> Purdue Pharma, maker of OxyContin, has been slapped with $634.5 million in fines for misrepresenting the risks of using the drug. Article [1] (sub. req.)
> In part due to nursing shortages, demand for medical assistants is on the rise. Article [2]
> Louisiana health planners continue to debate whether the shuttered Charity Hospital should be opened. Article [3]
> Texas emergency departments are reaching their limits, hit hard by care for the uninsured. Article [4]
> The IRS has given physician EMR donations a pass. Article [5]
> A new study suggests that home telemonitoring of chronic diseases has a great deal of promise. Article [6]
> Verizon has launched a Web-based personal health record for its employees. Article [7]
> Research suggests that hospitals are still far away from having the IT infrastructure in place to automatically gather quality data. Article [8]
> Though they're supposed to move quickly, the Pentagon and the VA say that they're years away from implementing a joint EMR system. Article [9]
And Finally... UCSF Medical Center has picked a hip way to show employees that it appreciates them. Article [10]
Links:
[1] http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-drug11may11,1,2783519.story
[2] http://www.bizjournals.com/triad/stories/2007/05/14/story10.html?b=1179115200^1459996
[3] http://www.nola.com/timespic/stories/index.ssf?/base/news-8/1179123015203970.xml&coll=1
[4] http://www.star-telegram.com/245/story/99787.html
[5] http://www.fiercehealthit.com/story/irs-gives-physician-emr-donations-the-ok/2007-05-14
[6] http://www.fiercehealthit.com/story/study-telemonitoring-seems-promising/2007-05-14
[7] http://www.fiercehealthit.com/story/verizon-launches-webmd-based-phr/2007-05-14
[8] http://www.fiercehealthit.com/story/major-problems-remain-with-quality-data-collection/2007-05-14
[9] http://www.fiercehealthit.com/story/pentagon-va-say-emrs-are-years-away/2007-05-14
[10] http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2007/05/14/BAGNHPQGKB1.DTL&hw=health+care&sn=004&sc=387