ALSO NOTED: PA schedules hearings on Independence/Highmark merger; Medical college group urges caution with pharma tech freebie

> More than a year after the deal was proposed, the Pennsylvania Insurance Department has (finally) scheduled hearings to review public comments on the proposed merger of Independence Blue Cross of Philadelphia and Highmark Inc. Article [1]

> A group representing U.S. medical colleges argues that while the pharmaceutical industry's technology gifts aren't getting as much attention as other freebies, they should be. FierceHealthIT [2]

> Darn that pesky Public Citizen--its members get around. One day it's calling for the withdrawal of the Ortho Evra patch from the market [3], and now leading light Sidney Wolfe, M.D. is helping the FDA scrutinize expanded use of the painkiller, Fentora. FiercePharma [4]

> The former CEO of Atlanta's Grady Memorial Hospital has filed a suit alleging that the hospital's chairwoman set up his firing so she could take his job. Article [5]

And Finally...  Clearly, he was overcome by the Dark Side of the Booze. Article [6]