> Salinas (CA) Valley Memorial Healthcare board will launch an investigation as to who leaked a confidential board report to the media, reports Central Coast News, a Fox affiliate. The report contains information about a possible merger with a larger health system. Earlier this month, union workers moved a strike outside of Salinas Valley Memorial Hospital to a board member's home. Report
> Highmark, a Pittsburgh-based health plan, announced on Tuesday it will acquire West Penn Allegheny Health System, which includes five hospitals. The deal includes an initial grant of $50 million and $475 million during the next four years. Press release
> A simple cotton swab can help reduce hospital infections after surgery, according to a study in the Archives of Surgery, reports UPI. Cedars-Sinai Medical Center researchers found that swabbing wound areas with a daily swab cut down on infections. Article
> Death rates for heart attacks, heart failure, and pneumonia are higher in U.S. territories (Puerto Rico, Guam, the U.S. Virgin Islands, the Northern Mariana Islands, and American Samoa), compared to the States, reports Reuters. Hospitals in the territories were reportedly less likely to follow treatment guidelines. Article
And Finally... Keep Fluffy away from the fireworks this weekend. Article