Veterans Affairs News and Research

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Americans believe wounded Iraq war veterans generally neglected

As part of the ongoing poll series, Debating Health: Election 2008, a recent survey by the Harvard Opinion Research Program at the Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH) and Harris Interactive finds that a majority of Americans (62%) believe that wounded Iraq war veterans do not receive high quality care in military and Veteran's Administration (VA) hospitals once they return to the U.S. Similar majorities feel that veterans requiring rehabilitation care and mental health care do not receive high quality care (62% and 65% respectively).

26 May 2008

Senate to vote Thursday on war supplemental appropriations bill with Medicaid provisions

Senate Democrats on Tuesday "scaled down" their version of the war supplemental appropriations bill but retained a provision that would block for one year seven new Medicaid regulations proposed by the Bush administration, CQ Today reports.

21 May 2008

Veteran group to present proposals for advance funds for health care in department of Veterans Affairs budget

Disabled American Veterans on Wednesday at a Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee hearing plans to present a proposal under which lawmakers would approve funds for health care in the Department of Veterans Affairs budget one year in advance, The Hill reports.

21 May 2008

When facelifts go wrong: Stanford expert counsels plastic surgeons on dealing with unhappy patients

Watch for the red flags: the patient who pulls out a photo of Tom Cruise and says he wants to look just like that, or the perfectionist who comes to the initial interview with each hair in place, makeup just so.

21 May 2008

Iraq war and risk of developing bronchiolitis

A large group of soldiers returning from Iraq have been diagnosed with bronchiolitis, a disease affecting the small airways of the lung, according to Vanderbilt University Medical Center physicians who will present their findings at the American Thoracic Society's 2008 International Conference in Toronto on Wednesday, May 21.

21 May 2008

Low-intensity case management cuts chronic obstructive pulmonary disease-related hospital visits in half

A new study has found that patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) who are at high risk for hospitalization or emergency room visits from exacerbations or complications benefit from simple low-intensity case management.

21 May 2008

Secret tests of Agent Orange on rainforest linked to high cancer rate in north Queensland

Claims are reportedly being made that higher than average cancer deaths in Innisfail, in north Queensland are due to the secret testing of Agent Orange there in 1960s.

19 May 2008

Physician Gainsharing programs reduce hospital spending

Giving physicians cash payments for reduced hospital spending can help control costs without sacrificing quality or access to care, researchers report in a study released today in the May/June 2008 issue of the journal Health Affairs. The issue is a thematic volume on health reform supported by a grant from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.

13 May 2008

Veteran disability payments to increase as number of veterans decreases

The U.S. will spend an estimated $59 billion or more annually in 2033 to compensate disabled veterans, compared with $29 billion annually currently, according to internal Department of Veterans Affairs documents obtained by the Associated Press, the AP/Kansas City Star reports.

13 May 2008

Ibuprofen found to reduce the risk of Alzheimer's

A large study by scientists in the U.S. has revealed that the long-term use of ibuprofen may reduce the risk of a person developing Alzheimer's disease.

6 May 2008

CQ's Carey looks at genetic anti-discrimination approval, debate over Medicaid regulations, lLegislation to treat substance abuse among veterans

Mary Agnes Carey, associate editor of CQ HealthBeat, examines the House's approval of genetic nondiscrimination legislation, debate over a measure to place a moratorium on proposed Medicaid regulations by the Bush administration and House-passed legislation concerning veterans' substance abuse treatment in this week's "Health on the Hill from kaisernetwork.org and CQ."

6 May 2008

Ibuprofen linked to lower risk of Alzheimer's

Long-term use of ibuprofen and other drugs commonly used for aches and pains was associated with a lower risk of Alzheimer's disease, according to a study published in the May 6, 2008, issue of Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology. Previous studies have shown conflicting results, but this is the longest study of its kind.

5 May 2008

Senators request resignation of VA Mental Health Director

Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee Chair Daniel Akaka (D-Hawaii) and committee member Patty Murray (D-Wash.) on Tuesday called for the resignation of Department of Veterans Affairs Mental Health Director Ira Katz, alleging he withheld important information regarding suicide risk among veterans, the AP/Washington Post reports.

23 Apr 2008

Class-action lawsuit over veterans health care system begins

Arguments began on Monday in a class-action lawsuit against the Department of Veterans Affairs that alleges the agency is unequipped to provide medical services to treat the mental health problems of soldiers returning from the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, the New York Times reports. The lawsuit was filed by two groups, the Veterans for Common Sense and the Veterans United for Truth, in a federal court in San Francisco (MacFarquhar, New York Times, 4/22).

22 Apr 2008

Discovery of new way to prevent cardiac fibrosis

In a study that points to a new strategy for preventing or possibly reversing fibrosis - the scarring that can lead to organ and tissue damage - researchers at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine have determined that a molecule called Epac (Exchange protein activated by cAMP1), plays a key role in integrating the body’s pro- and anti-fibrotic response.

22 Apr 2008

300,000 soldiers who served in Iraq or Afghanistan have post-traumatic stress disorder or major depression

Nearly one in five, or about 300,000, soldiers who has served in Iraq or Afghanistan has post-traumatic stress disorder or major depression -- illnesses that could cost the U.S. as much as $6.2 billion over two years in care, lost productivity and lost lives through suicide, according to a RAND report released on Thursday, the Washington Post reports (Scott Tyson, Washington Post, 4/18).

18 Apr 2008

NEJM article examines U.S. physician shortage

In this week's issue of the New England Journal of Medicine, national correspondent John Iglehart examines efforts by medical schools to enroll and train more physicians, as well as the lack of action by the federal government and private health insurance industry to address concerns about physician shortages in the U.S.

18 Apr 2008

Biomoda granted 'notice of allowance' for U.S. patent protection for additional IP

Biomoda, Inc., a development stage medical diagnostics company, announced it has been granted a notice of allowance from the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office for its invention directed to the "Method for Prognosing Response to Cancer Therapy with 5,10,15,20-Tetrakis (Carboxyphenyl) Porphine."

18 Apr 2008

Five-alpha-reductase Inhibitors for prostate cancer prevention

Compared to placebo treatment, taking 5-alpha-reductase inhibitors (5-ARIs) can reduce a man's risk of being diagnosed with prostate cancer from around 5-9% to around 4-6% during up to 7 years of treatment, according to a new Cochrane Review.

17 Apr 2008

20 percent of Iraq and Afghanistan veterans suffer from PTSD or major depression

Nearly 20 percent of military service members who have returned from Iraq and Afghanistan - 300,000 in all - report symptoms of post traumatic stress disorder or major depression, yet only slight more than half have sought treatment, according to a new RAND Corporation study.

17 Apr 2008

Veterans Affairs News and Research

Americans believe wounded Iraq war veterans generally neglected

Senate to vote Thursday on war supplemental appropriations bill with Medicaid provisions

Veteran group to present proposals for advance funds for health care in department of Veterans Affairs budget

When facelifts go wrong: Stanford expert counsels plastic surgeons on dealing with unhappy patients

Iraq war and risk of developing bronchiolitis

Low-intensity case management cuts chronic obstructive pulmonary disease-related hospital visits in half

Secret tests of Agent Orange on rainforest linked to high cancer rate in north Queensland

Physician Gainsharing programs reduce hospital spending

Veteran disability payments to increase as number of veterans decreases

Ibuprofen found to reduce the risk of Alzheimer's

CQ's Carey looks at genetic anti-discrimination approval, debate over Medicaid regulations, lLegislation to treat substance abuse among veterans

Ibuprofen linked to lower risk of Alzheimer's

Senators request resignation of VA Mental Health Director

Class-action lawsuit over veterans health care system begins

Discovery of new way to prevent cardiac fibrosis

300,000 soldiers who served in Iraq or Afghanistan have post-traumatic stress disorder or major depression

NEJM article examines U.S. physician shortage

Biomoda granted 'notice of allowance' for U.S. patent protection for additional IP

Five-alpha-reductase Inhibitors for prostate cancer prevention

20 percent of Iraq and Afghanistan veterans suffer from PTSD or major depression

Expanding research and clinical options for children with cancer

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

From Puberty to Menopause: Clue’s CEO, Audrey Tsang on the Power of Femtech

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