News From Around the Web
> The U.S. government will scale back the widely criticized use of "lost pleasure" calculations used by Food and Drug Administration economists to reduce the projected benefits of public health regulations, like rules for e-cigarettes and calorie counts on restaurant menus, saying these calculations undercut public health concerns, Reuters reported. Article
> While California hospitals made better progress preventing healthcare-associated infections (HAI) compared to national and state baselines, they continue to be a public health risk, with 424 acute care hospitals in California reporting 18,780 HAIs in 2013, according to a new report from the California Department of Public Health. Report (pdf)
> Virtua Health Systems CEO Richard Miller talks about his experience leaving the comfort of the C-suite to serve on the frontlines of healthcare--including the night he wore a bullet-proof vest to ride with a team of paramedics around Camden, New Jersey-- in an interview with the Philadelphia Inquirer. Interview
AntiFraud News
> The New Mexico Senate passed a bill last week that would require government officials to provide credible allegations of fraud or overpayments before cutting of Medicaid funding to providers. Article
> The second-largest pharmacy operator in the nation has agreed to settle two federal fraud lawsuits that allege the company illegally pushed anti-seizure medication and potentially addictive Schedule II drugs to nursing home patients. Article
And Finally… Timing is everything. Article