ALSO NOTED: Drug maker faces $634.5M fine over OxyContin; Demand for medical assistants rising; and much more...

> Purdue Pharma, maker of OxyContin, has been slapped with $634.5 million in fines for misrepresenting the risks of using the drug. Article (sub. req.)

> In part due to nursing shortages, demand for medical assistants is on the rise. Article

> Louisiana health planners continue to debate whether the shuttered Charity Hospital should be opened. Article

> Texas emergency departments are reaching their limits, hit hard by care for the uninsured. Article 

> The IRS has given physician EMR donations a pass. Article

> A new study suggests that home telemonitoring of chronic diseases has a great deal of promise. Article

> Verizon has launched a Web-based personal health record for its employees. Article

> Research suggests that hospitals are still far away from having the IT infrastructure in place to automatically gather quality data. Article

> 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

And Finally... UCSF Medical Center has picked a hip way to show employees that it appreciates them. Article