ALSO NOTED: Healthcare payments hit $1.5 trillion; Assessing HIPAA; and much more...

> Children's Hospital San Diego continues to try to pick up the pieces after finding out that as many as 200 children may have been molested by a respiratory therapist. Article

> When Congress passed HIPAA in 1996, the goal was to protect patients. Now critics worry that the barriers to the free flow of information that resulted may be hurting both patients and providers. Article

> Healthways has expanded its disease management services contract with Mutual of Omaha to include its MyhealthIQ program to the insurer's group health clients. Release

> ePay News reports that healthcare providers will receive payments in excess of $1.5 trillion in 2006. The publication predicts the market for healthcare-specific payment cards will explode with HSA adoption. Article

> In a move likely to be noted by other employers, Chrysler said it wants employees to pay more of their healthcare costs. Article

> Blue Cross of California resolved a dispute with three LA hospitals that could have impacted healthcare coverage for 175,000 people. Article

> Another looks at the impact of price transparency on hospitals. Article

> Some people found that the link to yesterday's story on the plan to give HSAs to Medicaid recipients in Oklahoma didn't work. Here's another version of the same story. Article

And Finally... The gruesome body parts scandal involving New Jersey based BTS may be much worse than believed. The AP reports that Medtronic alone purchased 8,000 tissue samples from the company that were later used for patients. Article