> Nearly 5,000 physicians said they had no access to good resources to care for non-English speaking patients, according to a study from QuantiaMDR, a leading online physician community. Without adequate multi-lingual resources, language barriers will continue to cause gaps in care, noted the study. Press Release
> Children's Hospital Oakland was fined $10,350 this week for safety violations, reports the Contra Costa Times. According to the citation, the hospital had a spate of violent incidents in recent months and failed to adequately protect employees in its emergency department. Article
> The ability to pay healthcare bills worries 70 percent of Americans, concludes Intuit Health's second annual Health Care Check-Up Survey. That anxiety stems from that fact that 62 percent of the 1,000 respondents faced higher healthcare bills in 2010, while two-thirds expect those costs to keep growing, reports the Business Journal. Article
> Blue Shield of California, the city of San Francisco, and five major health care providers are starting two accountable care organizations, reports the San Francisco Business Times. The initiates are designed to provide more cost effective care for thousands of city government employees, retirees and dependents. Article
> Guarding hospitalized prisoners at outside care facilities costs California taxpayers roughly $800,000 a year, according to the Los Angeles Times. One semi-paralyzed inmate requires one corrections officer at the foot of his bed around the clock, another guard at the door and a sergeant to supervise. Article
And Finally... Suffering from cancer? Try using your imagination. Article