ALSO NOTED: ERs key to hospital profits; Race-based medicines; and much more...

> Can bigger, more modern emergency rooms boost profitability? Many hospitals are rethinking old theories. Article

> Genentech reports net income up 56 percent on strong sales of Avastin and Herceptin. Article

> Health Affairs examines the issue of race-based medicines, revisiting the BiDil story. Article

> Decision support company MedInitiatives says it will work with BearingPoint on its recently awarded Medicare Part D contract. Article

> A study at Mass General finds that stroke patients who do not receive tPA do not fare as well as those who get the controversial drug. Article

> On a tour of Asia, HHS Secretary Mike Leavitt warned that the risk of an avian flu pandemic in the short term is "very real." Article

> Another survey confirms the obvious: Most insurers will offer consumer-directed health plan products. Release

>  A Florida court has thrown out a legal challenge to the state's hospital infection control law. Article

And Finally... Health officials are surprised to learn that baby boomers in California are overdosing at what appears to be record rates. Article