> Thousands of nurses at nine hospitals joined in a one-day strike, according to the California Nurses Association, leading the hospitals to bring in replacement nurses, reports CBS. Sutter Health spokesperson said a "significant percentage" of nurses at its hospitals crossed picket lines; the union disputes that claim. Article
> Seattle Children's hospital and the University of Washington plan to build an apartment complex to provide employees with relatively affordable housing close to work. The move also could boost recruitment efforts in an area where housing costs are high, reports a Seattle Times article. Meanwhile, investor demand for healthcare-related real estate is expected to remain strong in 2012, according to a press release from financial services firm Jones Lang LaSalle.
> A merger between Broadway Medical Center in Alexandria, Minn., and Sanford Health, headquartered in Fargo, N.D., and Sioux Falls, S.D., is complete. The 25-physician medical center will be renamed Sanford Health Broadway Clinic. Press release
> The FDA is ill-equipped to handle the substantial and growing drug shortage, according to the Office of the Inspector General (OIG). "Specifically, FDA is constrained by its lack of authority to require manufacturers to provide the agency and the public with information about shortages, or require that manufacturers take certain actions to prevent, alleviate or resolve shortages," the OIG report states. Report
> Patients who undergo a percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) have a nearly 16 percent chance of being readmitted within 30 days. Nearly 80 percent of those readmissions are unplanned, researchers report in the December issue of Journal of the American College of Cardiology: Cardiovascular Interventions. Age, gender and conditions such as diabetes were among 13 factors associated with higher readmission rates, reports Medpage Today. Article
And Finally... Rudolph is not amused. Article