more efficient screening tools could change that.
VA’s Tele-Oncology Services Proved Beneficial During COVID-19 Shutdowns
Prior to the onset of the COVID-19 outbreak in the United States, 2,749 face-to-face visits for medical oncology and 5,093 visits for radiation oncology occurred at the Ann Arbor, MI, VAMC from June 2019 to December 2019.
Legislators Disagree on When, How VA Should Deal With Aging Facilities
The average age of VA’s healthcare facilities is now more than 50 years old. As those buildings have aged, the cost of maintaining them has risen, and VA has not always been able to keep up.
VA Recharges Efforts to Tackle In-House Equity, Inclusion, Diversity Issues
VA needs to do more to ensure workforce equity, inclusion and diversity, especially in its senior leadership roles, according to legislators and employee advocates.
Infrastructure Costs to Modernize VA Could Cost Billions Extra
VA might have underestimated the physical infrastructure costs related to its electronic health record modernization effort by billions according to a VA Inspector General report analyzing the project costs.
Military Survey Shows Preferences for HIV Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis Delivery
Use of pre-exposure prophylaxis to prevent human immunodeficiency virus transmission remains relatively low for U.S. military servicemembers. New research suggests, however, that better understanding their treatment preferences could increase uptake.
VA Emergency Medicine Chief Used Videocast to Share Ideas During Pandemic
As VA’s National Emergency Medicine chief, Chad Kessler, MD, appreciates the importance that communication plays in seeing people through a crisis.
Legislators Question VA’s Significantly Increased Budget Request
In its FY 2022 budget proposal, VA is asking Congress to provide the department with a 10% increase over 2021 funding levels.
VA Begins Process to Offer Gender Confirming Surgery to Transgender Veterans
With VA’s announcement that it will begin initiating the process to offer gender confirmation surgery to transgender veterans.
FDA Grants Accelerated Approval for Controversial Novel Alzheimer’s Medication
Aducanumab, the novel Alzheimer’s drug that recently gained accelerated approval from the Food and Drug Administration is expected to cost about $56,000 a year.
OIG Finds That VA’s Computer Systems Remain Vulnerable to Cyberattacks
Although no data was stolen from VA’s computer systems during the 2020’s SolarWinds hack, cybersecurity remains a long-standing material weakness for the VA, agency overseers pointed out.
Promising Treatments Boost Positive Extended Results in HCC
Without treatment, even patients diagnosed with early stage hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) have a median survival of just over a year. Patients with advanced stage disease at diagnosis will likely see just one change of season.
Problems With DoD-to-VA Transition Program Intensified by Pandemic
Transitioning from active duty military service to civilian life is difficult at the best of times. The pandemic added a host of new challenges, highlighted existing problems with the transitioning process and widened the cracks through which those veterans who are most in need of support are in danger of falling.
DoD Continues to Promote COVID-19 Vaccination; Navy Offers Incentives
The Navy became the first U.S. military branch to change policy so that servicemembers who are fully vaccinated against COVID-19 have more freedom of movement.
How Was a VA Nurse Assistant Able to Murder Seven Patients in One Year?
In May, Reta Mays, a former nurse’s assistant at VA’s Louis A. Johnson Medical Center in Clarksburg was sentenced to seven consecutive life sentences—one each for the patients that she had pleaded guilty to murdering.
Few Women Veterans Receive Pre-Pregnancy Counseling
Women veterans aren’t routinely being queried about their intentions related to pregnancy, making it more difficult to optimize family planning care.
How Women Veterans’ Breast Cancer Compares to Male Version
Less than 1% of breast cancer occurs in men, although it continues to rise.
COVID-19 Pandemic Put Spotlight on VA’s Critical Supply Chain Problems
The COVID-19 pandemic has underscored VA’s lack of a comprehensive supply chain management program, and agency officials once again defended their progress before Congress.
Workflow Issues Plague Rollout of VA’s New Electronic Health Record
Many of the design issues delaying the continued rollout of VA’s new electronic health record (EHR) system are in the area of standardized workflow rather than simple technical glitches, VA officials explained.
Many Female VA Patients Appear to Have Undiagnosed OSA
Too many women veterans remained undiagnosed with sleep apnea, even if they were at high risk of adverse outcomes, according to a new study.
Rates of Insomnia Disorders in Younger Veterans ‘Alarming’
Sleep researchers at the VA have sent out a distress signal about the high rates of insomnia disorder in younger veterans.
Infrastructure Lack Increases Health Risks of Native Americans
The COVID-19 pandemic, which disproportionately affected Native Americans, has revealed a critical need for investments in those communities, according to trial advocates and the Indian Health Service (IHS).
ADHD, Mental Health Comorbidities Affect Military Applicant Pool
As a common childhood diagnosis, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) also affects the pool of potential military applicants.
Navy Study Shows Marine Recruits Not Immune to Reinfection With COVID-19
Previous infection with COVID-19 provided some but not complete protection against reinfection in young Marine recruits, according to a new study.
Too Many Veterans With HIV Prescribed Inappropriate BP Medications
HIV patients on anti-retroviral therapy are at increased risk for cardiovascular events, heightening the importance of preventive care. Now, new research has found that selection of blood pressure medication is critically important for this group and can have a significant effect on risk of cardiovascular events or even death.