Devices Allow Remote Monitoring of Blood Glucose Levels ATLANTA—A silver lining in the dark cloud of the COVID-19 pandemic might be that healthcare systems have been forced to reconsider many processes, especially those involving close contact with patients. According...
Slow Reopening After COVID-19 Closures Means VHA Backlogs
WASHINGTON—As VA facilities across the country begin the process of a staggered reopening, most are facing a backlog of appointments, surgeries and disability examinations. While some healthcare needs were able to be met through telehealth during the last few months,...
With Video Series, USU Breathes Life into Ventilator Training for COVID-19
One of the many challenges with treating COVID-19 is that acute respiratory distress syndrome associated with the infection is so different from what intensivists usually see. Another is that the influx of patients means that a lot of non-specialist physicians have been called on to care for these patients. In response, the Uniformed Service University of Health Sciences has created educational video series which provides critical information on ventilator usage and novel modes, such as airway pressure release ventilation, which allows for spontaneous breathing and has potential lung-protective benefits.
Vigilance at VA Community Living Centers in the Time of COVID-19
Editor’s note: The VA asked if U.S. Medicine could help disseminate important information on its response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Here is a discussion from some of the agency’s top leaders. By Carolyn Clancy, MD, Teresa Boyd, DO, and Scotte Hartronft, MD We believe...
VA’s IG: Unrealistic EHR Rollout Could Have Put Patients at Risk
WASHINGTON — The VA Inspector General released two long-awaited reports last month examining problems with the roll-out of VA’s new electronic health record system at its pilot site, the Mann-Grandstaff VAMC in Spokane, WA, and the news was not good.
Satisfaction With Telehealth Visits Building Among VA-Treated Veterans
WASHINGTON — When the VA recently received $17.2 billion in funding from the CARES Act, one of the priorities was providing telehealth resources for veterans seeking in-home care.
Teledermoscopy Enhances Remote Dermatology Consults
PORTSMOUTH, VA—Use of teledermatology has increased at military treatment facilities in response to greater demand for dermatologic care throughout military medicine and persistent, dermatologic provider shortages, according to a new study. The article in Military...
VA’s EHR Rollout Indefinitely Delayed by COVID-19 Pandemic
DoD Bidirectional Information Sharing Was Launched, However WASHINGTON—The rollout of VA’s new electronic health record system has been delayed again, this time due to the coronavirus. Just prior to the outbreak of COVID-19 in the United States, VA had announced it...
VA: AI-powered Wearable Predicts Heart Failure a Week Before Hospitalization
SALT LAKE CITY—More veterans leave the hospital with a diagnosis of heart failure than any other condition, making improving care for this rapidly growing segment of the population a high priority. A critical step is keeping veterans with heart failure out of the...
VA, Indian Health Service Try to Work Out Ways to Improve AI/AN Care
WASHINGTON—The health of Native American veterans recently took center stage at congressional hearings—a rarity—as VA and the Indian Health Service prepare to update their memorandum of understanding on how the agencies share responsibility in caring for Native...
Researcher Uses VA EMR to Track Social Factors Linked to Veteran Suicide
PITTSBURGH—It’s long been understood that social stress factors such as violence, homelessness, unemployment, relationship problems and other factors can all contribute to veterans’ suicidal ideation and suicide attempts. For the first time, that link can be...
Internet ‘Spoofing’ Often Targets Veterans; Related Stress Affects Health
WASHINGTON—While anyone can be the target of online scams, veterans might be especially vulnerable to internet fraud and social media identity theft, according to veterans’ advocates. Making the situation even worse, they testified before the House Veterans Affairs...
Legislators Concerned about VA’s Slow Response to Cybersecurity Threats
WASHINGTON—While VA is moving swiftly forward with a number of major technology projects, including a new electronic health records system, the agency’s advancements in cybersecurity are progressing at a glacial rate, according to reports from VA watchdogs. This has...
VA’s Innovation Chief Sees Himself as a Catalyst to Bring People, Ideas Together
PALO ALTO, CA—The journey of Thomas Osborne, MD, into medicine was not a straight line, but it was a path that seems strangely appropriate considering his role now as Director of VA’s brand new National Center for Collaborative Healthcare Innovation. An art student at...
New Delay in VA’s On-Again, Off-Again Plans for Medical Scheduling System
WASHINGTON—The rollout of VA’s new medical scheduling system has been delayed an additional two years, with the end date being pushed from 2023 to 2025, VA officials announced last month. VA had separated implementation of the new system from its larger...
VA: MISSION Act Rollout Appears to Have Gone Well in First Three Months
WASHINGTON—Three months following the implementation of the MISSION Act, VA leaders testified before Congress that the sweeping changes to the agency’s community care standards are rolling out smoothly. Concerns remain, however, about veterans’ lack of understanding...
What Will Be Cost of VA’s Legacy EHR System During Changeover?
WASHINGTON — As VA moves forward with the comprehensive overhaul of its electronic health records system, the department will still need to keep its legacy EHR system functioning well into the next decade. A recent Government Accountability Office report suggests, however, that the costs to do that—already totaling in the billions—may have been underestimated.
Five Miles High? VA Document Backlog Is Stacking Up, OIG Reports
WASHINGTON — If stacked, VA’s backlog of paper medical documents that are waiting to be digitalized—most generated by veterans’ visits to non-VA providers—would be over 5 miles high, according to a report from the VA inspector general.
High Satisfaction with Teledermatology at Atlanta VAMC
ATLANTA—The VA has rolled out a number of telehealth initiatives over the last years, with remote visits to dermatologists being offered to more and more veterans. But how well is the program working? A new study maintained that teledermatology is comparable to...
Ongoing IT Problems at VA Could Hamper Shared EMR System With DoD
WASHINGTON—High turnover among leadership, gaps in accountability, and long-standing problems in cybersecurity represent significant challenges for VA in its ongoing efforts to improve its IT infrastructure, oversight officials told legislators last month. These...
VA Announces Plans to Create 3D-Printed Artificial Lung
3D Printing Already Personalizes Care in Other Ways ANN ARBOR, MI—VA scientists in Michigan recently announced they are working to create a three-dimensional-printed artificial lung. The lab-created lung could transform treatment for some of the approximately one...
Richmond VAMC Nurse Develops Interventional Radiology Manual
When Jennifer Farrell, RN, arrived at the Richmond VAMC in February 2015, the interventional radiology department was in its infancy.
VA, DoD Formally Agree to Create ‘Seamless’ EHR System
After years of pressure from Congress and advocacy groups, the DoD and VA have formally agreed to work together to implement “a single, seamlessly integrated electronic health record that will accurately and efficiently share health data.”
Decision Tool Helps Decide Who Should Get Lung Cancer Screening
A new online decision tool helps clinicians determine when to recommend lung cancer screening for their patients.
Cost Matters Most in Patient Preference for ED Diagnostic Testing
Diagnostic testing is often used during emergency department (ED) visits. But, in the rush to diagnosis and treat patients, often not much attention is paid to patient preferences for such testing, according to a recent study.
A ‘Trigger’ Can Make Sure Abnormal TSH Levels Are Followed Up
In busy outpatient clinics, following up on abnormal test results too often falls by the wayside, according to a new study.
New House Subcommittee Will Oversee VA EHR Implementation
The House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs is gearing up for greater oversight of VA’s electronic health record implementation with the creation of a new oversight subcommittee.
SCAN-ECHO Improves Care for VA Liver Disease Patients
While specialty care has been associated with improved survival in patients with liver disease, convenient access to specialists isn’t available to all patients.
Tele-ICU Program Reduces Transfers of VA’s ICU Patients
Most intensive care units (ICUs) in smaller, community, and regional hospitals aren’t able to support intensivist staffs to provide advanced critical care.
Remote Disease Management Program Improves Outcomes in the Northwest
A telehealth-based chronic disease management program which included clinical pharmacy specialists (CPS) had positive outcomes on primary care outcomes in a rural area, according to a new study.
