Kevin T Stroupe

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..The present study examined the cost-effectiveness of PCI versus CABG for these high-risk patients...

..More study is needed to understand poor rates of agreement between VA and external sources in identifying non-African-American minority individuals...

..e., patients who have and have not, respectively, experienced hypertension-related target organ damage), and to examine the association of refill adherence with hospitalization and health care costs among these patients...

..We examined the impact of the copayment increase on medication acquisition from VA...

..We examined costs and consequences using veterans in LOVIT and comparable veterans in an inpatient BRC...

..Access to nephrology care before initiation of chronic dialysis is associated with improved outcomes after initiation. Less is known about the effect of predialysis nephrology care on healthcare costs and utilization...

..Although WW is likely to be less costly initially when compared with tension-free repair (TFR) because of the cost of the operation, it is not clear whether WW remains the least costly option when longer-term costs are considered...

..We examined ESA therapy in lung and colon cancer patients receiving chemotherapy in the VA from 2002 to 2008 to ascertain trends in and predictors of ESA use...

..Investigators should recognize these shortcomings and the introduction of possible bias in future research and reports...

..Using a societal perspective, we examined healthcare costs and health outcomes for Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) ESRD patients comparing those who received hemodialysis care at VA versus private sector facilities...

..To examine the effect of exclusive and dual use of Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and Medicare healthcare systems on outpatient predialysis nephrology care...

..Because reimbursement for erythropoietin differs for federal versus private-sector dialysis centers, we hypothesized different use patterns by facility type...

..Therefore, the purpose of this study was to examine the measurement invariance of the KDQOL-SF across Veterans and non-Veterans with CKD...

..We examined whether patient satisfaction affected subsequent use of non-Veterans Affairs (VA) services among chronically ill veterans discharged from VA hospitals...

..CONCLUSIONS: Overall, laparoscopic hernia repair is not cost effective compared with open repair. For patients with unilateral (primary or recurrent) hernia, laparoscopic repair is a cost effective treatment option...

..To target interventions effectively, it is important to understand the association of medication acquisition with health care utilization and costs...

..Our objective was to evaluate the comparative effectiveness of regimens containing tiotropium bromide vs other medication regimens for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) in real-world clinical settings...

..For the transition to occur, consensus among stakeholders is needed, especially among patients whose treatment satisfaction and health-related quality of life would be most affected...

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..To compare the effectiveness of low vision rehabilitation (LVR) and basic low vision (LV) in a single masked multicentre randomised controlled trial (RCT)...

..S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) screening program for traumatic brain injury (TBI) and to identify patient and facility characteristics associated with receiving a TBI screen and results of the screening...

..To examine the impact of a medication copayment increase on adherence to diabetes, hypertension, and hyperlipidemic medications...

..Limited data are available to assess whether endovascular repair of abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) improves short-term outcomes compared with traditional open repair...

..However, cumulative medication costs over 36 months were lower for the STN than for GPi patients. PD medication use and costs decreased following DBS in either target over 36 months, but cumulative costs were less for STN than for GPi...

..Chronic kidney disease (CKD) and spinal cord injury and disorders (SCI/D) are common and costly conditions among Veterans. However, little is known about CKD among adults with SCI/D...

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..However, patients may not adhere to therapy. Patients with complex medication regimens and low health literacy are at risk for nonadherence...

..Patients with heart failure who take several prescription medications sometimes have poor adherence to their treatment regimens. Few interventions designed to improve adherence to therapy have been rigorously tested...

..Both patient and provider factors may explain the substantially higher use of this procedure in the private sector...