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2019 Compendium of
Federal Medicine 2019 USM Directory
Department of Defense (DoD) Department of Justice Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) HHS and USPHS
Addiction Allergies Alzheimer's/Dementia Anesthesiology Asthma Battlefield Medicine Breast Cancer Cancer Cardiology Cardiovascular Disease COPD Crohn's Disease Depression Dermatology Diabetes Endocrinology Gastroenterology Genomics Geriatrics Gout Hepatitis HIV Infectious Disease Influenza Kidney Disease Mental Health MRSA Multiple Sclerosis Nephrology Neurology Oncology
Electronic Health Records Emergency Preparedness Legislation Medical Equipment News Pay and Recruitment Personnel Pharmacy Policy Tricare

Mental Health Treatment Alone Won’t Stem Veteran Suicides

Joint House VA, Military Subcommittee Hearing Tackles Issue WASHINGTON—In a rare joint hearing by the House Armed Services Subcommittee on Military Personnel and VA Subcommittee on Health, legislators examined how DoD and VA are working... View Article

From the Editor in Chief


Chester Buckenmaier III, MD COL (ret), MC, USA

“God help us, if, the first time something fails—and something will fail—we crush whoever it was … whoever’s responsible,” —Gen. John “Mike” Murray

Healthcare is vital to all of us some of the time, but public health is vital to all of us all of the time. —C. Everett Koop (1916-2013)

VA Isn’t Addressing Recommendations by Oversight Agencies

Too Many Leadership Vacancies Are Part of the Problem WASHINGTON—Deeply ingrained management problems are preventing VA from addressing priority recommendations from oversight agencies, leaving the department with long-standing weaknesses in its healthcare and disability benefits... View Article

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... View Article

HIV Patients Had Lower PC Incidence in VA Study

NEW YORK—Non-AIDS defining cancers are increasingly important contributors to health outcomes for aging persons with HIV (PWH), according to a recent conference presentation. The presentation also pointed out that, although prostate cancer is prevalent in... View Article

Archives

Featured Articles

Cardiovascular Health Worse for Active-Duty Soldiers Than Same-Age Civilians

June 11, 2019

A Fourth of Female Veterans Report Stranger Harassment at VAMCs

June 11, 2019

Technology Experts Question MISSION Act Electronic Systems

May 17, 2019

DCVAMC Acting Pharmacy Chief Ivan Cephas: ‘Caring Is the Reason’

May 17, 2019

Three VAMC Campus Suicides in a Week Heighten Concerns About Prevention

May 14, 2019

Departments

Department of Veterans Affairs (VA)

VA Isn’t Addressing Recommendations by Oversight Agencies

Gen. Mike Murray made this comment as he became the first commander of the Army Futures Command. The command’s website describes the mission of the organization with the following statement: “Army Futures Command leads a... View Article

Department of Veterans Affairs (VA)

VA MRSA Prevention Program Successfully Reduced Cases 43%

Gen. Mike Murray made this comment as he became the first commander of the Army Futures Command. The command’s website describes the mission of the organization with the following statement: “Army Futures Command leads a... View Article

Department of Veterans Affairs (VA)

VA Study Raises Questions About Value of Readmission Metrics

Gen. Mike Murray made this comment as he became the first commander of the Army Futures Command. The command’s website describes the mission of the organization with the following statement: “Army Futures Command leads a... View Article

Department of Veterans Affairs (VA)

Three VAMC Campus Suicides in a Week Heighten Concerns About Prevention

Gen. Mike Murray made this comment as he became the first commander of the Army Futures Command. The command’s website describes the mission of the organization with the following statement: “Army Futures Command leads a... View Article

Department of Veterans Affairs (VA)

VA Reverses Stance, Won’t Challenge ‘Blue Water’ Veteran Court Ruling

Gen. Mike Murray made this comment as he became the first commander of the Army Futures Command. The command’s website describes the mission of the organization with the following statement: “Army Futures Command leads a... View Article

Department of Veterans Affairs (VA)

VA Continues Efforts to Reduce Drug Diversion; Focuses on Opiates

Gen. Mike Murray made this comment as he became the first commander of the Army Futures Command. The command’s website describes the mission of the organization with the following statement: “Army Futures Command leads a... View Article

Department of Veterans Affairs (VA)

VA Struggles to Overcome Women’s Healthcare Disparities

SAN FRANCISCO—While the VA performs well overall on key 30-day readmission rates, a study by researchers at the San Francisco VAMC questioned the utility of the measures for most of the health system’s hospitals. The... View Article

Department of Veterans Affairs (VA)

VA Researcher Seeks to Include Veterans’ Voices in Healthcare Decisions

WASHINGTON—In the past two years, the VA has implemented a nine-step process to minimize drug diversion, but cases continue to slip through. In December 2018, the VA’s Office of the Inspector General reported two instances... View Article

Clinical Topics

HIV

HIV Patients Had Lower PC Incidence in VA Study

WASHINGTON—VA has released its proposed new access standards, defining new eligibility criteria for veterans seeking care by non-VA providers. The standards are part of the VA MISSION Act signed into law in June 2018, and... View Article

Cancer

HIV Patients Had Lower PC Incidence in VA Study

WASHINGTON—VA has released its proposed new access standards, defining new eligibility criteria for veterans seeking care by non-VA providers. The standards are part of the VA MISSION Act signed into law in June 2018, and... View Article

Cancer

VA Study Finds No Link Between ADT, Dementia

WASHINGTON—VA has released its proposed new access standards, defining new eligibility criteria for veterans seeking care by non-VA providers. The standards are part of the VA MISSION Act signed into law in June 2018, and... View Article

Cancer

Agent Orange Exposure Not Associated With Worse PC Outcomes

WASHINGTON—VA has released its proposed new access standards, defining new eligibility criteria for veterans seeking care by non-VA providers. The standards are part of the VA MISSION Act signed into law in June 2018, and... View Article

Cancer

Oral Cancer Therapies Create Critical Demand for Pharmacists

WASHINGTON—VA has released its proposed new access standards, defining new eligibility criteria for veterans seeking care by non-VA providers. The standards are part of the VA MISSION Act signed into law in June 2018, and... View Article

Mental Health

VA Awakens to Prevalence of Sleep Apnea in Veterans with Severe Mental Illness

WASHINGTON—VA has released its proposed new access standards, defining new eligibility criteria for veterans seeking care by non-VA providers. The standards are part of the VA MISSION Act signed into law in June 2018, and... View Article

Depression

VA Now Allows New Therapy Option for Treatment-Resistant Depression

NASHVILLE, TN—For more than 40 years, haloperidol and ziprasidone have been given to critically ill patients who develop delirium in hospital intensive care units. Now, a study led by VA researchers is likely to change... View Article

Dermatology

IBD Treatment Can Increase Squamous Cell Cancer Risk

Study Finds Links Between Higher Individual, Unit Rates BETHESDA, MD—Are soldiers in specific Army units more likely to attempt suicide? A new study looks at that issue and explores what characteristics of the units might... View Article

Non-Clinical Topics

Pharmacy

Oral Cancer Therapies Create Critical Demand for Pharmacists

NASHVILLE, TN — It wasn’t only the climate that increased the risk of skin cancer for military personnel serving in Iraq and Afghanistan. Lack of sun protection also was a contributing factor, according to a... View Article

Electronic Health Records

Technology Experts Question MISSION Act Electronic Systems

NASHVILLE, TN — It wasn’t only the climate that increased the risk of skin cancer for military personnel serving in Iraq and Afghanistan. Lack of sun protection also was a contributing factor, according to a... View Article

Pharmacy

DCVAMC Acting Pharmacy Chief Ivan Cephas: ‘Caring Is the Reason’

NASHVILLE, TN — It wasn’t only the climate that increased the risk of skin cancer for military personnel serving in Iraq and Afghanistan. Lack of sun protection also was a contributing factor, according to a... View Article

Legislation

VA Reverses Stance, Won’t Challenge ‘Blue Water’ Veteran Court Ruling

NASHVILLE, TN — It wasn’t only the climate that increased the risk of skin cancer for military personnel serving in Iraq and Afghanistan. Lack of sun protection also was a contributing factor, according to a... View Article

Legislation

Executive Order Creates Task Force to Combat Veteran Suicide

NASHVILLE, TN — It wasn’t only the climate that increased the risk of skin cancer for military personnel serving in Iraq and Afghanistan. Lack of sun protection also was a contributing factor, according to a... View Article

Legislation

Legislators Express Outrage Over Military Sexual Trauma Issues Subhead: Senator Describes Her Experience as Air Force Rape Victim

NASHVILLE, TN — It wasn’t only the climate that increased the risk of skin cancer for military personnel serving in Iraq and Afghanistan. Lack of sun protection also was a contributing factor, according to a... View Article

Electronic Health Records

Lack of DoD/VA Decision-Maker Could Hamper EHR Implementation

Robert L. Wilkie is the new VA secretary after confirmation by the Senate. The day before the committee hearing on the nomination, Wilkie met with Sen. Johnny Isakson (R-GA), chairman of the Senate VA Committee,... View Article

News

Legislators Question Whether VA Can Efficiently Implement Mission Act

Six months after President Donald Trump signed the VA MISSION Act–a bill that will, among other things, streamline and expand veterans’ access to non-VA healthcare providers–many legislators are concerned whether VA has the ability to implement the extensive provisions in the bill without the painful speed bumps experienced with past legislation.

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