/ en Fri, 02 May 2025 12:51:59 -0500 Thu, 06 Jan 22 15:02:13 -0600 /node/681453 <p>This pamphlet is an example of an active DEI initiative at a health organization. They clearly define diversity and inclusion, why it's important, outlining their mission and explaining what they do, and identifying their leaders and members. Most importantly, they indicate how they should be percieved in the community and in the hospital so they may be held accountable.</p> Thu, 06 Jan 2022 15:02:13 -0600 Veterans /news/headline/2019-11-26-va-veterans-use-telehealth-services-17-fy-2019 <p>More than 900,000 veterans used the Department of Veterans Affairs鈥� telehealth services in fiscal year 2019, 17% more than in FY 2018, the Department of Veterans Affairs <a href="https://www.va.gov/opa/pressrel/pressrelease.cfm?id=5365">announced</a> Friday. The increase coincides with the first full year of VA鈥檚 Anywhere to Anywhere initiative, which allows VA health care teams to treat veterans regardless of their location, including across state lines. More than 99,000 veterans used the <a href="https://mobile.va.gov/app/va-video-connect">VA Video Connect</a> app to connect with their care teams from home, with about two-thirds of the visits for tele-mental health care. VA鈥檚 ATLAS (<a href="https://connectedcare.va.gov/partners/atlas">Accessing Telehealth through Local Area Stations</a>) program, launched last month, will offer video appointments with VA providers at certain Walmart stores and American Legion and Veterans of Foreign Wars posts.</p> Tue, 26 Nov 2019 14:12:04 -0600 Veterans /news/headline/2019-07-23-foundation-accepting-grant-proposals-oud-treatment-and-services <p>Qualified nonprofits and government agencies may submit through Aug. 25 letters of intent to apply for funding from the Foundation for Opioid Response Efforts to improve access to opioid use disorder treatment and recovery services. FORE plans to award grants to programs that aim to improve and reform the continuum of care for vulnerable and high-risk populations, such as rural communities, veterans and LGBT groups. Applicants may request up to $300,000 annually for up to two years. For more on how to apply, visit <a href="https://forefdn.org/">www.forefdn.org</a>, attend the Aug. 1 informational webinar or email <a href="mailto:info@forefdn.org">info@forefdn.org</a>.</p> Tue, 23 Jul 2019 15:00:36 -0500 Veterans /news/headline/2019-03-26-aha-comments-proposed-rule-va-community-care-program <p>Commenting yesterday on the proposed rule for the Department of Veterans Affairs鈥� Veterans Community Care Program, AHA said the rule 鈥渨ill provide continuity for veterans to access care outside of VA鈥檚 medical network and decrease confusion about eligibility criteria and covered services.鈥� The <a href="/letter/2019-03-25-aha-comments-veterans-community-care-program-proposed-rule">letter</a> adds, 鈥淲e believe a strong partnership between America鈥檚 hospitals and health systems and VA is essential to ensure our nation鈥檚 veterans receive the health care they need and deserve. Our member hospitals and health systems stand ready to work with VA to implement the forthcoming Veterans Community Care Program to care for veterans who have sacrificed for our country and deserve the best possible timely care in their communities.鈥� The <a href="/news/headline/2018-05-22-aha-supports-bill-streamline-va-community-care-programs">AHA-supported</a> MISSION Act of 2018 requires the agency to consolidate its existing community care programs into this new program by June. The rule proposes the <a href="/news/headline/2019-02-21-va-issues-proposed-rule-new-community-care-program">criteria</a> for determining when covered veterans may elect to receive necessary hospital, medical and extended care services from non-VA entities or providers under the program.</p> Tue, 26 Mar 2019 14:55:43 -0500 Veterans /news/headline/2019-02-21-va-issues-proposed-rule-new-community-care-program <p>The Department of Veterans Affairs today proposed the criteria for determining when covered veterans may elect to receive necessary hospital, medical and extended care services from non-VA entities or providers under the Veterans Community Care Program. The <a href="/news/headline/2018-05-22-aha-supports-bill-streamline-va-community-care-programs">AHA-supported</a> MISSION Act of 2018 requires the agency to consolidate its existing community care programs into this new program by June.<br />  <br /> Under the <a href="https://s3.amazonaws.com/public-inspection.federalregister.gov/2019-03030.pdf">proposed rule</a>, covered veterans would have to be enrolled in the VA health care system and meet at least one of six conditions: VA does not offer the required care or services; VA does not operate a full-service medical facility in the state in which the veteran resides; the veteran was eligible to receive care under the Veterans Choice Program and is eligible to receive care under certain grandfathering provisions; VA is not able to furnish care or services to a veteran in a manner that complies with VA鈥檚 designated access standards; the veteran and the referring clinician determine it is in the best medical interest of the veteran to receive care or services from an eligible entity or provider based on consideration of certain criteria VA proposes to establish; or the veteran is seeking care or services from a VA medical service line that VA has determined is not providing care that complies with VA鈥檚 standards of quality.<br />  <br /> The proposed rule also designates access standards for the new program, as <a href="/news/headline/2019-01-30-va-proposes-access-standards-new-community-care-program">announced</a> last month; describes non-VA entities and providers eligible to participate in the program; and clarifies payment rates and methodologies for those community providers to include rates for critical access hospitals and other types of providers. According to the agency, providers eligible to participate in the new program would be 鈥渟ubstantively identical鈥� to those permitted to participate under the VA鈥檚 current Veterans Choice or other community care programs.<br />  <br /> The proposed rule will be published in tomorrow鈥檚 Federal Register with comments accepted for 30 days. VA last month issued a separate <a href="/news/headline/2019-01-31-va-issues-proposed-rule-urgent-community-care">proposed rule</a> implementing urgent care provisions for the new program.</p> Thu, 21 Feb 2019 15:00:10 -0600 Veterans /news/headline/2019-01-08-va-awards-community-care-network-management-contracts <p>The Department of Veterans Affairs recently <a href="https://www.va.gov/opa/pressrel/pressrelease.cfm?id=5175">awarded contracts</a> to manage provider networks in three regions of the country as part of its roll out of the new VA Community Care Network under the VA MISSION Act of 2018, which allows VA to purchase care for veterans from community health providers. Optum Public Sector Solutions will manage the regional networks for 15 Northeastern states in Region 1; 13 Midwestern states in Region 2; and 11 Southern states, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands in Region 3. 鈥淭hese contract awards reflect our ongoing commitment to increasing Veterans鈥� access to care,鈥� said VA Secretary Robert Wilkie. 鈥淎s part of the VA鈥檚 modernization efforts, we designed the new network based on feedback from Veterans and other stakeholders, along with lessons learned from the Veterans Choice Program. We are confident this new network will greatly improve customer service for Veterans and timeliness of payments to community providers.鈥� VA plans to award contracts for remaining regions of the country later this year. </p> Tue, 08 Jan 2019 15:18:14 -0600 Veterans /news/headline/2018-12-20-va-secretary-updates-congress-progress-revamp-community-care <p>The House and Senate Committees on Veterans鈥� Affairs yesterday held a <a href="https://www.veterans.senate.gov/hearings/joint-hearing_-tracking-transformation-va-mission-act-implementation-12192018">joint hearing</a> on progress to implement the VA MISSION Act of 2018, <a href="/press-releases/2018-05-23-aha-statement-passage-va-mission-act">AHA-supported</a> legislation that will consolidate the Department of Veterans Affairs' community care programs into a single permanent program. Testifying on the new program, which must start by June 6 under the law, VA Secretary Robert Wilkie said timely payment to community providers was a priority. 鈥淭o this end, VA is moving away from paper claims and requiring providers to submit electronic claims in most cases through a new claims processing system,鈥� he said. Sen. Jon Tester, D-Mont., ranking member of the Senate committee, and Rep. Mark Takano, D-Calif., urged the secretary to brief the panel on the proposed access standards for the program. Wilkie said he would do so after he briefed the president and had his decision. 鈥淢y objective is to ensure veterans receive care where and when they need it and to ensure VA remains on the leading edge for access and quality of health care,鈥� he said.</p> Thu, 20 Dec 2018 15:11:17 -0600 Veterans /news/insights-and-analysis/2018-11-01-facing-overdose-epidemic-some-eds-offer-addiction-treatment <h2>ED doctors combat opioid overdoses with on-the-spot treatment</h2> <p>Emergency department physicians often automatically refer patients with substance use disorder to local treatment clinics, but that standard is beginning to change as <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/facing-an-overdose-epidemic-some-ers-now-offer-addiction-treatment/2018/10/26/1829df84-c73f-11e8-9b1c-a90f1daae309_story.html">more ED physicians are adding addiction services</a>, including starting patients on the widely effective anti-addiction medication buprenorphine, the Washington Post reports.</p> <p>The trend is taking hold in Maryland, with dozens of hospitals either treating or planning to treat opioid patients with the treatment, which has been shown to be more than twice as effective as non-medication therapies at helping those with substance use disorders quit, the Washington Post said. As part of this care strategy, these physicians also are briefly holding the patients for observation and making next-day appointments for them at local treatment centers.  </p> <p>While most emergency physicians don鈥檛 have licenses to prescribe this narcotic (it requires eight hours of clinical training), physicians without a Drug Enforcement Administration license can administer a single dose of the medication to a patient within a 72-hour period under legislation known as the three-day rule, the publication said. Once patients are stabilized, they can get a monthly prescription for the medication from any primary-care doctor who has a DEA license.</p> <p>Buprenorphine has the potential to greatly mend the opioid epidemic, but needs to be more accessible and affordable, said Andrew Kolodny, co-director of the Opioid Policy Research Collaborative at Brandeis University in Waltham, Mass.</p> <p>鈥淚f this movement in Maryland and other states is successful and starts to become normalized nationwide, it could change everything,鈥� he told the publication.</p> <h2>Rural hospital closings have significant impact on health </h2> <p>Approximately <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2018/10/29/upshot/a-sense-of-alarm-as-rural-hospitals-keep-closing.html">90 rural hospitals have closed in the past eight years and others are facing challenges</a>, resulting in dramatic health implications for residents, the New York Times reports. These include maternity care deserts, increased travel time for trauma cases, lack of access to behavioral and substance use specialists and more. These hospital closings, which appear to be linked to some states鈥� decisions not to expand Medicaid as part of the Affordable Care Act, often have rippling economic impacts, such as regional income dips and unemployment-rate hikes, the publication said.</p> <p>In the ongoing conflict within some states about whether or not to expand Medicaid, 鈥渉ospitals鈥� futures hang in the balance,鈥� Richard Lindrooth, a professor at the University of Colorado School of Public Health, told the publication.</p> <h2>VA partnership to integrate behavioral health considerations in primary care</h2> <p>The National Science Foundation is funding a pilot program between the Department of Veterans Affairs and the behavioral health platform technology company NeuroFlow that would <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/nicolefisher/2018/10/29/in-looking-to-treat-the-whole-patient-va-tests-behavioral-health-platform/#440f1b1c6a3e">integrate behavioral health into the VA medical setting via remote monitoring</a>. A Forbes op-ed says the technology could impact how VA physicians prescribe medications such as antidepressants and opioids and might also streamline paperwork and appointments for physicians and patients. </p> <p>NeuroFlow has already been adopted by 112 clinics and hospitals in five countries, the publication said.  </p> <h2>Small drug player step closer to possible market disruption</h2> <p>Esperion Therapeutics, a relatively small biotech company, is getting <a href="https://www.statnews.com/2018/10/28/esperion-cholesterol-drug-hurdle-cleared">closer to attaining Food and Drug Administration approval for a pill called bempedoic acid</a>, which is expected to lower cardiovascular patients鈥� cholesterol more cheaply and do it less invasively than competing products, Stat News reports. </p> <p>The pill, which the publication said is expected to win FDA approval and hit the market in 2020, would be an alternative to injected treatments designed for patients with extreme cardiovascular issues. While bempedoic acid is still in the process of proving its health benefits, some of which are predicted to work differently than its competition, <br /> Esperion plans to offer it at half the cost of rivals鈥� products.</p> <p>This comes as Esperion鈥檚 would-be competitors are already lowering their prices as part of a deal with Express Scrips.<br />  </p> Thu, 01 Nov 2018 09:48:02 -0500 Veterans /news/headline/2018-08-02-fcc-seeks-comments-proposal-connected-care-pilot-program <p><em>(Pictured, above: FCC Chairman Ajit Pai)</em></p> <p>The Federal Communications Commission today agreed to <a href="https://www.fcc.gov/document/promoting-telehealth-through-connected-care-pilot-program">seek comments</a> for 30 days on creating a new $100 million Connected Care Pilot Program to support telehealth for low-income Americans, especially those living in rural areas and veterans. If established, the program would support the expansion of broadband and promote the use of broadband-enabled telehealth services among low-income families and veterans, with a focus on services delivered directly to patients beyond the doors of brick-and-mortar health care facilities. The FCC seeks input on the design of the pilot program, including factors such as the types of telehealth pilot projects that should be funded and eligibility criteria for participating health care providers, broadband service providers and low-income consumers. 鈥淭he AHA is pleased that the FCC has voted to seek input on a pilot proposal to expand broadband access for individuals to support connected care,鈥� said AHA Executive Vice President Tom Nickels. 鈥淗ospitals and health systems increasingly use remote monitoring, and other technologies that depend on widespread access to broadband, to better manage care for patients with chronic conditions, support compliance with treatment plans and pre-empt acute episodes. In addition, for recently-discharged patients, remote monitoring reduces the likelihood of disruption and unnecessary readmissions. If properly designed and funded, this proposal would complement the existing Rural Health Care Program.鈥�</p> Thu, 02 Aug 2018 15:25:23 -0500 Veterans /news/headline/2018-07-10-wilkie-nomination-va-secretary-advances-senate <p>The Senate Committee on Veterans' Affairs today <a href="https://www.veterans.senate.gov/newsroom/majority-news/isakson-applauds-committee-approval-of-robert-wilkie-as-va-secretary">voted</a> to advance President Trump鈥檚 nomination of Robert Wilkie to lead the Department of Veterans Affairs permanently. Wilkie has served as acting VA secretary since March and as under secretary of defense for personnel and readiness since last November. He previously served as assistant secretary of defense from 2005 to 2009. The nomination next moves to the full Senate for consideration.</p> Tue, 10 Jul 2018 15:32:22 -0500 Veterans