Veterans Affairs News and Research

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Informed consent discussions lead to greater patient comprehension of surgical procedures

Surgical patients who participate in longer- to 30-minute- discussions prior to having an operation (known as the informed consent process) better understand the proposed operation, according to new research published in the June issue of the Journal of the American College of Surgeons. In addition, researchers found that asking the patient to "repeat back" their understanding of the procedure was effective in enhancing patient comprehension of informed consent issues. This is the largest study ever conducted on the surgical informed consent process.

8 Jul 2010

Use of NSAIDs do not increase risk of heart attack in elderly patients: Study

Commonly used painkillers like ibuprofen do not increase the risk of heart attack in the elderly population, according to a new study. Researchers found that the use of these drugs - also called non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs - was also associated with a lower risk of death although they are not sure why.

7 Jul 2010

VA addresses health concerns including possible HIV exposure and Veterans' general poor health

"The Democratic chairman of the House Veterans Affairs Committee lambasted the Obama administration over its handling of an incident at a St. Louis VA center in which more than 1,800 veterans were told they may have been exposed to HIV. ... The Department of Veterans Affairs last month sent a letter to 1,812 patients informing them that could have been exposed to HIV and other deadly viruses because of dental equipment that was insufficiently sterilized over a period of 13 months."

7 Jul 2010

First Edition: July 6, 2010

Today's health policy headlines include news about GOP efforts to repeal the health reform law as well as state-related developments.

6 Jul 2010

Dogs help soldiers recover from PTSD

The Army is using dogs "much more" to help soldiers recovering from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) according to the Army Surgeon General's special assistant for mental health, Col. Elspeth Cameron Ritchie, M.D., who spoke today at the annual convention of the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI).

3 Jul 2010

Senate Democrats tax prosthetic limbs, other vital medical devices, refuse to exempt veterans

As the nation prepares to celebrate Independence Day with parades and barbecues, America's veterans face a new tax on prosthetic limbs and other vital medical devices.

3 Jul 2010

VA to develop fully automated, online system for handling disability compensation claims

Secretary of Veterans Affairs Eric K. Shinseki announced today plans to develop a fully automated, online system for handling Veterans' disability compensation claims. More than a simple digitization of existing paper-based claims, the new system is part of VA's modernization of the end-to-end processing workflow. Automation will substantially reduce processing time and increase accuracy while simplifying the way that Veterans interact with the claims process.

3 Jul 2010

Continua champions use of personal connected healthcare technologies at House Committee on Veterans Affairs hearing

Continua Health Alliance championed the use of personal connected healthcare technologies to increase veteran access to quality healthcare during last week's hearing of the House Committee on Veterans Affairs Subcommittee on Health. President and Chair of the Continua Board of Directors, Rick Cnossen, testified on behalf of the Alliance to address the issues facing veterans living in rural areas who typically receive lower quality healthcare than the general population due to lack of access.

2 Jul 2010

AAMC report urges U.S. teaching hospitals to deal with conflicts of interest in clinical care

A new report by the AAMC urges U.S. teaching hospitals to establish policies that manage financial relationships between physicians and industry so that they do not influence patient care. "In the Interest of Patients: Recommendations for Physician Financial Relationships and Clinical Decision Making" provides guidance on how academic medical centers can identify, evaluate, and disclose conflicts of interest in clinical care.

1 Jul 2010

News round up: UniCare will drop health coverage for Virginians; Hawaii concerned about lack of physicians

The Washington Post: "About 3,000 Virginians who have health insurance through UniCare, a private insurer, will lose that coverage Jan. 1, a UniCare spokesman said Monday. Most live in Northern Virginia and get their coverage through the individual market, officials said.

30 Jun 2010

Study: Statins can reduce risk of prostate cancer recurrence after surgery

Men who use statins to lower their cholesterol are 30 percent less likely to see their prostate cancer come back after surgery compared to men who do not use the drugs, according to researchers at Duke University Medical Center. Researchers also found that higher doses of the drugs were associated with lower risk of recurrence.

29 Jun 2010

Harris leverages CONNECT solution to enhance capabilities of Bidirectional Health Information Exchange interface

Harris Corporation, as a subcontractor to Evolvent Technologies, Inc., is helping to improve the quality of military patient care provided by enhancing the capabilities of the Bidirectional Health Information Exchange (BHIE) interface. The exchange is a health enterprise integration capability employed by the Department of Defense (DoD) and the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to securely share patient information between agencies.

28 Jun 2010

VA secretary breaks ground for new 1.5 million-square-foot medical center in New Orleans

Fulfilling President Obama's commitment to rebuild New Orleans, Secretary of Veterans Affairs Eric K. Shinseki joined state and local officials for a ground-breaking ceremony for a new 1.5 million-square-foot medical center for the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA).

28 Jun 2010

National Intrepid Center of Excellence to treat veterans with traumatic brain injury

The U.S. Department of Defense and the Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund on June 24 officially dedicated the National Intrepid Center of Excellence, a new 72,000-square-foot medical facility in Bethesda, Md., dedicated to researching, diagnosing and treating traumatic brain injury in U.S. military personnel.

28 Jun 2010

Study examines relationship between SCIP measures and postoperative infection

A study by investigators at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine published in this week's issue of JAMA found that public hospital comparison data reported by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services does not accurately correlate with a patient's risk for surgical postoperative infection.

24 Jun 2010

Researchers treat acute kidney injury using cells genetically reprogrammed to produce protein

A protein whose primary role is in the embryonic development of kidneys may play a future role in treating kidney failure. Indiana University School of Medicine researchers have successfully treated acute kidney injury in laboratory experiments using cells that were genetically reprogrammed to produce the protein. The research suggests there could be a potential future treatment using such cells delivered intravenously instead of surgically.

23 Jun 2010

Veterans with substance use disorders utilize violent means to commit suicide: Study

Veterans with substance use disorders who die by suicide are more likely to use violent means (such as a firearm) rather than nonviolent means (such as a drug overdose), new research suggests.

22 Jun 2010

FDA to hold workshop on medical device innovation to address unmet public health needs

Each day, medical devices from renal dialysis machines to implantable defibrillators help prevent, diagnose, treat, and monitor serious and life-threatening diseases. After taking years to develop, these devices then undergo a regulatory review process before entering the marketplace. It then takes even more time for them to be adopted into clinical practice and for patients to realize the benefits.

22 Jun 2010

New VA surgery rating system affects where vets get care; Abortion changes considered for military

"A new rating system now restricts the types of surgery performed at certain Veterans Affairs facilities in five states," NPR reports. "The new policy will prompt some veterans to travel farther to reach other VA facilities or civilian hospitals for more complex surgeries. The policy comes after investigations found that surgical mistakes had caused nine deaths in the department's Marion, Ill., hospital a few years ago.

18 Jun 2010

First Edition: June 17, 2010

Kaiser Health News staff writer Mary Agnes Carey reports on states' progress with high-risk pools created as part of the health reform law: "The program, one of the highest profile provisions of the law, is designed to provide health insurance to people who have been denied coverage due to a pre-existing medical condition and have been without coverage for at least six months.

17 Jun 2010

Veterans Affairs News and Research

Informed consent discussions lead to greater patient comprehension of surgical procedures

Use of NSAIDs do not increase risk of heart attack in elderly patients: Study

VA addresses health concerns including possible HIV exposure and Veterans' general poor health

First Edition: July 6, 2010

Dogs help soldiers recover from PTSD

Senate Democrats tax prosthetic limbs, other vital medical devices, refuse to exempt veterans

VA to develop fully automated, online system for handling disability compensation claims

Continua champions use of personal connected healthcare technologies at House Committee on Veterans Affairs hearing

AAMC report urges U.S. teaching hospitals to deal with conflicts of interest in clinical care

News round up: UniCare will drop health coverage for Virginians; Hawaii concerned about lack of physicians

Study: Statins can reduce risk of prostate cancer recurrence after surgery

Harris leverages CONNECT solution to enhance capabilities of Bidirectional Health Information Exchange interface

VA secretary breaks ground for new 1.5 million-square-foot medical center in New Orleans

National Intrepid Center of Excellence to treat veterans with traumatic brain injury

Study examines relationship between SCIP measures and postoperative infection

Researchers treat acute kidney injury using cells genetically reprogrammed to produce protein

Veterans with substance use disorders utilize violent means to commit suicide: Study

FDA to hold workshop on medical device innovation to address unmet public health needs

New VA surgery rating system affects where vets get care; Abortion changes considered for military

First Edition: June 17, 2010

How can microdialysis benefit drug development

Global and Local Efforts to Take Action Against Hepatitis

Addressing Important Cardiac Biology Questions with Shotgun Top-Down Proteomics

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