ALSO NOTED: Shares of Allion drop; New York Hospitals face budget crunch; and much more...

> Add a new group to the list of those complaining about the new Medicare drug benefit: Pharmacists say the new plan is hurting them economically. Article

> The Boston Globe reports that healthcare execs are emerging as the state's new power elite. Article

> The Bush administration is learning that calling for transparency in healthcare and actually achieving it are two very different things, argues Sarah Lueck in The Wall Street Journal. Article (sub. req.)

> OmniCell will test a system that uses a bedside bar code reader to prevent medical errors. The pilot will be at Overlake Hospital Medical Center. Release

> Six weeks after the fact, Medco says it lost a laptop containing personal health information on thousands of patients. Article

> Shares of Allion Healthcare dropped sharply on Friday after the provider of pharmacy and disease management services to patients with HIV lowered its estimates for the last quarter. Article

> In the UK, Alliance UniChem and several partners are providing the technological backbone underpinning the National Health Service ePrescribing effort. Article

> New York City public hospitals are projecting a $500 million deficit this year. Mayor Michael Bloomberg calls the problem one of the most serious the city faces. Article

> Killer nurse Charles Cullen is ordered bound and gagged and eventually dragged from the courtroom, as a Pennsylvania judge hands him six more life sentences for his murders at hospitals in the state. Article

And Finally... The sex scandal at San Diego Children's Hospital worsens as the respiratory therapist involved admits molesting "countless" disabled and brain damaged children. Bail is set at $5 million. Article