Dodge and survive: Modeling the predatory nature of dodgeball.

The analysis of games and sports as complex systems can give insights into the dynamics of human competition and has been proven useful in soccer, basketball, and other professional sports. In this paper, we present a model for dodgeball, a popular sport in U.S.

Reduced overall and event-free survival among colon cancer patients using dual system care.

Background: Many veterans have dual Veterans Administration (VA) and Medicare healthcare coverage. We compared 3-year overall and cancer event-free survival (EFS) among patients with nonmetastatic colon cancer who obtained substantial portions of their care in both systems and those whose care was obtained predominantly in the VA or in the Medicare fee-for-service system.

Methods: We conducted a retrospective observational cohort study of patients older than 65 years with stages I to III colon cancer diagnosed from 1999 to 2001 in VA and non-VA facilities.

VHA Corporate Data Warehouse height and weight data: opportunities and challenges for health services research.

Within the Veterans Health Administration (VHA), anthropometric measurements entered into the electronic medical record are stored in local information systems, the national Corporate Data Warehouse (CDW), and in some regional data warehouses. This article describes efforts to examine the quality of weight and height data within the CDW and to compare CDW data with data from warehouses maintained by several of VHA's regional groupings of healthcare facilities (Veterans Integrated Service Networks [VISNs]). We found significantly fewer recorded heights than weights in both the CDW and VISN data sources.

Surgery and adjuvant chemotherapy use among veterans with colon cancer: insights from a California study.

Purpose: US veterans have been shown to be a vulnerable population with high cancer rates, and cancer care quality in Veterans Affairs (VA) hospitals is the focus of a congressionally mandated review. We examined rates of surgery and chemotherapy use among veterans with colon cancer at VA and non-VA facilities in California to gain insight into factors associated with quality of cancer care.

Methods: A retrospective cohort of incident colon cancer patients from the California Cancer Registry, who were > or = 66 years old and eligible to use VA and Medicare between 1999 and 2001, were observed for 6 months after diagnosis.

Information technology to support improved care for chronic illness.

Background: In populations with chronic illness, outcomes improve with the use of care models that integrate clinical information, evidence-based treatments, and proactive management of care. Health information technology is believed to be critical for efficient implementation of these chronic care models. Health care organizations have implemented information technologies, such as electronic medical records, to varying degrees.

Informatics systems to promote improved care for chronic illness: a literature review.

Objective: To understand information systems components important in supporting team-based care of chronic illness through a literature search.

Design: Systematic search of literature from 1996-2005 for evaluations of information systems used in the care of chronic illness.

Measurements: The relationship of design, quality, information systems components, setting, and other factors with process, quality outcomes, and health care costs was evaluated.

Informatics resources to support health care quality improvement in the veterans health administration.

Information systems are increasingly important for measuring and improving health care quality. A number of integrated health care delivery systems use advanced information systems and integrated decision support to carry out quality assurance activities, but none as large as the Veterans Health Administration (VHA). The VHA's Quality Enhancement Research Initiative (QUERI) is a large-scale, multidisciplinary quality improvement initiative designed to ensure excellence in all areas where VHA provides health care services, including inpatient, outpatient, and long-term care settings.