scholarly journals Age, Race and Cardiovascular Outcomes in African American Veterans

2016 ◽  
Vol 26 (3) ◽  
pp. 305 ◽  
Author(s):  
Keith C. Norris ◽  
George A. Mensah ◽  
L. Ebony Boulware ◽  
Jun L. Lu ◽  
Jennie Z. Ma ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
African American ◽  
Ischemic Stroke ◽  
African Americans ◽  
Lower Incidence ◽  
Veterans Health Administration ◽  
Cardiovascular Outcomes ◽  
Veterans Health ◽  
Health Administration ◽  
All Cause Mortality

<p><strong>Background: </strong>In the general population, compared wtih their White peers, African Americans suffer premature all-cause and cardiovascular (CV) deaths, attributed in part to reduced access to care and lower socioeconomic status. Prior reports indicated younger (aged 35 to 44 years) African Americans had a signficantly greater age-adjusted risk of death. Recent studies suggest that in a more egalitarian health care structure than typical United States (US) health care structures, African Americans may have similar or even better CV outcomes, but the impact of age is less well-known. <strong></strong></p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>We examined age stratified all-cause mortality, and incident coronary heart disease (CHD) and ischemic stroke in 3,072,966 patients (547,441 African American and 2,525,525 White) with an estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR)&gt;60 mL/min/1.73m2 receiving care from the US Veterans Health Administration. Outcomes were examined in Cox models adjusted for demographics, comorbidities, kidney function, blood pressure, socioeconomics and indicators of the quality of health care delivery. <strong></strong></p><p><strong>Results: </strong>African Americans had an overall 30% lower all-cause mortality (P&lt;.001) and 29% lower incidence of CHD (P&lt;.001) and higher incidence of ischemic stroke (aHR, 95%CI: 1.16, 1.13-1.18, P&lt;.001). The lower rates of mortality and CHD were strongest in younger African Americans and attenuated across patients aged <span style="text-decoration: underline;">&gt;</span>70 years. Stroke rates did not differ by race in persons aged &lt;70 years. <strong></strong></p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>Among patients with normal eGFR and receiving care in the Veterans Health Administration, younger African Americans had lower all-cause mortality and incidence of CHD and similar rates of stroke, independent of demographic, comorbidity and socioeconomic differences. The lower all-cause mortality persisted but attenuated with increasing age and the lower incidence of CHD ended at aged ≥80 years. The higher incidence of ischemic stroke in African Americans was driven by increasing risk in patients aged ≥70 years suggesting that the improved cardiovascular outcomes were most dramatic for younger African Americans. <em>Ethn Dis. </em>2016;26(3):305-314; doi:10.18865/ed.26.3.305 </p>

scholarly journals Development of Predictive Informatics Tool Using Electronic Health Records to Inform Personalized Evidence-Based Pressure Injury Management for Veterans with Spinal Cord Injury

2021 ◽  
Vol 186 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 651-658
Author(s):  
Kath M Bogie ◽  
Steven K Roggenkamp ◽  
Ningzhou Zeng ◽  
Jacinta M Seton ◽  
Katelyn R Schwartz ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Risk Factors ◽  
Health Care ◽  
Spinal Cord ◽  
Spinal Cord Injury ◽  
User Interface ◽  
Veterans Health Administration ◽  
Study Cohort ◽  
Veterans Health ◽  
Health Administration ◽  
Cord Injury

ABSTRACT Background Pressure injuries (PrI) are serious complications for many with spinal cord injury (SCI), significantly burdening health care systems, in particular the Veterans Health Administration. Clinical practice guidelines (CPG) provide recommendations. However, many risk factors span multiple domains. Effective prioritization of CPG recommendations has been identified as a need. Bioinformatics facilitates clinical decision support for complex challenges. The Veteran’s Administration Informatics and Computing Infrastructure provides access to electronic health record (EHR) data for all Veterans Health Administration health care encounters. The overall study objective was to expand our prototype structural model of environmental, social, and clinical factors and develop the foundation for resource which will provide weighted systemic insight into PrI risk in veterans with SCI. Methods The SCI PrI Resource (SCI-PIR) includes three integrated modules: (1) the SCIPUDSphere multidomain database of veterans’ EHR data extracted from October 2010 to September 2015 for ICD-9-CM coding consistency together with tissue health profiles, (2) the Spinal Cord Injury Pressure Ulcer and Deep Tissue Injury Ontology (SCIPUDO) developed from the cohort’s free text clinical note (Text Integration Utility) notes, and (3) the clinical user interface for direct SCI-PIR query. Results The SCI-PIR contains relevant EHR data for a study cohort of 36,626 veterans with SCI, representing 10% to 14% of the U.S. population with SCI. Extracted datasets include SCI diagnostics, demographics, comorbidities, rurality, medications, and laboratory tests. Many terminology variations for non-coded input data were found. SCIPUDO facilitates robust information extraction from over six million Text Integration Utility notes annually for the study cohort. Visual widgets in the clinical user interface can be directly populated with SCIPUDO terms, allowing patient-specific query construction. Conclusion The SCI-PIR contains valuable clinical data based on CPG-identified risk factors, providing a basis for personalized PrI risk management following SCI. Understanding the relative impact of risk factors supports PrI management for veterans with SCI. Personalized interactive programs can enhance best practices by decreasing both initial PrI formation and readmission rates due to PrI recurrence for veterans with SCI.

scholarly journals Predictors of Veterans Health Administration utilization and pain persistence among soldiers treated for postdeployment chronic pain in the Military Health System

2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Rachel Sayko Adams ◽  
Esther L. Meerwijk ◽  
Mary Jo Larson ◽  
Alex H. S. Harris
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Health Care ◽  
Chronic Pain ◽  
Veterans Health Administration ◽  
First Year ◽  
Veterans Health ◽  
Health Administration ◽  
Military Health System ◽  
Military Health ◽  
The Military

Abstract Background Chronic pain presents a significant burden for both federal health care systems designed to serve combat Veterans in the United States (i.e., the Military Health System [MHS] and Veterans Health Administration [VHA]), yet there have been few studies of Veterans with chronic pain that have integrated data from both systems of care. This study examined 1) health care utilization in VHA as an enrollee (i.e., linkage to VHA) after military separation among soldiers with postdeployment chronic pain identified in the MHS, and predictors of linkage, and 2) persistence of chronic pain among those utilizing the VHA. Methods Observational, longitudinal study of soldiers returning from a deployment in support of the Afghanistan/Iraq conflicts in fiscal years 2008–2014. The analytic sample included 138,206 active duty soldiers for whom linkage to VHA was determined through FY2019. A Cox proportional hazards model was estimated to examine the effects of demographic characteristics, military history, and MHS clinical characteristics on time to linkage to VHA after separation from the military. Among the subpopulation of soldiers who linked to VHA, we described whether they met criteria for chronic pain in the VHA and pain management treatments received during the first year in VHA. Results The majority (79%) of soldiers within the chronic pain cohort linked to VHA after military separation. Significant predictors of VHA linkage included: VHA utilization as a non-enrollee prior to military separation, separating for disability, mental health comorbidities, and being non-Hispanic Black or Hispanic. Soldiers that separated because of misconduct were less likely to link than other soldiers. Soldiers who received nonpharmacological treatments, opioids/tramadol, or mental health treatment in the MHS linked earlier to VHA than soldiers who did not receive these treatments. Among those who enrolled in VHA, during the first year after linking to the VHA, 49.7% of soldiers met criteria for persistent chronic pain in VHA. Conclusions The vast majority of soldiers identified with chronic pain in the MHS utilized care within VHA after military separation. Careful coordination of pain management approaches across the MHS and VHA is required to optimize care for soldiers with chronic pain.

Transformation of the US Veterans Health Administration

2006 ◽  
Vol 1 (2) ◽  
pp. 99-105 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jonathan B. Perlin
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Health Care ◽  
Veterans Health Administration ◽  
The United States ◽  
Veterans Affairs ◽  
United States Department ◽  
Veterans Health ◽  
Department Of Veterans Affairs ◽  
Health Administration ◽  
The Us

Ten years ago, it would have been hard to imagine the publication of an issue of a scholarly journal dedicated to applying lessons from the transformation of the United States Department of Veterans Affairs Health System to the renewal of other countries' national health systems. Yet, with the recent publication of a dedicated edition of the Canadian journal Healthcare Papers (2005), this actually happened. Veterans Affairs health care also has been similarly lauded this past year in the lay press, being described as ‘the best care anywhere’ in the Washington Monthly, and described as ‘top-notch healthcare’ in US News and World Report's annual health care issue enumerating the ‘Top 100 Hospitals’ in the United States (Longman, 2005; Gearon, 2005).

P52. Health care use after incident visits for low back conditions in the Veterans Health Administration

2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (9) ◽  
pp. S165
Author(s):  
Anthony J. Lisi ◽  
Lori Bastian ◽  
Vivian T. Ly ◽  
Joseph Lucien Goulet
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Veterans Health Administration ◽  
Health Care Use ◽  
Low Back ◽  
Veterans Health ◽  
Health Administration

scholarly journals Engaging African American Veterans with Health Care Access Challenges in a Community Partnered Care Coordination Initiative: A Qualitative Needs Assessment

2018 ◽  
Vol 28 (Supp) ◽  
pp. 475-484
Author(s):  
Adriana Izquierdo ◽  
Michael Ong ◽  
Felica Jones ◽  
Loretta Jones ◽  
David Ganz ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
African American ◽  
Los Angeles ◽  
Health Care System ◽  
Health Care Access ◽  
Veterans Health ◽  
Health Administration ◽  
Health Care Environment ◽  
Care Access ◽  
Care System

Background: Little has been written about engaging potentially eligible members of a health care system who are not accessing the care to which they are entitled. Know­ing more about the experiences of African American Veterans who regularly experi­ence health care access challenges may be an important step toward equitable, coordi­nated Veterans Health Administration (VHA) care. This article explores the experiences of African American Veterans who are at risk of experiencing poor care coordination.Design: We partnered with a community organization to recruit and engage Veterans in three exploratory engagement workshops between October 2015 and February 2016.Participants and Setting: Veterans living in South Los Angeles, CaliforniaMain Outcome Measures: Veterans were asked to describe their experiences with community care and the VHA, a division of the US Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). Field notes taken during the workshops were analyzed by community and academic partners using grounded theory methodol­ogy to identify emergent themes.Results: 12 Veterans and 3 family members of Veterans participated in one or more en­gagement workshops. Their trust in the VA was generally low. Positive themes included: Veterans have knowledge to share and want to help other Veterans; and connecting to VA services can result in positive experi­ences. Negative themes included: functional barriers to accessing VA health care services; insensitive VA health care environment; lack of trust in the VA health care system; and Veteran status as disadvantageous for accessing non-VA community services.Conclusions: Veterans living in underserved areas who have had difficulty accessing VA care have unique perspectives on VA services. Partnering with trusted local com­munity organizations to engage Veterans in their home communities is a promising strategy to inform efforts to improve care access and coordination for vulnerable Vet­erans.Ethn Dis. 2018;28(Suppl 2):475-484; doi:10.18865/ed.28.S2.475.

scholarly journals Health Care Utilization Among Texas Veterans Health Administration Enrollees Before and After Hurricane Harvey, 2016-2018

2021 ◽  
Vol 4 (12) ◽  
pp. e2138535
Author(s):  
Margaret Carrel ◽  
Gosia S. Clore ◽  
Seungwon Kim ◽  
Mary Vaughan Sarrazin ◽  
Eric Tate ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Health Care Utilization ◽  
Veterans Health Administration ◽  
Care Utilization ◽  
Veterans Health ◽  
Health Administration ◽  
Before And After

Mental health care integration and primary care patient experience in the Veterans Health Administration

Healthcare ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (4) ◽  
pp. 100587
Author(s):  
Lucinda B. Leung ◽  
Danielle Rose ◽  
Rong Guo ◽  
Catherine E. Brayton ◽  
Lisa V. Rubenstein ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Primary Care ◽  
Health Care ◽  
Patient Experience ◽  
Primary Care Patient ◽  
Veterans Health Administration ◽  
Care Patient ◽  
Veterans Health ◽  
Health Administration ◽  
Care Integration

Abstract 203: Emergent Brain Imaging for Acute Ischemic Stroke in Veterans Health Administration Hospitals

Stroke ◽  
2014 ◽  
Vol 45 (suppl_1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Kori Sauser ◽  
Dawn M Bravata ◽  
Rodney A Hayward ◽  
Deborah A Levine
Keyword(s):  
Ischemic Stroke ◽  
Acute Ischemic Stroke ◽  
Brain Imaging ◽  
Veterans Health Administration ◽  
Primary Objective ◽  
Veterans Health ◽  
Health Administration ◽  
Linear Regression Models ◽  
Patient Level ◽  
Hospital Variation

Objective: Tissue plasminogen activator (tPA) is under-utilized in Veterans Health Administration medical centers (VAMCs); delays in brain imaging may be a significant barrier. Our primary objective was to describe door-to-imaging time (DIT) patterns among veterans with acute ischemic stroke (IS). We identified patient-level predictors of faster imaging times and decomposed variation in DIT attributable to hospital and patient-level factors. Methods: Detailed medical record reviews were done on 5,000 acute IS patients admitted to any VAMC in 2007; this analysis included those with emergent brain imaging (CT/MRI within 6 hours). We used descriptive statistics to report DIT patterns and a series of random-intercept hierarchical linear regression models to identify predictors of DIT and to decompose variation in DIT. Results: Among the 2,681 acute IS patients emergently imaged in a VAMC, median DIT was 67.7 minutes (min) (IQR, 37.1-115.8 min). Among the 83 patients who were eligible for tPA, the median DIT was 45.9 min (IQR, 28.4-72.1 min) and 22% met the DIT<25 min guideline. Arrival from clinic and increased onset-to-arrival time were independently associated with slower DIT, whereas blood pressure on arrival >185/110 mm Hg was associated with faster DIT (Table). In the model without patient-level factors, 7.2% of variation in DIT was attributable to hospital. Adding patient-level predictors to the model explained 18.8% of the variation in DIT, but 6.4% of the variation remained attributable to case-mix-adjusted hospital variation. Despite this clinical substantial hospital variation, the low IS caseload at most hospitals made it impossible to reliably identify high- and low-performing facilities. Conclusion: There remains room for improvement in DIT for VAMC acute IS patients. Variation is attributable to patient and hospital factors, however, low case IS loads at most hospitals prevented reliable discrimination between high and low-performing centers.

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