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Latest News

Recession softens demand for nurses

The demand for nurses in the United States is currently weak and is exacerbated by the slow economy, reported the Dayton Daily News and the Merced (Calif.) Sun-Star. In Dayton, Good Samaritan Read more...

Hospital to pay $3M over improper billing charges

Cayuga Medical Center in Ithaca, N.Y., will pay more than $3 million to settle claims that it improperly billed Medicare and Medicaid, the U.S. Department of Justice announced Wednesday. The medical Read more...

Heart docs leave practices for hospital employment, transform care

Shrinking insurance payments and rising costs of running a business have pushed an increasing number of cardiologists to leave private practice and work at hospitals, according to an analysis by the Read more...

Health system sues OIG over alleged Medicaid overpayments

Three Utah hospitals have filed suit against the Medicaid Office of the Inspector General over a demand to repay overpaid emergency room claims, reported the Salt Lake City Tribune. The hospitals, Read more...

Researcher: Socioeconomics not to blame for readmission rates

Socioeconomic factors may not contribute to readmissions after all, according to a Yale researcher. Harlan Krumholz, professor of medicine at the Yale School of Medicine, disputed Kaiser Health News' Read more...

Boost marketing, training programs to recruit physicians

A shortage of physicians forced 34 percent of New York hospitals to reduce or eliminate services in the past two years, while 66 percent had to transfer emergency patients because of insufficient Read more...

Confused hospitals underreport infections

Despite reports that catheter infection rates are nearly 50 percent lower than the national average, California public health officials are investigating whether the reports accurately reveal the Read more...

Pediatric ICUs have more infections than adult ICUs

Pediatric intensive care units have 20 percent higher infection rates than adult ICUs, according to a new investigation from Consumer Reports. The Consumer Reports Health Ratings Center looked at Read more...

Also Noted

> Starting March 1, Steve Eblin will take the helm of Randolph Hospital in North Carolina, the hospital announced. Meanwhile, Dennis Stillman will become interim chief financial officer of Alaksa's Bartlett Regional beginning Feb. 1, according to the Juneau Empire.

> A Florida bill would require physicians, urgent care centers and surgery centers to post the prices of the 50 most common procedures on signs in their waiting rooms, reported the Sun Sentinel. The signs would list the charges for patients paying out of pocket. Article

> Colorado health officials want required flu vaccinations for nearly all hospital and nursing-home employees, with no religious or personal exemptions, reported The Denver Post. Citing enhanced patient protection, they want facilities to hit a 90 percent target in 2014. Article

> As hospitals look to cut costs without compromising care, a study from Henry Ford Hospital found that CT scans in the emergency department for patients with dizziness may not be worth the cost. According to researchers, hospitals could save funds by implementing stricter guidelines to determine when it is medically necessary for patients with dizziness to undergo CT scans in the ED. Article

> Jersey City Medical Center has offered $104 million to purchase Christ Hospital, reported The Jersey Journal. The medical center would keep Christ Hospital as a nonprofit acute care facility for at least 30 years, as well as uphold existing unions. Article

And Finally... Obesity is in the eye of the beholder. Article