{"title":"Leveraging the Million Veteran Program Infrastructure and Data for a Rapid Research Response to COVID-19","authors":"Stacey B Whitbourne","doi":"10.12788/fp.0416","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.12788/fp.0416","url":null,"abstract":"Background: The Veterans Health Administration Office of Research and Development (ORD) played a key role in the federal government’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The ORD effectively leveraged existing resources to answer questions related to the SARS-CoV-2 virus and COVID-19. Observations: When the COVID-19 pandemic hit in 2020, the Million Veteran Program (MVP), one of the largest genomic cohorts in the world, extended the centralized recruitment and enrollment infrastructure to develop a COVID-19 research volunteer registry to assist enrollment in the vaccine and treatment trials in which the US Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) participated. In addition, the MVP allowed for new data collection and a large genomic cohort to understand host contributions to COVID-19. This article describes ways the MVP contributed to the VA’s rapid research response to COVID-19. Several host genetic factors believed to play a role in the development and severity of COVID-19 were identified. Furthermore, existing MVP partnerships with other federal agencies, particularly with the Department of Energy, were leveraged to improve understanding and management of COVID-19. Conclusions: A previously established enterprise approach and research infrastructure were essential to the VA’s successful and timely COVID-19 research response. This infrastructure not only supported rapid recruitment in vaccine and treatment trials, but also leveraged the unique MVP and VA electronic health record data to drive rapid scientific discovery and inform clinical operations. Extending the models that VA research applied to the federal government at large and establishing centralized resources for shared or federated data analyses across federal agencies will better equip the nation to respond to future public health crises.","PeriodicalId":94009,"journal":{"name":"Federal practitioner : for the health care professionals of the VA, DoD, and PHS","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-11-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"135326018","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Nephrology–Palliative Care Collaboration to Promote Outpatient Hemodialysis Goals of Care Conversations","authors":"Alexi Vahlkamp","doi":"10.12788/fp.0422","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.12788/fp.0422","url":null,"abstract":"Background: Goals of care conversations and corresponding life-sustaining treatment (LST) progress notes were completed for only one-fourth of patients on outpatient dialysis despite hospital-wide training with nephrologists at the Edward Hines, Jr. Veterans Affairs Hospital. The purpose of this quality improvement project was to increase completion of LST progress notes and corresponding orders among patients on dialysis through an interdisciplinary nephrology–palliative care collaboration. Observations: The nephrology and palliative care departments began an interdisciplinary collaboration for nephrology to consult palliative care to initiate goals of care conversations and complete LST progress notes with patients on dialysis. A coordinated workflow process was created that included multidisciplinary efforts for patient selection, patient education, and introduction and completion of goals of care conversations for patients on dialysis. Completion rates for LST notes increased from 27% to 81% following the 13-month intervention, with 69 of 85 patients having a documented LST progress note. Conclusions: A collaboration between nephrology and palliative care increased high-quality LST progress note completion. The next steps include expanding these collaborations at other dialysis units and evaluating the impact on patient outcomes.","PeriodicalId":94009,"journal":{"name":"Federal practitioner : for the health care professionals of the VA, DoD, and PHS","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-10-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"135654241","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Community Nursing Home Program Oversight: Can the VA Meet Increased Demand for Community-Based Care?","authors":"Cari Levy","doi":"10.12788/fp.0421","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.12788/fp.0421","url":null,"abstract":"Background: The US Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Community Nursing Home (CNH) program provides in-person oversight monitoring the quality of care of veterans in VA-contracted community-based skilled nursing homes. The number of veterans receiving CNH care is projected to increase by 80% by 2037. Methods: Retrospective observational data describing the distance between contracted facilities and VA medical centers (VAMCs) were linked to Centers for Medicare and Medicaid monthly Nursing Home Compare and Brown University Long Term Care: Facts on Care in the US data. Qualitative interviews with CNH-based staff and VA-based CNH program oversight team members were conducted using a semistructured interview guide. Quantitative and qualitative data were analyzed independently and integrated during the interpretation of results. Results: The number of CNHs per VAMC ranged from 1 to 68 (mean, 18). One in 4 CNHs were > 70 miles from the associated VAMC; among CNHs with 2 to 5 veterans, 44% were located > 50 miles away. Four qualitative themes emerged regarding VA CNH oversight: (1) benefits of VA CNH team engagement/ visits, including quality assurance and care coordination; (2) burden of VA CNH oversight due to geographic dispersion with too few or too many veterans at each to achieve efficiency; (3) oversight burdens and limited staffing restricted ability to add CNHs; and (4) remote access and interoperability of electronic health records and balancing the number of CNH veterans with staffing could facilitate successful oversight. Conclusions: The success of the CNH program will depend on the exchange of information and matching available resources to veterans’ needs. At a time when strategies to ease the burden on NHs and VA CNH coordinators are needed, the VA needs to improve to properly scale the program.","PeriodicalId":94009,"journal":{"name":"Federal practitioner : for the health care professionals of the VA, DoD, and PHS","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-10-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"135654254","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Syracuse Hemoglobinopathy Presenting With Tophaceous Gout: A Case Report","authors":"Maryam Riaz","doi":"10.12788/fp.0419","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.12788/fp.0419","url":null,"abstract":"Background: Hemoglobinopathies are inherited disorders of hemoglobin that alter oxygen binding capacity by affecting the production of a specific subset of globin chains or their entire structure. A lesser-known subtype, Syracuse hemoglobinopathy, was first identified in 4 generations of a family in the 1970s. Gout has been reported in several forms of hemoglobinopathy, such as thalassemia and hemoglobin C disorder. Case Presentation: A 44-year-old man with a known history of Syracuse hemoglobinopathy, tobacco use disorder, and shoulder osteoarthritis presented with diffuse nodular masses on his joints along with joint pain. His laboratory tests and imaging showed elevated uric acid, urate crystals in his synovial fluid, and bony erosions. These findings were concerning for gout, which was treated with allopurinol, prednisone, and colchicine, resulting in improvement in his symptoms. Conclusions: Syracuse hemoglobinopathy, a rare disorder of high oxygen affinity hemoglobin, can present itself with findings of elevated serum uric acid and tophaceous gout. Most patients with hyperuricemia never go on to develop gout. However, having a condition that increases serum levels of uric acid should raise an astute clinician’s suspicion when a patient presents with a history of hemoglobinopathy and joint pain.","PeriodicalId":94009,"journal":{"name":"Federal practitioner : for the health care professionals of the VA, DoD, and PHS","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-10-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"135660726","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Shifting Culture Toward Age-Friendly Care: Lessons From VHA Early Adopters","authors":"Megha Kalsy","doi":"10.12788/fp.0420","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.12788/fp.0420","url":null,"abstract":"Background: The need for a health care workforce with expanded skills in the care of older adults is increasingly evident as the US population ages. The evidence-based Age-Friendly Health Systems (AFHS) framework establishes a structure to reliably assess and deliver effective care of older adults with multiple chronic conditions: what matters, medication, mentation, and mobility (4Ms). Half of veterans receiving Veterans Health Administration (VHA) care are aged ≥ 65 years, driving its transformation into the largest AFHS in the US. In this article, we offer lessons on the challenges to AFHS delivery and suggest opportunities to sustaining age-friendly care. Observations: Within 3 months of implementation, 85% to 100% of patients received 4M care in all care settings at our VA facilities. Key lessons learned include the importance of identifying, preparing, and supporting a champion to lead this effort; garnering facility and system leadership support at the outset; and integration with the electronic health record (EHR) for reliable and efficient data capture, reporting, and feedback. Although the goal is to establish AFHS in all care settings, we believe that initially including a geriatrics-focused care setting helped early adoption of 4Ms care in the sites described here. Conclusions: Early adopters at 2 VHA health care systems demonstrated successful AFHS implementation spanning different VHA facilities and care settings. Successful growth and sustainability may require leveraging the EHR to reduce documentation burden, increase standardization in care, and automate feedback, tracking, and reporting. A coordinated effort is underway to integrate AFHS into VHA documentation, performance evaluation, and metrics in both the legacy and new Cerner EHRs.","PeriodicalId":94009,"journal":{"name":"Federal practitioner : for the health care professionals of the VA, DoD, and PHS","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-10-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"135660776","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Are Text Pages an Effective Nudge to Increase Attendance at Internal Medicine Morning Report Conferences? A Cluster Randomized Controlled Trial","authors":"Rahul B Ganatra","doi":"10.12788/fp.0423","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.12788/fp.0423","url":null,"abstract":"Background: Despite the importance of medical educational conferences, low attendance remains an issue. The utility of reminder text pages as a behavioral nudge to increase attendance is unknown. Our objective was to determine whether reminder text pages increase daily morning report attendance. Methods: We conducted a multiple-crossover cluster randomized controlled trial among medical students and internal medicine interns and residents (learners) at the Veteran Affairs Boston Healthcare System during the 2019 to 2020 academic year. During intervention periods, all residents and interns received a text page reminder 5 minutes before the upcoming 8:00 am morning report conference; no page was sent during control periods. The primary outcome was conference attendance 10 minutes after the start of the conference. Results: The study period included 85 morning report conferences, which 211 unique learners were eligible to attend; outcome data were available for 100% of eligible learners. On days when no page was sent, 44.4% of eligible learners attended the conference by 8:10 am ; on days when a reminder page was sent, 49.5% of eligible learners attended ( P = .007). Accounting for clustering within individuals and controlling for date and team, the adjusted risk difference in morning report attendance associated with a reminder page was 4.0% (95% CI, 0.5%-7.6%) compared with no reminder page. No effect modification by overnight admissions was detected. Conclusions: Our results suggest that daily reminder pages may result in a small increase in conference attendance. Whether this small increase is educationally significant will vary across training programs that apply this strategy.","PeriodicalId":94009,"journal":{"name":"Federal practitioner : for the health care professionals of the VA, DoD, and PHS","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-10-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"135654253","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Implementation of an Automated Phone Call Distribution System in an Inpatient Pharmacy Setting","authors":"Samaneh Ghassemi","doi":"10.12788/fp.0402","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.12788/fp.0402","url":null,"abstract":"FEDERAL PRACTITIONER • SEPTEMBER 2023 mdedge.com/fedprac Background: Inpatient pharmacies receive numerous phone calls from health care professionals and patients. This uncaptured workload poses potential staffing concerns for pharmacy administrators as unequal distribution or misdirected calls to the pharmacy team can lead to accountability and patient safety concerns. We aimed to implement and evaluate the effectiveness of an automated call distribution (ACD) system in an inpatient pharmacy setting at a US Department of Veterans Affairs hospital. Observations: A new inpatient pharmacy service phone line extension was implemented at the Edward Hines, Jr. Veterans Affairs Hospital in Illinois. The ACD phone system yielded positive performance metrics, including ≤ 30 seconds mean speed to answer and ≤ 5% abandonment rate in the 12 months after implementation. Conclusions: The ACD phone system is a promising, new application of available technology implemented in a nontraditional setting. The ACD system provides more actionable information and quality metrics data to pharmacy leadership. The implementation of the ACD system has improved accountability, efficiency, work distribution, and the allocation of resources. PROGRAM PROFILE","PeriodicalId":94009,"journal":{"name":"Federal practitioner : for the health care professionals of the VA, DoD, and PHS","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"135640736","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Patient With Leukocytosis and Persistent Dry Cough","authors":"Mariela M Rivera-Agosto","doi":"10.12788/fp.0407","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.12788/fp.0407","url":null,"abstract":"An 83-year-old man who was a nonsmoker with no history of systemic disease was transferred to the Veterans Affairs Caribbean Healthcare System from an outside hospital due to marked leukocytosis (white blood cell [WBC] count, 22.5 × 10/μL). He reported a 3-month history of persistent dry cough, which required several primary care physician (PCP) evaluations. He was initially treated for an upper respiratory tract infection without adequate response. Instead, his symptoms progressed, and he presented with associated hoarseness and unintentional 26-pound weight loss. The patient’s physical examination was remarkable for left-sided decreased breath sounds. Laboratory tests confirmed leukocytosis (WBC, 20.0 × 10/μL), and his radiographic chest X-ray (Figure 1) showed a left upper lobe mass, confirmed by computed tomography (CT) (Figure 2) in which mediastinal lymphadenopathy also was seen. The abdominal/pelvic CT showed renal and bilateral adrenal lesions suggestive of metastatic disease. A core needle biopsy from the anterior component of the mediastinal mass showed pleomorphic cells with hyperchromatic nuclei, spindle configuration, and mitotic figures (Figure 3). Immunohistochemistry was positive for pancytokeratin, CK7, and vimentin.","PeriodicalId":94009,"journal":{"name":"Federal practitioner : for the health care professionals of the VA, DoD, and PHS","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"135640630","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Idiopathic Granulomatous Lobular Mastitis: A Mimicker of Inflammatory Breast Cancer","authors":"Benjamin F Wilson","doi":"10.12788/fp.0408","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.12788/fp.0408","url":null,"abstract":"Background: Idiopathic granulomatous lobular mastitis (IGLM) is a rare, chronic inflammatory breast disease without a known etiology. Even though the current literature proposes several treatment strategies, there is no universal consensus for long-term management. Case Presentation: A 43-year-old White woman (gravida 5, para 4) presented with a 2-week history of right lower outer quadrant breast tenderness, heaviness, warmth, and redness. Mammography and ultrasound were concerning for inflammatory breast cancer. Biopsies returned as granulomatous mastitis without malignancy. After 8 months of unsuccessful therapy with prednisone and methotrexate, surgeons excised the breast tissue. Cultures and special stains were negative for other organisms. At the 7-month follow-up, no evidence of recurrence was seen. Conclusions: As there remains no consensus behind the etiology or management of IGLM, our case demonstrates a reasonable and successful stepwise treatment beginning with medical therapy before proceeding to surgical cure. Because of possible malignancy risk with chronic IGLM, patients should not delay surgical excision if their condition remains refractory to medical therapy alone.","PeriodicalId":94009,"journal":{"name":"Federal practitioner : for the health care professionals of the VA, DoD, and PHS","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"135640738","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Using Active Surveillance to Identify Monoclonal Antibody Candidates Among COVID-19–Positive Veterans in the Atlanta VA Health Care System","authors":"Kathryn E DeSilva","doi":"10.12788/fp.0411","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.12788/fp.0411","url":null,"abstract":"an orally admin- istered prodrug of N-hydroxycytidine (NHC, EIDD-1931), a nucleoside with broad antiviral activity against a range of RNA viruses. MOV acts by driving viral error catastrophe following its incorporation by the viral RdRp into the viral genome. Given its mechanism of action, MOV activity should not be affected by substitu- tions in the spike protein present in SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern which impact efficacy of therapeutic neutralizing antibodies and vaccine induced immunity. We characterized MOV activity against variants by assessing antiviral activity in vitro and virologic response from the Phase 2/3 clinical trials (MOVe-In, MOVe-Out) for treatment of COVID-19. Methods. MOV activity against several SARS-CoV-2 variants, was evaluated in an in vitro infection assay. Antiviral potency of NHC (IC50) was determined in Vero E6 cells infected with virus at MOI ~0.1 by monitoring CPE. Longitudinal SARS- CoV-2 RNA viral load measures in participants enrolled in MOVe-In and MOVe-Out were analyzed based on SARS-CoV-2 genotype. Sequences of SARS-CoV-2 from study participants were amplified from nasal swabs by PCR and NGS was performed on samples with viral genome RNA of >22,000","PeriodicalId":94009,"journal":{"name":"Federal practitioner : for the health care professionals of the VA, DoD, and PHS","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"135640739","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}