Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
A Bumpy Road Marks The Start Of VA's Attempts To Implement Privatization Measures That Trump Touts
The New York Times: Early Problems As Trump’s Signature Veterans’ Health Plan Rolls Out
A health program for veterans that President Trump heralds as a triumphant success is struggling to make its network of doctors as large as required to meet an aggressive expansion of care outside the Department of Veterans Affairs health facilities, officials said. The company managing the new program in a majority of the states said it would probably need millions of dollars more to meet the plan’s coverage goals. Under a new law, known as the Mission Act, veterans who need to drive for at least 30 minutes to a government-operated veterans hospital — rather than 40 miles under old standards — can receive primary care and mental health services outside the department’s traditional system. (Steinhauer, 11/6)
Reuters: Apple Rolls Out Health Records On IPhones For U.S. Military Veterans
Apple Inc on Wednesday said that U.S. military veterans who use its iOS devices and get medical care from the Veterans Health Administration will be able to access their health records on the devices. The Department of Veterans Affairs runs the largest integrated healthcare system in the United States, with 9 million veterans enrolled and more than 1,200 facilities. Apple began working with the department this summer to allow access to health records from the system on iPhones and other Apple mobile devices running its iOS operating system. (11/6)
The Associated Press: US Veteran 'Feeling Whole' Year After Penis Transplant
More than a year after performing the world's most extensive penis transplant, doctors say their patient has recovered and reports "feeling whole" again. The U.S. veteran lost both legs and his genitals from a blast in Afghanistan. Last year, Johns Hopkins University surgeons rebuilt the man's pelvic region, transplanting a penis, scrotum and part of the abdominal wall from a deceased donor. (11/6)
Los Angeles Times: Doctors Report Success In Penis Transplant For Injured Veteran
For the rest of his life, the man will almost certainly take anti-rejection medication, making him more vulnerable to infections, kidney problems and certain cancers. And he cannot father biological children: ethical considerations forbade the transfer of testes, which would have generated semen bearing the DNA of his deceased donor. Still, for a young man whose injuries were too extensive for conventional reconstructive surgery, having an external appendage that feels and works like the one he had “is a big deal,” said Dr. Richard Redett, the transplant surgeon who led a team of roughly 35 medical professionals in a 14-hour operation. (Healy, 11/6)
The Associated Press: Veterans In Connecticut Prison Getting Help From Horses
Connecticut prison inmate Daniel Elliot says he didn't feel comfortable talking about his problems until he met Hank and Sparky — who happen to be horses. Elliot suffered a traumatic brain injury during an accident while serving on an attack submarine in the Navy. He is serving time for a 2017 arson, which he says he committed in an effort to kill himself inside his Norwich apartment. (11/6)
CBS News: New Army-Funded Research Shows Promise For PTSD Treatment Featured On 60 Minutes
Results from a new clinical trial of active-duty service members have shown that an injection in the neck called stellate ganglion block, or SGB, is an effective treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder. The Army-funded trial shows that SGB injections reduced PTSD symptoms at a rate about twice that of a placebo. JAMA Psychiatry published the results Wednesday. "Finally, we have the definitive randomized controlled trial to demonstrate that stellate ganglion block not only works, but works well enough to be incorporated across the board into PTSD treatment plans," said U.S. Army physician Colonel Jim Lynch. (Abbott and Polevoy, 11/6)
