CMS awarding $40M to reduce preterm births; New Jersey courts limit physician assistants' scope of practice;

> The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services is awarding $40 million in grants to reduce preterm births, the agency announced last week. Meanwhile, home births have increased 29 percent between 2004 and 2009 despite medical concerns, noted Kaiser Health News.

> Hospitalization for heart failure--the frequent cause for readmissions--is stabilizing, according to the American Heart Association. The association said advanced technologies and higher quality of care helped improve heart failure outcomes. Press release

> The National Health Service Corps is giving $9.1 million to fourth-year medical students who are committed to careers in primary care, the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services announced yesterday. The grant comes as the industry faces a shortfall of 29,800 PCPs. Statement

> Accountable care calls for a changed hospitalist role, which doesn't focus on length of stay but rather keeping patients out of the hospital altogether, the Society of Hospital Medicine president wrote in The Hospitalist. Article

> New Jersey courts have limited physician assistants' scope of practice, not allowing them to perform needle electromyography tests, according to American Medical News. Article

And Finally... Stores tug on our heart strings, I mean, wallets. Article