> Medicare beneficiaries listed on the rolls of two prescription drug plans were notified on Monday that they would soon be dropped from one. Article
> In an interview with the Palm Beach Post, Tenet CEO Trevor Fetter admits there was "a cloud over the company for three years" but argues changes made under his leadership are working. Article
> Has David Brailer been burning the candle too hard, or just spending too much time flying around the country? His office is advertising for a Deputy National Coordinator to run "day to day operations" in Washington, DC. Listing
> Shares of Intuitive Surgical, the maker of the daVinci robotic surgical system, jumped in Monday trading after a Deutsche Bank analyst said he thinks the company's technology could win a large piece of the gynecology market. Article
> HHS Secretary Mike Leavitt told a conference in Texas that local communities need to develop pandemic response plans themselves or face the consequences. "Any community that fails to prepare with the expectation that the federal government will come to the rescue will be tragically wrong." Article
> A ruling by the Department of Homeland Security that anti-terror funds can be spent on anti-clotting agents for EMT teams and police departments may help makers like Z-Medica. Article
> Hospitals in New Orleans continue to struggle to provide care for tens of thousands of local residents left without insurance. At the Oschner Clinic, uncompensated care is up 300 percent since Hurricane Katrina. At the Touro Infirmary it has risen from $1.5 million to $3.5 million. Article
> EP MedSystems, a New Jersey-based medical device company specializing in electrophysiology products for the cardiac-rhythm management market, said it has raised $9.5 million in a private stock placement. Article
> The UN effort to give antiviral drugs to 3 million people with HIV around the world has not succeeded. The international organization said it was still able to save hundreds of thousands of lives. Article
And Finally... The Wall Street Journal reports that a growing number of therapists and counselors are using instant messaging to communicate with patients. Article (sub. req.)