WASHINGTON—It’s been nearly six months since the House VA Committee launched its bipartisan Women Veterans Task Force, and the result is a...
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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...
Current Issue
VA Facing Critical Healthcare Staffing Shortages in Near Future
WASHINGTON—Oversight agencies are sounding the alarm that VA is plagued with large staffing shortages in critical areas, including physicians, registered nurses, physician assistants, psychologists and physical therapists, as well as human resource specialists.
Surgeon Recognized Need for Better Battlefield Care of Orthopedic Injuries
SAN DIEGO—During his first deployment as part of Operation Desert Storm in 1991, Dana Covey, MD, noticed a gap between the injuries that were occurring on the battlefield and the ones that forward surgical teams were most equipped to handle.
Clinical Topics
Service Factors Affecting Pain Reports in Gulf War Veterans
SAN DIEGO — Headaches and other type of pain are frequent complaints among veterans of Gulf War I (1990-91) and Post-Gulf War I (1992-2015), according to a new study.
Menopausal Symptoms Increase Long-Term Opioid Use Risk
Unrecognized by many in healthcare is that the greatest increases in long-term opioid use and opioid-related overdose mortality in recent years have been among women in midlife.
Best Pain Rating Scales for Cognitively Impaired Veterans
Cognitive-behavioral impairment can be intensified by pain in traumatic brain injury patients and impede rehabilitation efforts
More Options, Better Survival for Veterans With Metastatic Pancreatic Cancer
Pancreatic cancer remains one of the deadliest malignancies in the United States, but new therapies can extend life and improve quality of life for many patients.
U.S. Medicine Supplements
CE Credits
Editor-In-Chief, Chester “Trip” Buckenmaier III, MD, COL (ret.), MC, USA
I told you so
“The four most beautiful words in our common language: I told you so.”—Gore Vidal (1925-2012)
I wrote an editorial in U.S. Medicine on June 10, 2018, entitled “If you tell a big enough lie and tell it frequently enough, it will be believed.”
Women, Chronically Ill Veterans Value Veterans Choice Access Most
HINES, IL—Women and veterans with multiple comorbidities used and valued the Veterans Choice Program (VCP) more than other veterans, according to recent research by the VA.1 To help these veterans and others, the VA has taken steps under the MISSION Act to improve...
VBA Improves Oversight of Outside Contractors But Some Gaps Remain
Nearly a year after a Government Accountability Office report revealed that the Veterans’ Benefit Administration had been unable to track the quality, accuracy, and timeliness of the outside contractors
Pharmacist Medication Management Helps Diabetic Veterans, Physicians
Older age, obesity and Agent Orange exposure create a trifecta of diabetes risk for the VA.
Effective Metrics Help VA Exceed National Goal for Colorectal Cancer Screening
More than four out of five veterans eligible for colorectal cancer screening have been screened, putting the largest healthcare system in the United States among the top performers nationwide in this important metric.
Sacubitril/Valsartan Underused in VA Heart Failure Patients
A preponderance of evidence supports the use of sacubitril/valsartan, the first angiotensin II receptor blocker-neprilysin inhibitor-for mortality reduction in patients with heart failure, but the medication remains underprescribed, according to new research.
VA TAVR Results Comparable to Outside Care
How do veterans fare when they undergo transcatheter aortic valve replacement with the VA? That was the question asked by a study which sought to examine their association with short- and long-term mortality, length of stay, and rehospitalization within 30 days.
Cardiologist Visits Increase Statin Use at VA
HOUSTON—Statin use remains suboptimal in patients with atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease, according to a VA study trying to find out why. Michael E. DeBakey VAMC researchers and colleagues assessed whether outpatient care with a cardiology provider is associated...
Seeing Combat Can Make Aging More Difficult for Veterans
PORTLAND, OR—Being exposed to combat makes a significant difference in how military veterans fare during aging, according to a new study, which also found that the experience increases the risk for depression and anxiety later in life. “There are a lot factors of...
What Will Be Cost of VA’s Legacy EHR System During Changeover?
WASHINGTON — As VA moves forward with the comprehensive overhaul of its electronic health records system, the department will still need to keep its legacy EHR system functioning well into the next decade. A recent Government Accountability Office report suggests, however, that the costs to do that—already totaling in the billions—may have been underestimated.
Researcher’s Focus on Walking Helps Improve Health, Safety of Veterans
GAINESVILLE, FL — When people want to describe themselves as uncoordinated, they might say they have trouble walking and chewing gum at the same time. However, the act of walking—one of the most basic human skills—is not nearly as simple as that phrase makes it sound.
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...
I told you so
“The four most beautiful words in our common language: I told you so.”—Gore Vidal (1925-2012)
I wrote an editorial in U.S. Medicine on June 10, 2018, entitled “If you tell a big enough lie and tell it frequently enough, it will be believed.”
For Custodian-Turned-PR Professional, Promoting Good at VA Is a Passion
WASHINGTON—It’s a constant refrain from VA...
Metformin Linked to Reduced Cardiovascular Events in Certain Veterans
Compared to Sulfonylureas in Patients with...
Testosterone Therapy Increases PSA in 5% of Older Users
HOUSTON – How does testosterone treatment of...
PSA Bounce Affects Races Differently in Prostate Cancer
RICHMOND, VA -- African American men have...