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

Race & Health Research

Defining the role of race in health research 04/24/09. Eight years ago, when the New England Journal of Medicine published two studies comparing the effects of drugs between black and white patients, a debate ensued on the journal's editorial pages and later in the media. VA R&D

Depression & Heart Disease

Depression and heart disease: What's the link? 04/24/09. Researchers have found, in study after study over decades, an undeniable link between emotional illness—namely depression—and heart disease. Not only is depression common among those with heart disease—in fact, it puts patients at greater risk for dying—but it also appears to play a role in causing heart disease in the first place. VA R&D

Supreme Court Decision on Denial of Veteran Medical Claims

Veterans Must Prove VA Failure To Provide Information Led to Denial of Medical Claims, Supreme Court Rules 04/22/09. The U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday in a 6-3 decision ruled that veterans who allege the Department of Veterans Affairs failed to tell them what information was needed to support their medical claims must prove that VA's actions affected the denial of their claims, the AP/Kansas City Star reports. A federal appeals court in Washington, D.C., previously had ruled that it was the responsibility of VA to prove the mistakes were not harmful to the veterans. The case involved two veterans who were denied medical treatment for conditions that the VA board said could not be proven to be service related (AP/Kansas City Star, 4/21) KaiserNetwork.org

VAOIG Review of Manilla VA Clinic

Combined Assessment Program Review of the VA Manila Outpatient Clinic, Manila, Philippines 04/21/09. The purpose of the review was to evaluate selected operations, focusing on patient care administration and quality management (QM). During the review, we provided fraud and integrity awareness training to 84 employees. The review covered nine operational activities. The clinic complied with selected standards in the following three activities: (1) access to care – no show rates, (2) patient survey satisfaction scores, and (3) post-deployment screening. We identified system redesign, Joint Executive Board restructuring, timely compensation and pension exams, and the new VA facility as organizational strengths. We made recommendations for improvements in the following six activities: QM. Continuity of care. Environment of care. Controlled substances inspection program. Suicide prevention program. Staff competency assessments. VAOIG

POWER KNEE Unveiled

Next generation of the POWER KNEE(TM) in early release at Walter Reed Army Medical Center 04/21/09. Ossur, a global leader in non-invasive orthopedics, announced today that LTC Greg Gadson was fit last week at Walter Reed Army Medical Center with the second generation of the POWER KNEE by Ossur, the first technology to use sensors, power, artificial intelligence and actuators to provide amputees with the ability to walk naturally and safely without even thinking about it. Ossur via Eurekalert!

Meditation vs Depression

Meditation provides hope for people with depression 04/21/09. People with severe and recurrent depression could benefit from a new form of therapy that combines ancient forms of meditation with modern cognitive behaviour therapy, early-stage research by Oxford University psychologists suggests. The results of a small-scale randomised trial of the approach, called mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT), in currently depressed patients are published in the journal Behaviour Research and Therapy. Oxford University via PhysOrg.com