Tuesday, February 16, 2010

VA Wants to Track Docotr's Response to E-Alerts

Full Article at: VA wants to track docs’ reaction to e-alerts
By Mary Mosquera
Tuesday, February 16, 2010

"The Veterans Affairs Department wants to be able to track when and how its physicians respond to medical alerts sent to them via the agency’s computerized patient record system (CPRS).

Online Document here: https://www.fbo.gov/index?s=opportunity&mode=form&id=e3df008ae4b643a9aa9385673fac3918&tab=core&_cview=0

CPRS, a part of the Health Information Systems and Technology Architecture (VistA), currently can only monitor whether providers click to acknowledge receipt of an abnormal diagnostic test result alert.

However the system cannot report whether providers take follow-up actions based on that alert, and what those actions are.

VA now wants a vendor to update its CPRS interface and workflow to enable the tracking and reporting of critical diagnostic test alerts and actions taken by the physicians."

Iraq, Exposure to High Levels of Nuclear and Dioxin Contamination

Full Article at: Iraq littered with high levels of nuclear and dioxin contamination, study finds

"More than 40 sites across Iraq are contaminated with high levels or radiation and dioxins, with three decades of war and neglect having left environmental ruin in large parts of the country, an official Iraqi study has found.

Areas in and near Iraq's largest towns and cities, including Najaf, Basra and ­Falluja, account for around 25% of the contaminated sites, which appear to coincide with communities that have seen increased rates of cancer and birth defects over the past five years. The joint study by the environment, health and science ministries found that scrap metal yards in and around Baghdad and Basra contain high levels of ionising radiation, which is thought to be a legacy of depleted uranium used in munitions during the first Gulf war and since the 2003 invasion.

The environment minister, Narmin Othman, said high levels of dioxins on agricultural lands in southern Iraq, in particular, were increasingly thought to be a key factor in a general decline in the health of people living in the poorest parts of the country."

Shredding of Veterans Claims, and Records

Full Articles at: http://www.vawatchdog.org/10/nf10/nffeb10/nf021610-3.htm


1. VAOIG letters to Members of Congress about resources to inspect all VA Regional Offices on a 3-year cycle ... even though they should be inspected about every 3 months given the problems they have. Document available for viewing or download here.

2. VAOIG report on documents found in shredder bins at the Cleveland Regional Office (VARO). Document available for viewing or download here.

3. 13 pages of Contact Reports and sworn statements about shredding and document mishandling at the Columbia, SC VARO. Document available for viewing or download here.

4. A Contact Report about shredding drop mail at the New York VARO. Document available for viewing or download here.

5. Report of documents found in shredder bins at the St. Petersburg VARO. Document available for viewing or download here.

6. Follow-up analysis of a claim document found in a shredder bin at the St. Petersburg VARO. Document available for viewing or download here.

7. Report on mail handling at Winston-Salem VARO and dating of claims at the Albuquerque VARO. Document available for viewing or download here.

8. An Exit Conference about date changing at the Boston VARO. And, yes, they were changing dates on claims. Document available for viewing or download here.