> HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius kicked off the nation's largest campaign to find and enroll uninsured children in more than a decade as she opened the National Children's Health Insurance Summit in Chicago. Five million children who currently are eligible for Medicaid or the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) are not yet covered. Article
> MetroWest Medical Center may end its contract with Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Massachusetts unless the insurer narrows the gap in payments between the hospital and its competitors. Leaders of the hospital and its physicians organization said rates paid for their services are as much as 40 percent lower than what other healthcare providers receive. Article
> Jackson Health System, Miami-Dade's public hospital group, announced Monday plans to close six units in January and lay off 93 employees in an effort to reduce ever-mounting losses. The system, reeling from a shortfall of over $100 million, will close two transplant units, two primary-care clinics, and two other units at Jackson North and Jackson South. Article
>Where should your hospital's leadership focus its time and attention when preparing for Recovery Audit Contractor audits? The answer is medical necessity, as it's clearly a key RAC target, according to this author. Article
And Finally... Even muggers can be patriotic, I suppose. Article