The term “diabetes distress” is used to describe the emotional response to living with diabetes, a life-threatening illness that requires chronic and demanding self-management.
All WWII Veterans Now Eligible for No-Cost VA Care, Including Long-term Care
All World War II veterans now are eligible for no-cost VA healthcare, medical services and nursing home care, the VA announced shortly before Veterans Day.
Reduction in Mandated Military HIV Checkups Did Little Harm
Nearly a decade ago, in 2014, the U.S Air Force reduced the frequency of mandated HIV medical evaluation visits from every 6 months to every 12 months. The goal was to improve military readiness.
Sarah Krein Researches Whatever Is Necessary to Improve Veterans’ Care
Most VA researchers begin their research career because of a fascination with a certain clinical subject–a niche area usually discovered early in their studies that starts them off on a long, relatively straight, journey. Not for Sarah Krein, PhD, RN, who is interested in many subjects but none so deeply as the methodology of research itself.
VA’s Clinical Quality, Safety as Good or Better Than at Outside Care
A new review has determined that care provided in the VA healthcare system is consistently as good as or better than non-VA care in terms of clinical quality and safety.
VAMCs Struggle to Find Mental Health Staffers for Primary Care
For years, VA has been working to integrate mental healthcare into primary care and requires facilities serving at least 5,000 veterans annually to have a mental health provider available within primary care settings.
VHA Wait Times Increased Most for Blacks, Hispanics During Early Pandemic
Black and Hispanic veterans appeared to experience more barriers to accessing care than white veterans during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a new study finding that wait time disparities increased significantly from the pre–COVID-19 period.
VA Catching Up on Rescheduling Appointments Canceled Early in the Pandemic
VA is slowly catching up on the appointments that were canceled in 2020 and 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic shutting down many nonessential services at VA hospitals.
Factors Linked to Severe COVID-19 Among Vaccinated, Hospitalized Veterans
Although vaccination and boosting remain the best defense against COVID-19, breakthrough infections among those vaccinated and boosted are exceedingly common.
TRICARE Prescription Drug Network Changes Ignite a Controversy
The removal of about 15,000 independent pharmacies from the TRICARE network has created an uproar.
Higher Subclinical Papillary Thyroid Cancer Rates Not Found in Middle Age
How does age affect underlying subclinical papillary thyroid cancer (PTC)? A meta-analysis of autopsy studies investigated how subclinical PTC prevalence changes over the lifetime.
VHA Data: Migraine Is a Commonly Treated Condition Among Veterans
Migraine is a commonly treated condition at the Veteran’s Health Administration (VHA), with more than half-million veterans being diagnosed during a 12-year study period, according to a recent study.
Hurricanes, Sea Level Rise Endanger Hospitals on Atlantic, Gulf Coasts
In late September, Hurricane Ian, a deadly Category 4 storm, caused widespread damage, flooding, loss of power and evacuations from hospitals and nursing homes across Cuba and the U.S. Southeast, especially Florida and South Carolina.
Community Care Approaches Half of All VA-Funded Medical Services
The VA is approaching a point where one-half of all care paid for by the healthcare system will be delivered through community providers. Outside care accounted for 44% of all VA health services last year, it said.
Expert Panel Identifies Quality Measures for High-Risk Veteran Patients
An expert panel has identified quality measures for ambulatory primary care for VHA patients who have complex care needs and are at high risk for adverse outcomes, such as hospitalization or death, according to a new study.
VA’s Stroke Care Quality, Outcomes Not Affected by COVID-19 Pandemic
The overall quality of care for stroke patients in the nation’s largest healthcare system did not decline during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a new study.
Cost of VA-Reimbursed Community Care Is Rising Dramatically
Between FY 2017 and FY 2021, VA spending on community care rose from $10.1 billion to $21.8 billion–a 116% increase that does not factor in the costs of administering the program. At the same time, VA spending on healthcare in its own facilities grew 32%.
VA Continues Inconsistent Measurement of Veteran Wait Times for Care
On its website, VA regularly reports misleading information on how long it takes for a veteran to be seen at its facilities, according to a recent VA Inspector’s General report. That can lead to confusion among veterans and anyone researching wait times, it added.
VA Studies Find Older Patients Unexpectedly Amenable to Deprescribing
Clinicians are often wary of suggesting that older patients discontinue some of their medications, believing they will get pushback.
Severe Staffing Shortages Continue to Plague VA Healthcare System
The VA healthcare system currently is grappling with about 50,000 vacancies, mostly among doctors, nurses, social workers and physician aides. In addition, the turnover rate among nurses is the highest the department has experienced since 2005.
Veterans Receiving VA Emergency Care Have Lower 30-Day Mortality
Long-standing concerns over the difficulties navigating VA’s large and complex healthcare system and the lack of choice veterans have about where to obtain their care have led to reforms in recent years that enable veterans to opt to obtain care in the private sector.
Panel Recommends Closing Some VAMCs, More Emphasis on Outpatient Care
After months of anticipation and years of research, VA has released its Asset and Infrastructure Report (AIR), laying out recommendations for how VA should evolve its physical footprint in the coming decades.
Why Do Cataract, TKA Surgeries Often Cost More at VA vs. Outside Care?
New study raises questions about which veterans requiring cataract and total knee replacement surgeries received community care, as opposed to the cases kept within the VA system.
National Guard Pandemic Response Proves Motto ‘Always Ready, Always There’
For more than two years, the National Guard has risen to the challenges posed by COVID-19 as the pandemic has disrupted lives, supply chains, health care, education and more.
McDonough Denies That Veterans Are Improperly Refused Community Care
Media reports that veterans were being denied community care for financial reasons once again raised questions about how the Mission Act is being administered.
How one VAMC Pharmacy Implemented Gravimetric IV Workflow Technology
For years, the Institute of Safe Medical Practices and other safety groups have been staunch advocates of technology solutions such as gravimetric verification of drug and diluent volumes and have strongly encouraged their implementation to augment manual processes and provide additional safeguards during sterile compounding.
VA Secretary Warns of Hard Conversations Ahead on Agency Resources
VA Secretary Denis McDonough vowed to legislators that the agency will use the lessons it learned during COVID-19 to make the agency stronger going forward.
DoD Will Provide Medical Workers to Help Civilian Hospitals Fight Omicron
In response to the surge of COVID-19 cases related to the omicron variant, President Joe Biden said that an additional 1,000 military medical personnel would be available to aid civilian hospitals in the United States by early this year.
Dinardo Urges VA Physicians to Consider All Possibilities With Diagnoses
A clinician’s mind leaps to a diagnosis. It matches the symptoms; it wouldn’t be that unusual for a patient of that age; it seems the most likely solution to the answers that both veteran and physician are seeking.
Senator Continues Push to Create More Joint DoD/VA Healthcare Facilities
The James A. Lovell Federal Health Care Center in Chicago is the only joint DoD/VA healthcare facility in operation—a partnership between VA and the Navy. With a gentle push from Congress, that might change in the not-too-distant future.
