> The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services is considering 366 quality measures for 2012, according to a list released by Measure Applications Partnership, a public-private partnership convened by the National Quality Forum. Multi-stakeholder groups will provide input on the measures to the Department of Health & Human Services by February. List (.pdf)
> According to former CMS Administrator Dr. Donald Berwick, most of the criticism he received was from Republican senators who had never spoken to him, reports Health & Hospitals Network Daily. In fact, he described their remarks as easy sound bites, according to H&HN Daily's coverage from the Institute for Healthcare Improvement 2011 National Forum. Article
> St. John's Hospital in Illinois finds that offering a free flu shot program boosts staff vaccination rate to 95 percent, reports The State Journal-Register. Meanwhile, the flu vaccination rate for overall healthcare workers is rising with 63.4 percent percent of healthcare workers getting vaccinated by mid-November of this year, compared to 55.5 percent year-over-year, according the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data. Despite the growing numbers, patient advocates in California want nothing less than 100 percent vaccination.
> The Minnesota healthcare merger between Virginia Regional Medical Center and Essentia Health is moving forward with support from hospital commissioners and city counselors, reports Fox 21 News. However, Virginia Mayor Steve Peterson still worries the city of Virginia, Minn., will have to foot the bill. Article
> A federal appeals court is cracking down on healthcare executives' role in pharma violations through a "corporate responsibility" doctrine, reports Reuters. Under the doctrine, prosecutors only must prove that the exec was in a position of responsibility. Article
And Finally... Contender for world's dumbest criminal. Article