> A nurses union filed charges with the National Labor Relations Board because The William W. Backus Hospital in Norwich, Conn., allegedly excluded nurses from bonuses, reports The Day. Hospital officials say the bonuses are part of a pay-for-performance system, which the nurses declined during contract negotiations. Article
> The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services awarded $9 million to 52 organizations to boost senior beneficiaries' awareness about healthcare fraud, the agency announced yesterday. Such fraud education efforts may have helped the feds recover more than $1.84 billion from Medicaid fraudsters in 2010. Statement
> Emergency physicians are worried they are being left out of the accountable care discussion and warn that new payment models will inadvertently penalize true emergent cases, according to an article in the Annals of Emergency Medicine. According to the article, the episode of care model will likely pressure emergency physicians to cut back on resource use, which raises the risk of missed diagnosis. Article
> The Medicare Fraud Strike Force is investigating four alleged fraudulent doctors who wrote hundreds of fake prescription in a multimillion-dollar fraud scheme, reports The Republic; all remained licensed to practice. Meanwhile, a New York physician is accused of illegally selling prescription medication and is linked to murders, reports the IBTimes.
And Finally... The busiest airports this Thanksgiving. Article