> About 18 months after Minnesota nurses held the largest nursing strike in history, the state introduced legislation designed to improve patient safety with adequate staffing levels. Press release
> Harrisburg (Ill.) Medical Center evacuated patients to nearby hospitals after a tornado may have damaged the hospital's structure, reported the Harrisburg Daily Register. Article
> A subsidiary of Community Health Systems (CHY) has acquired MetroSouth Medical Center in Blue Island, Ill., the ninth CHY- affiliated hospital in the state, the Tennessee-based hospital operator announced today. Press release
> Wide variations in the cost of highly utilized procedures lead to $36 billion a year in overspending on healthcare services, according to a new white paper by Thomson Reuters. FierceHealthFinance
> The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services approved the most recent corrective action plan submitted by Dallas' Parkland Health and Hospital System, days after the chair of its governing board resigned, reported HealthLeaders Media. Article
And Finally... Why coughing is contagious. Article