ALSO NOTED: Whistleblower suit targets Medtronic; NY program would require hospitals to inform patients of discount programs; a

> A whistleblower suit charges Medtronic with making improper (and very large) consulting payments to a number of prominent physicians. Article

> With national media attention shifting to healthcare policy, Columbia University business school dean R. Glenn Hubbard, one of the authors of the Bush plan, is drawing the spotlight. Article

> In New York City, there is a proposal that would require hospitals to inform patients of discount programs available to them. Article

> In Texas, Midland Memorial moves forward with a deployment of an electronic medical record system based on the open-source version of the VA's VistA. The hospital has budgeted $7.1 million for the project. Article

> Disease management specialist Alere Medical said it will work with data analytics company Resolution Health. The collaboration will see the two companies team up on certain PacifiCare projects. Release

> A new study in the Journal of General Internal Medicine argues that patient quality reports may offer reliable and consistent data on physician care quality. Article

> Eclipsys says it has deployed its Sunrise Community Plus system at United Regional Health Care System (URHCS), Wichita Falls, TX. Release

> MedAvant Healthcare Solutions (formerly ProxyMed) announced that it
has entered into a long-term strategic relationship with Misys Healthcare
Systems for the electronic processing and delivery of electronic prescription. Release

> In the U.K., 17 women have been told they have advanced breast cancer after a radiologist misdiagnosed them as clear of danger. Article

> Bay Area online service Healthia allows users to compare competing health plans. Article

And Finally... An elderly man picked the right place to go into cardiac arrest, keeling over at a fundraiser for the American Heart Association in Santa Barbara, CA, an event attended by several hundred cardiologists. Article