News From Around the Web
> Five hospital system CEOs worry that Highmark's acquisition of West Penn Allegheny Health System will siphon off patients, the Pittsburgh Business Times reported. Article
> The fertilizer plan explosion in West, Texas, has led to 51 hospital admissions, 200 emergency department visits and five intensive-care unit visits, according to the Texas Department of Public Safety. Report (.pdf)
> Glens Falls (N.Y.) Hospital is facing a class-action lawsuit after accidentally releasing the names and medical records of 2,360 patients, reported the Albany Times Union. Article
> A Georgia bill passed earlier this month and awaiting Gov. Nathan Deal's signature would prohibit patients from using poor scores on Affordable Care Act-related performance measures as sufficient grounds to sue for malpractice, Medscape Today reported. Article
Health IT News
> Embedding patients' photo in their X-ray studies can result in a five-fold reduction in "wrong-patient" mistakes, according to a study presented last week at the American Roentgen Ray Society meeting in Washington, D.C. Article
> As an increasing number of patients and providers flock to health social networking sites to share information and connect with similar individuals, a comprehensive privacy framework is vital, according to research published this week in the Journal of the American Medical Informatics Association. Article
And Finally… Benefits of community gardens go beyond produce. Announcement