2010 VA Budget

President Obama’s 2010 Spending Plan Initiates Transformation for VA Services 05/11/09. The President’s vision for the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is to transform VA into a 21st Century organization that is Veteran–centric, results–driven, and forward–looking. The Department’s resource request for 2010 is nearly $113 billion–up $15.1 billion, or 15 percent, from the 2009 enacted budget. This is the largest one–year percentage increase for VA requested by a President in over 30 years. VA’s budget request for 2010 provides the resources critical to achieving the President’s vision. VA

Single Site for Veterans' Medical & Benefits Records

Single Web site key for vets' combined medical, benefits record 05/11/09. The Veterans Affairs Department said in its proposed fiscal 2010 budget released on May 7 that it has placed a high priority on building a virtual lifetime electronic record, which will follow soldiers from active duty through their retirement, an initiative that the yet-to-be-confirmed VA chief information officer said last week will be supported by a single Web site. NextGov

PTSD May Have Delayed Onset

PTSD Can Surface up to 2 Years after Trauma 05/06/09. New research by Geisinger investigator Joseph Boscarino shows a startling development: It can take two years to develop posttraumatic stress disorder. Delayed PTSD can be attributed to a variety of factors, primarily if the trauma victims has existing problems beforehand. Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology. Geisinger Health System via Newswise

PTSD & Alcohol Problems in Returning Troops

PTSD, Alcohol Problems Co-Occur In Returning Troops 05/06/09. Military service members returning from Iraq and Afghanistan are likely to experience posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and alcohol use disorders simultaneously, a serious co-morbidity that is likely to rise as troops continue to come home. These co-occurring illnesses present treatment challenges that will be addressed as part of the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) track at the American Psychiatric Association Annual Meeting. American Psychiatric Association via Medical News Today

New Robotic Hand

Low Cost, Dexterous Robotic Hand Operated by Compressed Air 05/04/09. The Robotics and Mechanisms Laboratory (RoMeLa) of the College of Engineering at Virginia Tech has developed a unique robotic hand that can firmly hold objects as heavy as a can of food or as delicate as a raw egg, while dexterous enough to gesture for sign language. Virginia Tech (Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University) via Newswise

5th Veteran Tests HIV Positive

VA: 5th HIV case linked to unsterile equipment 05/03/09. A fifth patient has tested positive for HIV, and seven more tested positive for hepatitis after being exposed to contaminated medical equipment at three Department of Veterans Affairs hospitals, the agency said Friday. That brings the total who have tested positive for hepatitis to 33. AP via PhysOrg.com

High energy Trauma and Heterotopic Ossification

Injured Marines at risk for abnormal bone growth 05/01/09. Marines and other military personnel who are wounded in combat as the result of a high-energy trauma, such as a bomb blast, are likely to develop an abnormality known as heterotopic ossification. In this condition, bone forms within the soft tissues, such as muscle located near a fracture or other bone injury. American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons via Eurekalert!

DOD and VA Have Made Progress to Jointly Develop Required Policies Affecting Recovering Servicemembers but Additional Challenges Remain

Recovering Servicemembers: DOD and VA Have Made Progress to Jointly Develop Required Policies but Additional Challenges Remain, by Randall B. Williamson, director, DOD and VA Health Care, Daniel Bertoni, director, Education, Workforce, and Income Security, and Valerie C. Melvin, director, Information Management and Human Capital Issues, before the Subcommittee on Personnel, Senate Committee on Armed Services 04/30/09. This statement provides preliminary information on (1) the progress DOD and VA have made in jointly developing the comprehensive policies required in the NDAA 2008 and (2) the challenges DOD and VA are encountering in the joint development and initial implementation of these policies. GAO

DoD & VA Outline Wounded Warior Care Plan

Defense, VA Leaders Outline Wounded Care Plans 04/30/09. The departments of Defense and Veterans Affairs are working together to address the needs of wounded warriors, defense officials told the House Armed Services Committee. DefenseLink.mil

VA Forcasting Tools to Assess Future Needs

Gauging Future Demand for Veterans' Health Care: Does the VA Have the Forecasting Tools It Needs? 04/30/09. Testimony presented before the House Veterans' Affairs Committee on April 29, 2009. RAND

Wounded in Action: An Exhibition of Orthopaedic Advancements in Art.

War and Musculoskeletal Injury Prompt Artistic Expression 04/30/09. Wartime experiences not only affect the military personnel and their loved ones, but the physicians and medical teams who treat them. As a tribute to injured troops and families, civilians and the orthopaedic surgeons who are caring and have cared for them, the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS) is opening the call for entries to a unique, juried art exhibition: Wounded in Action: An Exhibition of Orthopaedic Advancements in Art. A cash award will be given. Wounded in Action celebrates those heroes who have had orthopaedic injuries as a result of serving our country in war. From World War II to Korea to Viet Nam, from the Gulf War to Afghanistan to Iraq, thousands of military troops serving in the United States have severe musculoskeletal injuries. American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS) via Newswise

Open Source VA Electronic Health Record System

VA Electronic Health Records System Could Be Low-Cost Option for Non-VA Hospitals 04/30/09. The Veterans Health Administration's open-source electronic health records system could be an effective and low-cost option for non-Veterans Affairs hospitals that are seeking to implement such a system but have been held back by the cost, the Wall Street Journal reports. A recent survey in the New England Journal of Medicine found that fewer than 2% of the 5,000 non-VA hospitals in the U.S. have a full-fledged EHR system. Many facilities have said they cannot afford such a system, which can cost between $20 million and $100 million to implement, according to the Journal. KaiserNetwork.org

Review of VA Budget Formulations

VA Health Care: Challenges in Budget Formulation and Issues Surrounding the Proposal for Advance Appropriations, by Susan Irving, director, strategic issues, and Randall Williamson, director, health care, before the House Committee on Veterans' Affairs. 04/29/09. GAO was asked to discuss budgeting for VA health care. As agreed, this statement addresses (1) challenges VA faces in formulating its health care budget and (2) issues surrounding the possibility of providing advance appropriations for VA health care. GAO

VAOIG Review of Decatur, Georgia VA

Combined Assessment Program Review of the Atlanta VA Medical Center Decatur, Georgia 04/27/09. The purpose of the review was to evaluate selected operations, focusing on patient care administration and quality management (QM). During the review, we also provided fraud and integrity awareness briefings to 382 employees. This review focused on eight operational activities. The medical center complied with selected standards in the following two activities (1) environment of care and (2) survey of healthcare experiences of patients. We identified the women’s health initiative, the emergency department annex, and the community living center remembrance celebration as organizational strengths. We made recommendations for improvements in the following six activities: QM. Suicide prevention program. Contracted/agency registered nurses. Coordination of care. Medication management. Emergency/urgent care operations. VAOIG

Swine Flu Information from the VA

Swine Flu Info 04/27/09. VA is working closely with other Federal departments and agencies to monitor human cases of Swine Influenza in the United States. A Swine Influenza advisory has been issued to all of our medical facilities nationwide. These advisories are a part of daily and weekly updates to inform staff and patients. Our medical professionals are carefully monitoring our Veteran population for any new cases and any new strains. More information is available from the Center for Disease Control (CDC) website or the White House Swine Flu information center. VA