ALSO NOTED: Exec compensation under fire; India, Australia collaborate on healthcare standards; and much more...

> Healthcare companies under fire for their executive compensation practices include insurer UnitedHealth Group, dialysis provider Renal Care Group (part of Fresenius Medical Care) and pharmacy benefit manager Caremark Rx. They've all been served subpoenas by the U.S. Attorney in Manhattan as part of a probe into the backdating of stock options. Article

> With medical tourism on the rise, India is turning to Australia to get help with its health facility accreditation standards. Story

> In response to a Justice Department subpoena, U.K. device-maker Smith & Nephew revealed that one of its independent sales reps had tried to get the company's competitors to collude in bidding on a hospital contract for orthopedic implants. The company says no one took the bait and the rep is no longer handling the company's business. Story

> Chutes and Ladders: Fallon Clinic, a 240-physician group in Worcester, MA, is on the lookout for a new CEO after the departure of Baltej S. Maini, M.D. last week. The practice's COO, Craig E. Samitt, M.D., is also headed out, to be president and CEO of Dean Health System in Madison, WI. Stephen Pezzella, M.D. is acting CEO at Fallon. Article

> Geisinger Health System, a hospital and clinic that includes a managed care organization, was recently elected into the HMO Research Network, a national group that aims to shape health and health care delivery. The network now has 15 members. Its efforts include studies on cancer control and research and education for best use of drugs, devices and biological products. Article

And Finally... A thriving and often deadly black market has emerged to treat transgendered folks without jobs or insurance, sometimes engaging in such atrocities as injecting desperate patients with brake fluid. What can medical professionals do to help? Article

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