Veterans Affairs News and Research

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Study says lower-cost hospitals don't have lower quality care for certain illnesses

A study Monday in the Archives of Internal Medicine found little difference in outcomes between hospitals with longer patient stays and shorter ones, which could make it "possible to lower costs in the U.S. system without hurting patients," Reuters reports.

24 Feb 2010

Study shows hospitals costs vary widely and are not associated with quality of care

The costs that hospitals incur in treating patients vary widely and do not appear to be strongly associated either with the quality of care patients receive or their risk of dying within 30 days, according to a report in the February 22 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.

23 Feb 2010

DSAEK cornea transplant offers potential long-term benefits

One year post-surgery, patients who underwent Descemet's stripping automated endothelial keratoplasty experienced greater cell loss overall compared to those who underwent penetrating keratoplasty, according to a new analysis of data collected from the Cornea Donor Study Investigator Group's 2008 Specular Microscopy Ancillary Study.

23 Feb 2010

VA focuses on female veterans' struggles, disability claims backlog

News outlets explore issues at the Department of Veterans Affairs, which is seeking to cut a backlog in disability claims and also address the needs of female veterans.

22 Feb 2010

New VA undersecretary for health sworn in

Modern Healthcare: "Robert Petzel has been sworn in as undersecretary for health at the Veterans Affairs Department, the agency announced.

19 Feb 2010

Petzel takes oath to lead nation's largest integrated health care system

Dr. Robert A. Petzel has taken the oath of office as the Under Secretary for Health within the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), stepping up to lead the nation's largest integrated health care system.

19 Feb 2010

Benefits of wartime camaraderie extend far beyond the battlefield: Study of U.S. Civil War veterans

Veterans who served in military units characterized by a strong esprit de corps were much less likely decades later to die of a stroke or heart condition than veterans from less cohesive companies, two UCLA economists have found.

19 Feb 2010

Kaiser Permanente honored as the fifth Most Innovative Health Care Company for pioneering EHR

Kaiser Permanente has been honored in Fast Company's annual Most Innovative Companies issue as the fifth Most Innovative Health Care Company in the World for its pioneering electronic health record that is the world's largest civilian electronic health record, and for its health care innovation center that develops the future of health care.

19 Feb 2010

Secretary of Veterans Affairs launches HIT initiative to improve healthcare delivery

Secretary of Veterans Affairs Eric K. Shinseki launched the "Veterans Health IT Innovation Initiative," an employee-based Health Information Technology (HIT) competition to spur VA's transformation into a 21st Century organization that is Veteran-centric, results-oriented, and forward-looking.

19 Feb 2010

Study: Elderly people with untreated visual disorders more likely to develop Alzheimer's disease

Elderly people with visual disorders that are left untreated are significantly more likely to develop Alzheimer's disease -- the most common form of dementia, according to a University of Michigan Health System study.

19 Feb 2010

Easier walking for amputees: Artificial foot that recycles energy

An artificial foot that recycles energy otherwise wasted in between steps could make it easier for amputees to walk, its developers say.

18 Feb 2010

Ardiem Medical receives non-exclusive license to make and sell neuromodulation devices

Ardiem Medical Inc. has obtained a non-exclusive license to make and sell neuromodulation devices based on intellectual property developed at Case Western Reserve University's Department of Biomedical Engineering and the Functional Electrical Stimulation Center in Cleveland.

17 Feb 2010

Medical journal finds divide between doctors and patients on new mammogram recommendations

News outlets explore confusion about cancer screening guidelines and questions raised about the effects of high tech procedures on health care costs and quality.

17 Feb 2010

Adding daclizumab to standard treatment reduces enlarged brain lesions in patients with relapsing MS

An international team of researchers has found that adding a humanized monoclonal antibody called daclizumab to standard treatment reduces the number of new or enlarged brain lesions in patients with relapsing multiple sclerosis. This new study was published online Feb. 16, 2010, and in the March edition of the Lancet Neurology.

17 Feb 2010

Combination of daclizumab and interferon beta significantly reduces MS lesion formation

Biogen Idec and Facet Biotech Corporation today announced the publication of Phase 2 data showing that the addition of daclizumab to interferon beta (IFNβ) led to a significant reduction in the number of new or enlarged multiple sclerosis (MS) lesions when compared to IFNβ alone in patients with active relapsing forms of MS.

17 Feb 2010

Hip and knee replacement surgery at specialized hospitals lead to better outcomes for patients

The more specialized a hospital is in orthopedic surgical care, the better the outcomes appear to be for patients undergoing hip and knee replacement surgery, University of Iowa researchers report in a new study of Medicare patients.

16 Feb 2010

U.S. Department of Labor awards $4.95M grant for BRIDGE biotechnology project

San Diego State University, BIOCOM, San Diego Workforce Partnership, and the Southern California Biotechnology Center at Miramar College today announced the award of a three-year, $4.95 million grant from the U.S. Department of Labor aimed at assisting the economic growth of the San Diego region's life sciences industry. The Biotechnology Readiness, Immersion, Certification and Degrees for Gainful Employment (BRIDGE) project will provide education, training, and placement services to more than 1,000 veterans, incumbent workers and dislocated and unemployed workers within the San Diego region.

16 Feb 2010

Surgical outcomes for hip and knee replacement better at specialized hospitals

15 Feb 2010

Research roundup: Bundled payments, PTSD incidence, cost of treating immigrants

This paper examines the spending for health care of adult naturalized citizens and immigrant noncitizens (including some undocumented immigrants) compared to U.S. natives, as documented in data from the 1999-2006 Medical Expenditure Panel Surveys (MEPS): "inflation and age-adjusted health care expenditures among noncitizen immigrants were consistently … lower than those of naturalized citizens and U.S. natives during 1999-2006."

15 Feb 2010

HIV transmission among male partners: CFAR scientists discover origin of strains

A team of scientists, led by a virologist from the University of California, San Diego's Center for AID Research (CFAR), has discovered the origin of strains of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) among men who have sex with men. The study, which may be important in developing prevention strategies for HIV, will appear in Science Translational Medicine on February 10, 2010.

12 Feb 2010

Veterans Affairs News and Research

Study says lower-cost hospitals don't have lower quality care for certain illnesses

Study shows hospitals costs vary widely and are not associated with quality of care

DSAEK cornea transplant offers potential long-term benefits

VA focuses on female veterans' struggles, disability claims backlog

New VA undersecretary for health sworn in

Petzel takes oath to lead nation's largest integrated health care system

Benefits of wartime camaraderie extend far beyond the battlefield: Study of U.S. Civil War veterans

Kaiser Permanente honored as the fifth Most Innovative Health Care Company for pioneering EHR

Secretary of Veterans Affairs launches HIT initiative to improve healthcare delivery

Study: Elderly people with untreated visual disorders more likely to develop Alzheimer's disease

Easier walking for amputees: Artificial foot that recycles energy

Ardiem Medical receives non-exclusive license to make and sell neuromodulation devices

Medical journal finds divide between doctors and patients on new mammogram recommendations

Adding daclizumab to standard treatment reduces enlarged brain lesions in patients with relapsing MS

Combination of daclizumab and interferon beta significantly reduces MS lesion formation

Hip and knee replacement surgery at specialized hospitals lead to better outcomes for patients

U.S. Department of Labor awards $4.95M grant for BRIDGE biotechnology project

Surgical outcomes for hip and knee replacement better at specialized hospitals

Research roundup: Bundled payments, PTSD incidence, cost of treating immigrants

HIV transmission among male partners: CFAR scientists discover origin of strains

Sensing a Healthier Future

Achieving and maintaining ISO/IEC 27001 and BS 10012 certifications

Expanding research and clinical options for children with cancer

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