ALSO NOTED: No Free Lunch at AAFP conference--literally; TennCare drug cap blamed for patient death; Indonesia clamps down to p

> In the second Vioxx trial, University of Michigan professor Dr. Benedict Lucchesi, who helped to invent the first pacemaker, testified that the painkiller can trigger heart attacks even after only a few doses.  Story

> A Tennessee man has died from a hereditary bleeding disorder. Critics say TennCare caps on drug spending which went into effect in August are to blame. Story

> The group "No Free Lunch"--which is opposed to pharma company handouts--is protesting its exclusion from the American Academy of Family Physicians' Scientific Assembly. Story

> Indonesian officials are imposing travel restrictions and forced hospitalizations in an effort to block the spread of an avian flu outbreak that has killed four. Story

> A new study published in the Mayo Clinic Proceedings suggests that a significant number of patients have little understanding of either their prescriptions or instructions for follow-up care at the time of discharge. Story

> HIT: McKesson has won a $10 million contract to replace the IT system at Doctors Medical Center in Northern California. Story

> Expect to hear more on this one: A Pennsylvania orthopedic surgeon says he was ordered to stop treating a patient by a FEMA doctor last week in New Orleans. The supervisor was worried that the volunteer would not be covered by government medical liability insurance. The patient died. Story

> HIT: Personal data including psychiatric evaluations and medical histories for more than 6,000 children has been stolen from the Palo Alto Children's Health Council. Story

AND FINALLY: Striking Sutter employees in San Francisco have been replaced by temps displaced by Katrina. Story

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