Veterans Affairs News and Research

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Mild cognitive impairment is a risk factor for dementia

Among individuals with mild cognitive impairment, often considered a transitional state between normal cognitive function and Alzheimer's dementia, those who have more difficulties performing routine activities appear more likely to progress quickly to dementia, according to a report in the September issue of Archives of Neurology, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.

15 Sep 2009

Lead exposure may result in cardiovascular mortality

Growing evidence shows that exposure to lead in the environment is associated with cardiovascular disease, including increased risk of hypertension. However, those studies have looked at lead concentrations in blood, not bone lead, a better indicator of cumulative lead exposure over time.

10 Sep 2009

Research study examines the depression rate in chronic kidney disease patients

One in five patients with chronic kidney disease is depressed, even before beginning long-term dialysis therapy or developing end-stage renal disease, UT Southwestern Medical Center researchers have found.

9 Sep 2009

EDS signs $8.1 million contract with U.S. DoD Military Health System

EDS, an HP company, today announced it has signed an $8.1 million, 12-month add-on contract with the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) Military Health System to make technical enhancements to several Defense Health Information Management Systems (DHIMS).

8 Sep 2009

Veterans with visual or mobility impairments play golf in Iowa City

More than 100 Veterans with visual or mobility impairments, blindness and other disabilities hit the golf course at the National Veterans TEE Tournament, September 6 - 10, in and around Iowa City, Iowa.

7 Sep 2009

Health Net's ECHO kit to help military families maximize the health care benefits

Health Net Federal Services, LLC, the government operations division of Health Net, Inc. (NYSE:HNT), today announced its newly developed Extended Care Health Option (ECHO) kit for service members and their families in the TRICARE North Region, designed to provide user-friendly, educational information to enhance understanding of the ECHO program.

5 Sep 2009

VA tries to keep up with surge of need

The Department of Veterans Affairs is experiencing a surge of treatment requests and disability claims as soldiers return from Iraq and Afghanistan, overwhelming VA clinics.

4 Sep 2009

Spectrum Healthcare Resources receives The Joint Commission's intra-cycle certification

Spectrum Healthcare Resources (Spectrum) recently passed The Joint Commission's intra-cycle certification, a program that offers an independent, comprehensive evaluation of a staffing firm's ability to provide competent staffing services. This certification follows Spectrum's third consecutive Gold Seal of Approval, which the organization received in 2008.

2 Sep 2009

Government, medical and community experts to discuss about prevention and detection of viral hepatitis

To address this public health challenge, government, medical and community experts will meet September 10-11 in Washington, D.C. to plan an improved national response to viral hepatitis. The conference "The Dawn of a New Era: Transforming our Domestic Response to Hepatitis B & C" will feature keynote addresses, panel discussions and scientific poster sessions focused on enhancing the prevention and detection of viral hepatitis and improving care for people who are already living with the disease.

2 Sep 2009

White matter hyperintensities could lead to permanent thinking problems

Elderly people with no memory or thinking problems are more likely to later develop thinking problems if they have a growing amount of "brain rust," or small areas of brain damage, according to a study published in the July 14, 2009, print issue of NeurologyÂ®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

2 Sep 2009

Medsphere secures $12 million to support its development and expansion efforts in the health IT sector

Medsphere Systems Corporation, the leading provider of open source healthcare enterprise solutions, today announced that the company has secured $12 million in financing to support ongoing development and expansion efforts in the health IT sector.

1 Sep 2009

Health Net urges Americans to have their blood cholesterol measured

Tomorrow, September 1, marks the start of National Cholesterol Education Month. In support of this educational effort, Health Net, Inc., (NYSE: HNT) is encouraging those who haven't yet done so, to have their blood cholesterol measured and, if it's high, to embark on a cholesterol-lowering program.

31 Aug 2009

Department of Veterans Affairs cancels contract with UTSWMC for Gulf War research

Citing persistent noncompliance and numerous performance deficiencies, the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) will not exercise the third year of a five-year, $75 million contract with the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center (UTSWMC) to perform research into Gulf War Veterans' Illnesses (GWVI).

27 Aug 2009

Fear mongering abounds in health debate

"What many people say they fear most from an overhaul of the health care system [is] the prospect of the federal government's limiting the medical care they receive," the New York Times reports. Policy experts say people are right to worry about health care costs, but this fear of rationing is unrealistic. "[T]here is nothing in the current proposals in Washington to suggest that the country is likely to embark on a system of medical rationing anytime soon," the Times reports.

26 Aug 2009

Aging with Dignity president urges Department of Veterans Affairs to suspend use of advance care planning guide

Paul Malley, President of the national non-profit organization Aging with Dignity, today called on the Department of Veterans Affairs to immediately suspend use of its "Your Life, Your Choices" advance care planning guide dubbed "The Death Book for Veterans." Malley also praised Sen. Arlen Specter (D-PA), a member of the U.S. Senate Committee on Veterans' Affairs, who announced on "Fox News Sunday" yesterday that he would call for hearings into the matter.

25 Aug 2009

Department of Veterans Affairs to simplify rules for PSTD compensation claimants

Secretary of Veterans Affairs Eric K. Shinseki announced the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is taking steps to assist Veterans seeking compensation for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).

25 Aug 2009

Secretary Shinseki announces health care expansion plan in Albany, New York

Secretary of Veterans Affairs Eric K. Shinseki has announced a plan to expand health care in Albany, N.Y., by leasing 2.4 acres to a private-sector medical facility in exchange for construction of a 30,000 square-foot building for the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) at its Samuel S. Stratton VA Medical Center.

24 Aug 2009

UCLA highlights the benefits of restful sleep for increased efficiency

According to the journal Science, the function of sleep is one of the 125 greatest unsolved mysteries in science. Theories range from brain "maintenance" - including memory consolidation and pruning - to reversing damage from oxidative stress suffered while awake, to promoting longevity. None of these theories are well established, and many are mutually exclusive.

21 Aug 2009

Evolvent Technologies awarded contract to increase Veterans Affairs clinician access to DoD information

Evolvent Technologies, Inc. (Evolvent), a leading provider of healthcare information technology to the federal government, announced today that it was awarded a contract with the Department of Defense (DoD) Military Health Services for enhancements to the Bidirectional Health Information Exchange (BHIE) to further increase Veterans Affairs (VA) clinician access to DoD information on a shared patient population.

21 Aug 2009

Enterprise Technology Solutions and Health Net Federal Services to provide recovery audit services to VA HAC

Enterprise Technology Solutions (ETS) LLC, a Service Disabled Veteran Owned Small Business (SDVOSB) and Health Net Federal Services LLC, the government operations division of Health Net, Inc., (NYSE:HNT) today announced they have been awarded a contract by the Department of Veterans Affairs Health Administration Center (VA HAC) to provide recovery audit services of VA payments made for non-VA hospital care to veterans. As the prime contractor for this agreement, ETS will provide program management, and Health Net Federal Services, the prime subcontractor, will provide technical and operational expertise.

20 Aug 2009

Veterans Affairs News and Research

Mild cognitive impairment is a risk factor for dementia

Lead exposure may result in cardiovascular mortality

Research study examines the depression rate in chronic kidney disease patients

EDS signs $8.1 million contract with U.S. DoD Military Health System

Veterans with visual or mobility impairments play golf in Iowa City

Health Net's ECHO kit to help military families maximize the health care benefits

VA tries to keep up with surge of need

Spectrum Healthcare Resources receives The Joint Commission's intra-cycle certification

Government, medical and community experts to discuss about prevention and detection of viral hepatitis

White matter hyperintensities could lead to permanent thinking problems

Medsphere secures $12 million to support its development and expansion efforts in the health IT sector

Health Net urges Americans to have their blood cholesterol measured

Department of Veterans Affairs cancels contract with UTSWMC for Gulf War research

Fear mongering abounds in health debate

Aging with Dignity president urges Department of Veterans Affairs to suspend use of advance care planning guide

Department of Veterans Affairs to simplify rules for PSTD compensation claimants

Secretary Shinseki announces health care expansion plan in Albany, New York

UCLA highlights the benefits of restful sleep for increased efficiency

Evolvent Technologies awarded contract to increase Veterans Affairs clinician access to DoD information

Enterprise Technology Solutions and Health Net Federal Services to provide recovery audit services to VA HAC

Achieving and maintaining ISO 27001 and BS 10012 certifications

Expanding research and clinical options for children with cancer

Examining how pain could play a direct protective role in the gut

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