> Coventry Health reported second-quarter profit up 54 percent thanks to surging management services revenue. Story
> Top executives at PacifiCare will get bonuses of $230 million if the health system's merger with UnitedHealth Group goes through, according to details made public on Monday. Expect more controversy about this. Story
> California Pacific Medical Center said it plans to build a $1 billion new hospital on land it owns in San Francisco. That's despite a recent attempt to strip it of its non-profit status. Story
> A new study released in the July/August edition of the Annals of Family Medicine questions the value of the current generation of EMRs for the treatment of patients with diabetes. Story (pdf)
> The Wall Street Journal takes a rare look at the books of a specialty surgery center and examines the facility's impact on the local market. Story (sub. req.)
> NPR's Morning Edition reports that 65 percent of primary care doctors think that an annual physical is a good idea, even if there's not much evidence to support it. Story
> A recent study found hospitals in Riverside and San Bernadino counties in California to be the worst in the nation in providing care to cardiac and pneumonia patients, despite years of warnings from critics. Story
And Finally... In the UK, statistics show more teenagers are showing up in hospitals after binge drinking. Story