> Adding to stories of layoffs at institutions struggling to balance the cost of a running workforce in a weakened economy, two more hospitals are reporting job cuts at their institutions. Iowa Ottumwa Regional in Iowa laid off seven percent of its workforce, that is, 43 employees, effective immediately, reports KTVO. Meanwhile, Saint Agnes Medical Center in California plans to lay off 129 employees for reasons of fewer reimbursements, the economic downturn, and labor reductions, reports The Fresno Bee.
> Improved discharge planning with standardized admission templates, palliative care consultations, and root-cause analysis conferences can cut the number of rehospitalizations of seniors at skilled nursing facilities, according to a new Journal of the American Geriatrics Society study. Medicare will stop paying hospitals for preventable readmissions, starting in October 2012. Press release
> Patient advocates in Georgia are pushing for public reporting of hospital infections, reports The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Currently, there are 28 states in which laws mandate hospitals report healthcare-acquired infections. Article
> McDonough District Hospital in Illinois named Kenny Boyd as its new CEO, effective July 25. Boyd follows Stephen Hopper who retired in January. Article
> Chief operating officers on the move: Jackson Health System in Miami named Don Steigman COO, effective June 20. In other news, Houston Northwest Medical Center named Juan Fresquez COO, reports Beckers' Hospital Review. Article
And Finally... Caution in the bathroom: 640 people injured daily. Article