ALSO NOTED: HCA hospitals sale delayed; 'Church plans'; UnitedHealth looks to consumer driven plans; and much more...

> A legal challenge to HCA's sale of five of its rural hospitals in West Virgina and Virgina to LifePoint has forced a delay in the transaction, the company said. Article (Wall Street Journal sub. req.)

> The American College of Surgeons Clinical Congress heard a warning that HIV and Hepatitis C infection rates have soared at Johns Hopkins Hospital. Nearly one-third of ER admissions tested positive for one or both diagnoses. Article

> With high healthcare costs making insurance unaffordable, some people are selecting unconventional forms of coverage, such as "church plans" offered by groups like Christian Care Medi Share. Article

> Under CEO Dr. William McGuire, UnitedHealth Group is focusing on the trend toward consumer driven plans. Article (Wall Street Journal sub. req.)

> HIT: Tiny 24-person MedInitiatives stands to to benefit tremendously if the launch of Medicare Part D is a success. The company's software will help  measure the quality of new plans. Article

> Fastercures.org, a Washington lobbying group "in favor of medical research," argues that people need to remember that electronic medical records will help speed the pace of medical discoveries, an important selling point often neglected by advocates. Report

> The Wall Street Journal reports on the movement toward lower-dosage chemotherapy treatments delivered over longer time periods. Article (Wall Street Journal sub. req.)

> Commentary: Harvard Medical School tech evangelist Dr. John Halamka writes that healthcare IT in this country needs two things and needs them badly: standards and money. Op-Ed  

> Researchers at the MD Anderson Cancer Center have linked patient obesity to more aggressive prostate cancers. Article

> The San Francisco Chronicle has endorsed California's Proposition 79, the ballot initiative targeting prescription drug prices, in part because an analysis by researchers at RAND concludes that Proposition 79 will benefit more Californians. The newspaper urges voters to vote "no" on Proposition 78, the pharmaceutical industry's alternative. Op-Ed

And Finally... Conservatives like government healthcare, so long as it's from the VA. Apparently this is Bill Clinton's revenge. Article (Wall Street Journal sub. req.)

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