Study Looks at What Percentage Actually Get Help at VA PITTSBURGH—Among veterans presenting for first-time care within the VA healthcare system, about 11% meet the criteria for a diagnosis of substance use disorder. Most prevalent among both male and female veterans,...

LOS ANGELES—Sometimes the simplest interventions work best. That’s what the VA Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System discovered in its attempts to increase the number of veterans with cirrhosis who received regular surveillance for hepatocellular cancer (HCC)....

SEATTLE – Can autologous stem cell transplantation extend remission of mantle cell lymphoma? A study published in the journal Blood Research said the procedure could do that but also cautioned that the management of subsequent MCL relapse can be challenging. VA Puget...

Several recently approved devices have the potential to improve outcomes for service members and veterans with musculoskeletal injuries. Additional promising devices and procedures are now in testing. Some notable innovations include: Barricaid Annular Closure Device:...

Direct acting oral anticoagulants have a lower risk of major bleeding than warfarin and clinicians have had options for controlling major bleeds for several years. That’s not the message patients have heard, though.

Dabigatran, apixaban, edoxaban and rivaroxaban all have FDA approval for use to reduce the risk of stroke and blood clots in patients with nonvalvular atrial fibrillation and treatment of deep vein thrombosis and pulmonary embolism. Dabigatran, apixaban and rivaroxaban are also indicated for the prevention of blood clots after hip or knee replacement surgery.

PALO ALTO, CA — Ten years ago choosing an anticoagulation therapy boiled down to Warfarin or—Warfarin. Today, physicians and patients in the VA and elsewhere have more anticoagulant choices than ever. and those newer options have largely displaced Warfarin for many indications.

IOWA CITY, IA — About one-third of VA patients have three or more chronic conditions.1 Ironically, for many of them, that complexity makes choosing between warfarin and a direct acting oral anticoagulant easier.

Options for treatment of renal cell carcinoma are multiplying. Patients are benefiting from rising survival rates but also must be managed to minimize acute kidney injury from cancer treatment, with nephrectomy the greatest risk in RCC. That means more teamwork...

A new study looks at factors to improve survival rates in veterans with multiple sclerosis. VA’s efforts don’t stop there, however. The healthcare system has a multipronged effort to reduce disability and improve quality of life in MS patients, especially those with...

Until last fall, no established standard of care existed for newly diagnosed peripheral T-cell lymphoma. But, using a new process, the Food and Drug Administration agreed to expand the indications for brentuximab vedotin only two weeks after receiving an application....

NASLD Is A Leading Risk Factor for Hepatocellular Carcinoma Over the last 17 years, the incidence of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease among active-duty U.S. military servicemembers leapt from 12.6 cases per 100,000 person-years to 152.8. In the short term, military...

Because of their cardiovascular protective effects, SGLT2 inhibitors have been a game-changer in Type 2 diabetes treatment. That is especially the case, now that the FDA has approved a new indication for canagliflozin to reduce the risk of major adverse cardiovascular...

An estimated 4% of veterans in care at the VA have a diagnosis of schizophrenia, and they are among the greatest users of healthcare resources. That’s why VA is piloting innovative programs to provide continuity of care to schizophrenia patients. One example is a...

With veterans at generally higher risk of lung cancer for a variety of reasons, the VA is seeking to catch cases earlier by instituting widespread screening. The healthcare system is facing a difficult challenge, however: A sizable percentage of veterans whose scans...

Inhaled Steroids a Factor Veterans with COPD have been hit hard by an increase in nontuberculous mycobacteria infections. Researchers suggest that treatment with inhaled steroids appears to play a role in the rising rates, but many other factors also are involved. The...

Results of a range of studies are conclusive: Continuous glucose monitoring can improve glycemic control and reduce hypoglycemia risks in patients with both Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes. Now, the Defense Health Agency, which tightly controls use of the technology...

WASHINGTON—With the number of veterans being diagnosed with hepatocellular carcinoma continuing to rise, the VA has implemented several new initiatives to improve outcomes for patients with this aggressive cancer. The most common type of liver cancer, HCC is the...

HOUSTON—A new epidemic appears poised to overtake hepatitis C as the leading cause of hepatocellular carcinoma.

HOUSTON—The VA has announced that it expects to eliminate hepatitis C in all veterans willing and able to receive treatment by May of this year. Successful treatment for HCV also dramatically reduces the risk of hepatocellular carcinoma and other complications. The VA...

RICHMOND, VA—For more than a decade after the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved sorafenib for hepatocellular cancer, treatment options for the aggressive malignancy remained static. That changed dramatically in the last 24 months as five drugs received...

A paucity of information exists on air quality and rhinitis in the pathophysiology of upper airway disease