WASHINGTON — Veterans seeking care from community providers could face even longer wait times under the MISSION Act than they did before the legislation went into effect, a VA Office of Inspector General report has concluded. In the report released last month,...
VA, Indian Health Service Try to Work Out Ways to Improve AI/AN Care
WASHINGTON—The health of Native American veterans recently took center stage at congressional hearings—a rarity—as VA and the Indian Health Service prepare to update their memorandum of understanding on how the agencies share responsibility in caring for Native...
Some Military Healthcare Cuts Temporarily Put on Hold for Manpower Review
Original Proposal Would Have Been Detrimental to USUHS WASHINGTON—The DoD’s proposed plan to cut as many as 18,000 military medical billets has been put on hold in the final version of the National Defense Authorization Act, which passed the House and Senate last...
OIG Report: VA Did Opposite When It Came to Protecting Whistleblowers
WASHINGTON—The Office of Accountability and Whistleblower Protection, created in 2017 to make it safer for VA employees to come forward about problems they identify with the agency, actually has been doing the opposite of its stated purpose, according to a report from...
VFW Report: 91% of Veterans Recommend VA Care to Others
WASHINGTON—What a difference a year makes. The 2019 “Our Care” report from the Veterans of Foreign Wars found that 91% of veterans surveyed recommend VA care to other veterans, up nearly 15% from last year’s 80%. In addition, three-quarters of those veterans said that...
VA: MISSION Act Rollout Appears to Have Gone Well in First Three Months
WASHINGTON—Three months following the implementation of the MISSION Act, VA leaders testified before Congress that the sweeping changes to the agency’s community care standards are rolling out smoothly. Concerns remain, however, about veterans’ lack of understanding...
Legislators, OIG Challenge VA Contention That Care Problems Are ‘Isolated’
WASHINGTON—Disturbing incidents involving VA facilities have been in the headlines recently.
Advocates Square Off Against VA on Women’s Veterans Task Force’s Role
WASHINGTON—It’s been nearly six months since the House VA Committee launched its bipartisan Women Veterans Task Force, and the result is a legislative docket filled with bills geared toward ensuring VA has the resources it needs to care for the growing number of...
Top VISN 7 Officials Removed After Atlanta VAMC Patient Attacked by Insects
Elderly AF Veteran Had More Than 100 Ant Bites Before Death ATLANTA—Nine VA employees, including the VISN 7 director and chief medical officer, have been reassigned following reports that an elderly patient at the Atlanta VAMC’s Eagles’ Nest Community Living Center...
All VA Healthcare Facilities to Be Completely Smoke-Free by October
New Directive Abolishes Designated Smoking Zones WASHINGTON—Starting in October, all VA healthcare facilities will be official no-smoking zones. While VA now permits smoking in designated areas, the department has issued a new policy restricting smoking by patients,...
Cardiovascular Health Worse for Active-Duty Soldiers Than Same-Age Civilians
Trainees negotiate a confidence course on Sand Hill at Fort Benning, GA, earlier this year. The mission is to transform civilians into disciplined infantrymen, but soldiers continue to have worse cardiovascular health than Americans of similar age not in the military,...
A Fourth of Female Veterans Report Stranger Harassment at VAMCs
WASHINGTON—Women veterans regularly experience harassment by male veterans at VA facilities, and that harassment has a direct and lasting impact on their healthcare, VA researchers reported recently. Investigators from the VA Greater Los Angeles Health Care System and...
Technology Experts Question MISSION Act Electronic Systems
WASHINGTON—VA is working under a tight deadline to implement the community care provisions of the MISSION Act, the new law that goes into effect this summer and revises and codifies access standards for veterans receiving care from non-VA providers. That preparation...
DCVAMC Acting Pharmacy Chief Ivan Cephas: ‘Caring Is the Reason’
WASHINGTON—Ivan Cephas, PharmD, the acting chief of pharmacy at the DCVAMC, would be the first to say that what he does is not above and beyond the call of duty. Despite having been awarded the Bowl of Hygeia, one of the most prestigious pharmacy awards in the nation,...
Three VAMC Campus Suicides in a Week Heighten Concerns About Prevention
WASHINGTON—Concern over the rate of veteran suicides reached a fever pitch last month after three veterans took their lives at VA facilities over a span of five days. Two of the deaths occurred in Georgia—one in a parking garage at the Carl Vinson VAMC in Dublin and...
VA Reverses Stance, Won’t Challenge ‘Blue Water’ Veteran Court Ruling
WASHINGTON—In an about-face, the VA will recommend that the federal government not challenge a recent court decision ruling that the department cannot deny benefits to Vietnam-era Blue Water Navy veterans claiming Agent Orange exposure. The news came from VA Secretary...
Personalization, In-Home Adaptation Necessary to Improve CPAP Adherence
INDIANAPOLIS—To improve adherence to continuous positive airway pressure treatment, more emphasis needs to be put on support for sleep apnea patients in their homes, where the equipment actually is used. That’s according to a new study noting that better solutions are...
Executive Order Creates Task Force to Combat Veteran Suicide
WASHINGTON—President Donald Trump has signed an executive order aimed at lowering the rate of veteran suicides. The order—the President’s Roadmap To Empower Veterans and End a National Tragedy of Suicide—creates a Cabinet-level task force led by VA Secretary Robert...
VA Announces Plans to Create 3D-Printed Artificial Lung
3D Printing Already Personalizes Care in Other Ways ANN ARBOR, MI—VA scientists in Michigan recently announced they are working to create a three-dimensional-printed artificial lung. The lab-created lung could transform treatment for some of the approximately one...
Legislators Express Outrage Over Military Sexual Trauma Issues Subhead: Senator Describes Her Experience as Air Force Rape Victim
WASHINGTON—A recent survey of the military service academies found that sexual assault has spiked over the last two years, up 50% since 2016. This news sparked fresh outrage from legislators, resulting in a hearing focusing on how military sexual trauma is dealt with...
Physician Documents, Promotes Veteran Honor Guards in VA Hospices
PHILADELPHIA—Michelle Brassil, MD, had been warned when she began her fellowship at the Cpl. Michael J. Crescenz VA Medical Center’s Community Living Center in Philadelphia. “Don’t be surprised if you’re emotional,” her supervisor told her. “It’s not like anything you...
Democrats Look at VA Role of Trump’s Mar-a-Lago Associates
WASHINGTON—Congress announced last month that it will be opening an investigation into alleged improper influence by three civilian consultants to President Donald Trump on administration of the VA. The three men—Ike Perlmutter, CEO of Marvel Entertainment; Bruce...
Surgery Delay Does Not Explain Racial Differences in Breast Cancer Survival
BETHESDA, MD—Black women die from breast cancer at a higher rate than white women, but exactly why remains unclear. A new study from the Military Health System just shot down one of the leading explanations for the disparity. One suggested reason for differences in...
VA Announces New Partnerships to Expand Telehealth Services
WASHINGTON.—VA Secretary Robert Wilkie announced new partnerships with several prominent companies and veterans’ organizations to make access to health services easier for veterans, regardless of their location. Collaborators announced at the recent Anywhere to...
Legislators Question Governance of VA EHR Implementation
How much will implementation and integration of a new electronic health record slow down processes at the VA, which already struggles with delays in care?
Despite Unanimous House Support, VA Opposes ‘Blue Water’ Legislation
VA officials told lawmakers last month that it opposes a bill that would expand the presumption of Agent Orange exposure to Vietnam veterans who served offshore because the “science is not there.”
VA Launches Study to Address Liver Fluke/Bile Duct Cancer Concerns
A recently launched VA study of mortality in Vietnam veterans will examine whether exposure to liver flukes, a parasitic worm, increased the risk of cholangiocarcinoma or bile duct cancer in those veterans.
Algorithm Proposed to Improve Detection of MS Lesions
Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is considered crucial for in vivo detection and characterization of white matter lesions (WMLs) in multiple sclerosis.
Too Little Sleep? Army Research Suggests Correct Caffeine Dosage
The Army’s Performance Triad promotes quality sleep, physical activity and good nutrition, but when sleep suffers, a new tool developed by the Army can help.
Demand surges for popular army clinical pharmacy course
With pharmacists from across the DoD and VA clamoring for spots in the Clinical Pharmacy Course at Army Medical Department Center and School (AMEDDCS) in Fort Sam Houston, TX, organizers offered back-to-back programs this spring, with another scheduled for August.