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A VA nursing assistant has pleaded guilty to seven counts of second-degree murder and one count of assault with intent to commit murder in the deaths of eight veterans at the Louis A. Johnson VAMC.

VA Whistleblower Protection Office Takes Action in Only 2% of Its Cases

The Office of Accountability and Whistleblower Protection has followed through with only a small fraction of the cases it has investigated.

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Statins Reduce Risk of Acute Liver Injury in Veterans With HIV or HCV

In 2013, the American College of Cardiology and American Heart Association issued updated guidelines significantly expanding the number of patients who should be considered candidates for statin therapy.

Direct Acting Antivirals Cure More than 90% of Older Patients with HCV

The American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases and the Infectious Diseases Society of America recommend that nearly all patients with chronic hepatitis C virus infection receive treatment with direct-acting antiviral therapy.

Psychotherapeutic Services Can Be Critical for Veterans With Multiple Sclerosis

Some Mental Health Issues More Common in MS Patients HARTFORD, CT—Emotional disorders are common in patients with multiple sclerosis and can...

COVID-19

With COVID-19 Cases Still Climbing, VA Seeks to Improve Telehealth

While the number of COVID-19 cases being actively treated at VA facilities declined, the total number of infections and deaths rose steadily in July and August.

COVID-19 Incidence in AI/AN More Than Three Times Greater Than Whites

ATLANTA—Non-Hispanic American Indians and Alaska Natives make up only 0.7% of the United States population but 13% of coronavirus disease cases...

‘Happy Hypoxia’ Might Not Be Such a Mystery After All in COVID-19

by Brenda Mooney

Earlier in the COVID-19 pandemic, physicians were often baffled by patients who presented with extremely low levels of oxygen. Although oxygenation was so low it was potentially life-threatening in some cases, patients showed no obvious difficulty in breathing.

Houston, Miami VAMCs Participate in Tocilizumab Trial

by Chester Buckenmaier III, MD, COL (ret), MC, USA | Editor-in-Chief

HOUSTON—The Michael E. DeBakey VAMC in Houston and the Bruce W. Carter VAMC in Miami are among nearly 70 locations across the world participating in...

Editor-In-Chief, Chester “Trip” Buckenmaier III, MD, COL (ret.), MC, USA

Extraordinary times

“Extraordinary times call for extraordinary measures.” — Benet Wilson

Last month’s U.S. Medicine August 2020 editorial, “It feels like writing ‘Bad things are about to happen’ on a napkin and then setting the napkin on fire.” — Colin Carlson, was angry. This month’s editorial is an admission of regret for that anger, a recognition that anger serves no useful purpose in the face of national tragedy. It perhaps defines a better way to act going forward. Admittedly, the editorial was cathartic for me. Still, I am not sure it was much of a public service to my readers. The depth and breadth of the COVID-19 pandemic in this country has been overwhelming to society. It has exposed divisions in our union that have been simmering under our national veneer of unity.

With COVID-19 Cases Still Climbing, VA Seeks to Improve Telehealth

While the number of COVID-19 cases being actively treated at VA facilities declined, the total number of infections and deaths rose steadily in July and August.

Most AFGE Survey Respondents Opined That VA Has Racism Problem

More than three-quarters of VA employees report that racism is a moderate to severe problem at VA facilities, according to a survey released by the American Federation of Government Employees.

APA Recommends Ongoing Use of Long-Acting Injectables for SMI

WASHINGTON — Even as VA facilities open up nationwide, administrators and others are keeping a wary eye on the possibility of a significant second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic in the fall. U.S. healthcare systems are preparing now for a sharp increase in cases in the...

Study Urges Integration of Co-Morbid Mental Health, Substance Use Treatment

Many mental health programs will not accept patients with active substance use issues. That effectively denies treatment to many veterans who have served in the past 20 years, among whom co-occurring substance use disorders and mental health disorders are particularly common.

Switch to Long-Acting Injectable Reduces VA Costs for Schizophrenia Care

Schizophrenia can be frightening and life-changing. Common symptoms such as disorganized thinking and speech, lack of expressive emotion, social withdrawal, neglect of self-care, hallucinations and delusions alienate individuals with schizophrenia from others and create barriers to day-to-day functioning in society.

Biomarker IDs Veterans at Risk of Poor Skin Cancer Prognosis

The neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) biomarker is associated with systemic inflammation and poor prognosis in solid tumors.

Study Reveals Risks of Non-Dermatologists Treating Melanoma

Military personnel often have more exposure to sunlight, compared to their civilian counterparts, and that can increase their risk of melanoma.

Some IBD Patients Have Increased Skin Cancer Risk

Past research has cautioned about the risk of skin cancer with use of immunosuppressive medications. Yet, a new study pointed out, there is limited information on repeated basal cell cancer (BCC) occurrences among inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) patients, especially those who use immunosuppressive medications.

VA Pharmacists Advise on Use of Anticoagulation in Severe COVID-19 Cases

by Brenda Mooney

While reports in the literature are increasing about high rates of coagulopathy and venous thromboembolism (VTE) among hospitalized patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), there is little guidance on how to treat it or prevent it.

Dementia Rates Increased With Serious Mental Illness