WASHINGTON — The military has not done enough to accept the high level of substance misuse among its ranks or to modernize its approach to combating the problem, a new report charges.

FORT LEWIS, WA — Is the duodenal-switch (DS) procedure better than the commonly-used gastric bypass (GB) in prompting weight loss and control of coexisting conditions, especially for the super-obese?

SAN FRANCISCO — While non-obese patients with methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) pneumonia respond to both of the antibiotics vancomycin and linezolid, obese patients are best treated with linezolid, according to a VA researcher.

SAN ANTONIO — Roux-en-Y gastric bypass surgery resulted in significant weight loss for severely obese patients, and the weight loss was sustained for an average of six years after the surgery, according to a new study.

WASHINGTON — Barriers to information technology (IT) compatibility between VA and DoD are endemic to joint healthcare projects across the country, according to a Government Accountability Office (GAO) investigation. The report lists problem areas, the worst being the ability to access and share each other’s healthcare information.

By Brenda L. Mooney
BETHESDA, MD--Invasive fungal wound infections are on the increase in military personnel wounded by improvised explosive devices, leading to significant morbidity and even death in some cases where the victims initially survived.

WASHINGTON — Only days before the opening game of the NFL season, the NFL and Army announced they were teaming up to raise awareness about TBI, an injury that plagues both organizations.

ROCHESTER, MN — With sweeping new initiatives from the White House and elsewhere in response to the burgeoning military suicide rate, little guidance has been offered to the clinicians in the trenches who are best positioned to recognize and prevent such drastic actions.

WASHINGTON — In response to an executive order signed by President Barack Obama, VA will increase the capacity of its VA Veterans Crisis Line by 50% by the end of the year. It’s one of several initiatives seeking to expand suicide prevention and mental-health resources for returning veterans and troops.

CHICAGO — A government report shows that delays in integrating VA and DoD IT systems at the James A. Lovell Federal Health Care Center (FHCC) in Chicago have proven costly for the jointly-run facility. VA officials responded, however, that lessons learned during this process may prove helpful in the attempt to integrate systems on a national level.