Google

> The HealthSouth restructuring continues: The company has now agreed to sell its corporate headquarters to help pay down its long-term debt. Article

> Illinois has extended the life of its Certificate of Need legislation for another year. The law also makes it easier for applicants who want to build in high-growth areas. …

Search Google for the term "hospital concierge service" and you'll be flooded with links to such programs. Over the past couple of years, a growing number of hospitals have been running with the concept, borrowed …

> Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota has announced that it will begun funding employee wellness programs for 20 of the state's mid-sized employers. Article

> DC-area blood donations have fallen to a "crisis" level, experts say. Article

> A new study suggests CDHPs that couple the new structure …

Today, if you look up the phrase "hospital complaint" on Google, you get largely the addresses of state and federal agencies charged with protecting consumers. To date, there's been no rush of sites comparable to what we've seen on the physician side, where some doctors have been flayed mercilessly (though seemingly, legally) on public consumer forums for allegedly bad attitudes, poor service or inadequate care. However, don't expect the quiet to last. One emerging site, …

All U.S. physicians should have free online access to electronic prescribing technology before the end of the month, courtesy of a new initiative from various tech firms, health insurers, and major physician groups. The $100 million National E-Prescribing Patient Safety Initiative (NEPSI) launched Tuesday with a Washington press conference attended by former House Speaker Newt Gingrich and former Medicare chief Dr. Mark McClellan, as well as what one speaker called a "who's who of …

> Brigham & Women's Hospital vice president of clinical services John Fernandez has agreed to take on what many see as one of the toughest jobs in Boston healthcare. Fernandez is taking over as CEO of the Massachusetts Eye and Ear Institute. Article

> The number of Caesarian births in New York city has jumped 7 percent over the last year, a …

> With the ink still dry on their ascent to power, Democrats are already asserting that they will tame health plan and drug costs. Article

> Good Samaritan Hospital has established "Shared Governance Councils" for its nursing staff, involving the nurses in decision-making regarding clinical practice, creating a culture of safety, professional development/research and quality …

> A North Carolina marketer was able to break into a database to steal contact information for 80,000 doctors belonging to the American College of Physicians. Article

> The Clinical Cases and Images blog at the Cleveland Clinic looks at the ways in which Google Office is likely to transform the way academic physicians collaborate. …

In the pre-Google era, back when companies were boring places to work and you didn't have chief officers running around dreaming up wild ideas, life was so much more predictable. This week, BusinessWeek devotes a cover story to the creative corporation, a construction that a lot of people would have branded an oxymoron not so long ago. BusinessWeek looks to the Mayo Clinic as an example of a company that has embraced innovation and expanded far beyond its core business …

This week two very different healthcare conferences rolled through San Francisco. One was about consumer-directed health care and was a cross between a capitalist land-grab and a political pep rally for HSA-backers and Canada-bashers. There are clearly interesting ideas from many start-ups as to how to better serve consumers and plenty of new initiatives from bankers wanting to get at …