> Nursing homes and home care agencies are asking to be exempt from the health reform requirement that they cover their own employees, reports the New York Times. Currently one in four workers who provide hands-on care to nursing home residents lacks health insurance, while one in three workers who provide care to people living at home is uninsured. Article
> Hospitals in Palm Beach County, Fla., are letting patients make online reservations in an attempt to end long ER wait times, reports the Palm Beach Post. Patients at Tenet Healthcare-owned hospitals in the area can pick their arrival time in ERs for a $10 fee, and are guaranteed to see a nurse or doctor within 15 minutes of that reservation or their money back. (Such services already are offered across the country at California's Lakewood Regional Medical Center, which also is a Tenet-owned facility.) Article
> Patients with heart disease risks are more likely to be prescribed medication if they see a younger doctor, according to research in the June issue the International Journal of Clinical Practice. The same patients are more likely to receive lifestyle change recommendations if they see an older doctor. Press Release
> Lawmakers and employee groups in California are proposing bills designed to enhance safety in state mental health facilities, better screen and separate violent patients, increase surveillance and improve workers' disability insurance, reports the Los Angeles Times. Article
> In a move to expand the health system's hold in Kansas, Saint John Hospital and Providence Medical Center have acquired two medical practices, reports the Kansas City Business Journal. Article
And Finally... Musical instruments breed germs. Article