FARGO, ND — Battlefield Acupuncture is a unique auricular procedure use by many VHA facilities, according to a new study which suggested that, based on past research, it can reduce pain for up to two weeks.
Statin Effect on Death in Veterans With Prostate Cancer
SAN ANTONIO — As the most common cancer in men in the United States, prostate cancer is associated with a prolonged survival and patient care often includes optimizing other comorbidities, such as cardiovascular disease.
PTSD Raises Risk for Cancer Pain in VHA Patients
BOSTON — While research has shown a link between chronic pain and post-traumatic stress disorder, not much is known about the longitudinal course of pain and PTSD during cancer treatment, according to a new study.
Does Medicare Policy Influence End-of-Life Care At VHA?
NEW HAVEN, CT — Although fee-for-service Medicare does not allows simultaneous receipt of cancer treatment and hospice care—i.e, concurrent care—VHA does.
VA Pushes for More Use of NSCLC Targeted Therapies
DURHAM, NC — To help guide therapeutic decisions for patients with advanced stage non-small cell lung cancer, Next-Generation Sequencing (NGS) gene panels are often completed.
IHS Faces Challenges as Navajo Nation Becomes New COVID-19 Epicenter
WINDOW ROCK, AZ — The Indian Health Service) and the Native American communities it serves saw the COVID-19 pandemic’s impact reach new heights in May.
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.
Too High Rate of Diabetes Therapy Intensification at VA Hospital Discharge
BOSTON — About 10% of older veterans discharged from VAMCS had their diabetes medication intensified, even though half of them were unlikely to benefit because either they already had reached their blood glucose goals or had limited life expectancy.
McCoy Helps Rural VA Clinic Use Telehealth to Improve COPD Care
EAST LIVERPOOL, OH — As VA facilities across the country are transferring veterans’ care wherever possible to telehealth in an attempt to promote social distancing and curtail unnecessary visits to hospitals and clinics, one rural outpatient clinic in Ohio is well ahead of the curve.
VA/DoD Take On Extensive Research Roles as Coronavirus Cases Wane
WASHINGTON—As the number of cases of COVID-19 seen in hospitals in many states decline, the VA and DoD have turned from active support of overwhelmed facilities to building deeper understanding of the disease and its impacts through new research studies and continued...
VA Vows to Be Better Prepared If COVID-19 Case Spike in Autumn
WASHINGTON — According to VA leaders, the department will be better prepared if COVID-19 infections spike again in the fall, as many health experts are predicting it will.
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.
VA Juggled Reopening While COVID-19 Increased in Some Areas
WASHINGTON—Last month, VA facilities were engaged in the same juggling act as healthcare organizations across the country—continuing to deal with a pandemic that in some areas of the country was worsening, while moving forward with plans to ease restrictions...
VA Defends Use of Hydroxychloroquine in Veterans With COVID-19
WASHINGTON — Legislators and veterans advocates are concerned about VA’s continued use of hydroxychloroquine, an antimalarial also commonly used to treat rheumatoid arthritis and lupus, on COVID-19 patients.
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 Faces Critical PPE Shortages After Orders Diverted by FEMA
Masks, Other Protective Equipment Went Into Federal Stockpile WASHINGTON—While early in the pandemic VA leaders repeatedly said that their facilities had enough personal protective equipment for its staff to weather the crisis, reports began circulating last month of...
Open for Business: How VA Is Coping With COVID-19 Pandemic
WASHINGTON—On March 4, VA announced its first coronavirus patient—a veteran at the Palo Alto VAMC. Seven weeks later, the system had 6,363 reported cases and 400 inpatient deaths nationwide. As of press time in late April, at least 132 VA facilities had treated...
DoD Attacks COVID-19 on Multiple Fronts, Battling Virus in Every State
WASHINGTON—Divide and conquer. The DoD is taking a new tack on the old advice, dividing the huge demand for support across the country among the services and related agencies in an effort to surmount this wave of the COVID-19 pandemic. By the end of April, more than...
VA Delays Rollout of DoD-Compatible Electronic Health Record
WASHINGTON—The rollout of VA’s new electronic health record system has been delayed to at least July due to a lack of technology infrastructure and issues surrounding employee training. According to legislators, issues with a timely implementation were apparent as...
VA Facing ‘Silver Tsunami’ As More Veterans Require Long-Term Care
WASHINGTON—Legislators are referring to it as the “silver tsunami”—the wave of Vietnam-era veterans who are entering their later years and who will increasingly require long-term care from VA over the next decade. Both lawmakers and veterans’ advocates are concerned...
Improved Electrocardiogram Screening for Recruits Could Save Lives—and Dollars
CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA—Despite significant rates of sudden cardiac death in recruits and the devastating impact of SCD on military missions, the DoD discontinued universal electrocardiogram screening for recruits and officer candidates nearly 20 years ago. Now,...
VA Dramatically Alters Operations in Response to COVID-19 Pandemic
VAMCs Also Called on to Backstop Overwhelmed Civilian Hospitals WASHINGTON—While most of the country was nearing the end of its second full week of lockdown due to COVID-19, VA was in the midst of two massive administrative undertakings. The first was familiar to many...
DoD Battles Coronavirus Pandemic on Multiple Fronts
WASHINGTON—The DoD is throwing the weight and experience of the U.S. military into the fight against the novel coronavirus. Navy ships, Army troops, Air Force cargo planes, National Guardsmen and Reserve forces are all being tapped to battle the invisible enemy:...
Air Force Says Changes to F-22 Aircraft Will Let Pilots Breathe Easier in Flight
By Sandra Basu WASHINGTON — Pilots will be able to breathe easier as a result of changes to the oxygen systems in the F-22 aircraft, Air Force officials recently assured a House committee. The F-22 fleet has been under intense scrutiny after some pilots flying the...
Award-Winning Assistance Adviser Fulfills Life Goal of Helping Vets
By Steve Lewis MADISON, WI — At age 21, Jeffrey Unger said he already had a clear vision of what would become one of his lifelong goals — to help returning veterans get the care they needed. “In my life I’ve enjoyed every day I served in uniform,” says Unger, who was...
Air Force Medicine: Averting an Identity Crisis
By Lt. Gen. Thomas W. Travis, Surgeon General, United States Air Force Lt. Gen. Thomas W. Travis U.S. military forces, now in the second decade of war, benefit from the vast achievements Army, Navy and Air Force medics have jointly made in deployed and enroute health...
Retired Air Force Urologist, General Officer Urges Doctors to Take Command
By Steve Lewis TEMPLE, TX - Retired Brig. Gen. James T. Turlington, MD, may no longer be an active duty general officer in the Air Force, but he’s still practicing medicine — and still making a difference. In fact, Turlington, a urologist at the Central Texas Veterans...
DoD Budget Seeks to Cut More Than 5,000 Civilian Healthcare Workers Over Five Years
By Sandra Basu WASHINGTON - The DoD plans to cut its civilian workforce by 5% to 6% by the end of fiscal year 2018, including more than 5,000 from the Military Health System. President Barack Obama’s FY 2014 proposed base budget request of $526.6 billion for the...
Once Used to Keep Women from Top Ranks, Menopause Now Managed Within VA, Military Health Systems
When President Harry Truman signed the Women’s Armed Services Integration Act into law in 1948, it was touted as opening full military service and veterans’ benefits to women, but many restrictions remained in place. Women were not allowed to fly aircraft engaged in...
Schoomaker: Military Personnel Left Confused by Different Evaluation Systems at VA, DoD
WASHINGTON—Despite significant efforts by DoD and VA to revamp the disability evaluation process, the new system remains “complex and adversarial,” the top Army doctor told a congressional subcommittee. DoD and VA agreed on a new disability and evaluation system to...
