Almost 45% percent of pregnancies in the United States are unintended, with an estimated 4.5% of reproductive age women having an unintended pregnancy each year.
Overcoming Barriers to Veteran Participation in Outside-VA Cancer Clinical Trials
While clinical trials are essential for advancing treatment options in oncology and making certain patients receive innovative care, too few cancer patients are referred to them, according to a new study.
Care Access Doesn’t Explain Racial Disparities in Rectal Cancer
Does differential access to care explain racial disparities in treatment and outcomes of rectal cancer? A new study from the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences suggested that other factors are likely to be at play.
New Study Warns About Increased Antibiotic Resistance Against Third-Generation Broad-Spectrum Antibiotics in VA Facilities
VHA facilities across the United States have experienced a concerning rise in antibiotic resistance to third-generation cephalosporins, a class of broad-spectrum antibiotics commonly used to treat the Enterobacterales bacterial species.
Indeterminate Liver Nodules Have a High but Variable Risk of HCC
For more than a decade, the Liver Imaging Reporting and Data System (LI-RADS) has been used to standardize the interpretation and reporting of liver lesions in patients at high risk for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).
Homelessness Substantially Increases Risk of Death in Veterans With CKD
U.S. veterans with a history of homelessness had a much greater risk of end-stage kidney disease (ESKD) and death, according to a new study, underscoring the role of housing as a social determinant of health.
Judge Requires VA to Build More Housing for Homeless in West Los Angeles
Last month, a federal judge provided an overwhelming victory to veterans who filed a class-action lawsuit against VA that sought to force the department to build more housing for homeless veterans on its West Los Angeles Medical Center campus.
Legislators: Efforts to Smoothly Transition Servicemembers to VA Falls Short
Legislators took DoD and VA to task for their failures to ensure that servicemembers, especially those in need of mental health services, receive a warm handoff from one department to the other upon discharge.
Congress Passed a $3 Billion Emergency Funding Bill to Help VA’s Budget Shortfall
Congress passed an emergency funding bill providing an additional $3 billion to VA to address an unexpected shortfall in the FY2024 budget for the Veterans Benefits Administration.
Much-Touted ATLAS Telehealth Booths Went Mostly Unused in Rural Areas
A recent report is calling into question the effectiveness of VA’s ATLAS program, a pilot telehealth initiative that places telehealth booths at non-VA community spaces in rural areas where veterans are more likely not to have access to high-speed internet. Veterans can use the booths to conduct telehealth appointments with VA providers.
What Is the Role of the X Chromosome in Alzheimer’s Disease Genetics?
The X chromosome makes up 5% of the human genome and carries a high proportion of genes expressed in the brain. Yet, it is a relatively unexplored as a potential source of genetic variation in AD, according to a new study.
Expert in Veteran Homelessness Helps VA Housing Programs Be More Effective
Few people understand the complexity of providing care to homeless veterans and those at risk for homelessness as well as Jack Tsai, PhD.
Breaking Barriers in Kidney Care: Cynthia Delgado’s Pioneering Efforts Lead to More Equitable Transplantation Practices at the VA
For more than two decades, the calculation of estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) — a critical measure of kidney function — included race as a variable.
Black Americans Have Less Alzheimer’s Disease Awareness, Despite Higher Risk
Older Black Americans are almost twice as likely as white Americans to be affected by Alzheimer’s and related dementias, with 21.3% of Black Americans aged 70 and older living with the disease.
VA $1 Billion Behind in Collecting Insurance, Co-Pays With Software Tool Offline
VA is close to restarting a software tool integral to allowing the department to track its billing of community providers. The Program Integrity Tool (PIT) has been offline since flaws in the system were discovered in February 2023.
Equal, Equitable and Excellent: A Call to Action for Indigenous Care
Native Americans serve in the military at the highest rates per capita of any racial or ethnic group. According to the Office of Health Equity, analysis of fiscal year 2016 to 2019 data revealed that American Indian veterans, less than half were enrolled in VA care.
Review Finds Little Evidence That Massage Therapy Relieves Painful Health Conditions
For individuals seeking relief from painful health conditions, there’s low certainty of evidence that massage therapy will ease their pain, according to a recent review article.
Nearly $15 Billion Budget Shortfall Must Be Addressed This Month, VA Officials Said
Congress recessed for August without passing legislation to close the nearly $15 billion budget shortfall VA is facing for this year and next. The shortfall, which came to light in July, includes $2.88 billion for the remainder of FY2024 and $12 billion for FY2025.
New Algorithm Developed for Urinary Retention Evaluation, Catheterization
A new algorithm could improve care for adult inpatients who need to be evaluated for urinary retention and possible catheterization, according to a recent study.
Does ‘Underserved’ Designation Demoralize Staff at VA Facilities?
For the past several years, VA has been identifying the most underserved facilities in its system and requiring them to create action plans to improve care to their veterans.
VA EHR Rollout at Lovell Federal Healthcare Center Better Than Previous Sites, But Legislators Say Some Issues Persist
About six months ago, the James A. Lovell Federal Healthcare Center became the sixth VA site to switch to the Oracle-Cerner electronic health record (EHR).
Study: Propofol Use Should Be Minimized in Children With ALL
A study involving military researchers has raised concerns about the use of certain types of anesthesia in children with acute lymphocytic leukemia (ALL)
Removing Race From Lung-Function Equations Shifts Disease Classifications
In 2023, the American Thoracic Society recommended race-neutral interpretation of lung function and requested the investigation of “consequences for the yet-unquantified number of individuals with results near decision-making thresholds.”
Essien Pushes Pharmacoequity in VA Healthcare to Combat Disparities
A general internist and health services researcher with the Center for the Study of Healthcare Innovation, Implementation, and Policy (CSHIIP) at the Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System, Utibe Essien, MD, MPH, has devoted his career to defining and then breaking down the systemic problems that lead to healthcare inequity.
VHA Closely Follows Clinical Guidelines on Gender-Affirming Hormone Therapy
When initiating gender-affirming hormone therapy (GAHT) at the VHA, clinicians achieved high overall concordance between current GAHT initiation practices and guidelines, particularly for feminizing GAHT, according to a recent study.
OIG: VISN Leaders Had No Awareness of Toxic Work Environment, Cardiac Surgery Delays at the Rocky Mountain Regional VAMC
At the Rocky Mountain Regional VAMC, a toxic work environment caused by a handful of facility leaders resulted in mass resignations by top clinical staff and the closure of its cardiothoracic surgery program, according to a report from the VA Office of the Inspector General (OIG).
VA Renews Oracle Contract Amid Intense Criticism of EHR Rollout
VA has renewed its contract with Oracle Health to support its electronic health record modernization project. The 11-month extension will place emphasis on not only improving the much-beleaguered EHR, but on holding Oracle accountable when goals are not met.
Novel Psychotherapy Targeting Unresolved Trauma Reduces Chronic Pain in Older Adults Better Than Traditional CBT
Chronic pain in older adults can be significantly reduced using a newly developed psychotherapy called emotional awareness and expression therapy (EAET), which confronts past trauma and stress-related emotions that can exacerbate pain symptoms, according to a new study.
Shared Decision-Making Tool Promotes More Effective Use of Lung Cancer Screening
Research, including a new study of 57,000 U.S. veterans diagnosed with lung cancer, has shown that low-dose computed tomography lung cancer screening (LCS) saves lives.
Tracking Genetic Risk to Better Understand Which Veterans Have Alzheimer’s
Because of overlapping symptom profiles observed in cognitive disorders, psychiatric disorders, and environmental exposures such as head injury, clinicians can find it difficult to detect early signs of Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias (ADRD).
