32. The COVID Mortality Score (VACO)

<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The Veterans Health Administration COVID-19 (VACO) Index for COVID-19 Mortality predicts 30 day mortality following a positive test. VACO co-creators Amy Justice MD, PhD and</span> <span data-offset-key= "dm70p-0-1">Joseph King</span> <span data-offset-key= "dm70p-0-3">Jr,</span> <span data-offset-key="dm70p-0-4">MD,</span> <span data-offset-key="dm70p-0-5">MSCE</span> <span style= "font-weight: 400;">break down how to use VACO, what it does, and what it doesn’t. We’re also joined by Joe</span> <span style= "font-weight: 400;">Habboushe</span> <span style= "font-weight: 400;">MD, CEO of</span> <a href= "https://www.mdcalc.com/veterans-health-administration-covid-19-vaco-index-covid-19-mortality"> <span style="font-weight: 400;">MDCalc</span></a><span style= "font-weight: 400;">, whose online VACO calculator makes using VACO far easier than doing it in your head. Here is a link to the</span> <a href= "https://www.mdcalc.com/veterans-health-administration-covid-19-vaco-index-covid-19-mortality"> <span style="font-weight: 400;">VACO Calculator</span></a><span style= "font-weight: 400;">. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Listen on:</span></p> <ul> <li style="font-weight: 400;"><a href= "https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/stimulus/id1501107371"><strong> iTunes</strong></a></li> <li style="font-weight: 400;"><a href= "https://open.spotify.com/show/0w6oFNiT8P1kPWyivim0G0"><strong>Spotify</strong></a></li> <li style="font-weight: 400;"><a href= "https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/stimulus"><strong>Stitcher</strong></a></li> </ul> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">We discuss:</span></p> <ul> <li>The Veterans Health Administration COVID-19 (VACO) Index, what it is and how it helps us evaluate patients [01:20];</li> <li>Why VACO doesn’t include race or BMI [03:40];</li> <li>Whether VACO can be useful in the ED or the acute setting [08:20];</li> <li>Potential applications of the VACO index [12:15];</li> <li>What VACO does not do [18:30];</li> <li>And more.</li> </ul> <p><spa