> The Indiana Department of Health is considering implementing a statewide trauma system, reported Courier Press. Indiana is one of only nine states yet to implement an official trauma system, a system that lowers the preventable death rate of trauma victims by 15 percent. Article
> Members of the Virginia Hospital Commission are weighing the benefits of affiliating Virginia Regional Medical Center with Essentia Health, reportedThe Duluth News Tribune. The commission acknowledged the financial benefits of the potential merger with a larger health system but is reluctant to lose its autonomy and associate itself with Essentia. Article
> OSU's Wexner Medical Center launched its first statewide ad campaign to attract more patients willing to travel, according to The Columbus Dispatch. The purpose of this ad campaign was to encourage patients with complex health conditions to consider Wexner when seeking care outside their own communities rather than traveling to facilities in Toledo, Cleveland and nearby states Michigan and Indiana. Article
> Main Line Hospitals, Inc., agreed to pay $1.03 million to settle allegations that it falsely billed Medicare, reported The Philadelphia Inquirer. The U.S Attorney's office in Harrisburg, Penn., said Main Line Hospitals submitted improper claims to Medicare for services that did not qualify for payment. Article
> Officials suspended kidney transplants at Via Christi Health based in Wichita, Kansas, after four patients died in the past year, reported The Wichita Eagle. Officials are unable to identify a common factor in the organ failures. The transplants occurred at different times throughout the year, but the patients all died within a three-week period, prompting an immediate halt in further kidney transplants pending a medical investigation. Article
And Finally… Ice cream for dogs. Article