> Wellstar Health System's board fired President and CEO Gregory Simone late last week. The CEO's firing came during a news-filled week for Wellstar. Three days before, the nonprofit health system agreed to pay $2.7 million because it improperly billed the state Medicaid system, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. FierceHealthcare
> A comprehensive analysis in the Sept. 2010 issue of Health Affairs pegs the cost of malpractice at $56 billion a year, or 2.4 percent of annual healthcare spending. Abstract
> Closed door meetings are highlighted in a lawsuit the Bert Fish Foundation filed last month against Bert Fish Medical Center to stop the merger with Florida Hospital, according to the Daytona Beach News-Journal. Board members may have violated the state Sunshine Law designed to protect the public's right to know how tax money is spent. Article
> A South Jersey heart surgeon has emerged as a potential buyer for Lower Bucks Hospital, which has operated under bankruptcy court protection since January, the Philadelphia Business Journal reports. Article
> Genesys Regional Medical Center and the Teamsters union, representing nearly 300 technical workers, agreed to reopen talks last week, Flint Journal reports. The union has promised to hold off on a strike notice until Sept. 24 in hopes of settling the contract before then. Article
And finally ... It must have been one hot day. Article