ALSO NOTED: Health plans offer credit cards for health financing; CMS extends NPI deadline; and much more...

> Health insurers are jumping into the credit card market, hoping to profit from consumers' need to finance excess medical costs. Article

> CMS has effectively extended the deadline by which providers must have their HIPAA-required National Provider Identifier number. Article

> The Department of Defense has partnered with the state of Florida to create a shared health information exchange. Article

> A new study suggests that doctors have trouble with some of the advanced features that come with e-prescribing technology. Article

> The USDA is offering an additional $128 million for rural telemedicine projects. Article

> This small Minnesota town is host to one of the nation's most sophisticated health care portal projects. Article

> New research suggests that spouses of cancer victims may often develop psychiatric illnesses due to the stress of caring for their loved one. Article

And Finally... Pain pills for free? There's got to be a catch... Article