News from Around the Web
> An ongoing shortage of obstetrics-trained nurses in Oregon means hospitals are sending mothers to more-distant locations for delivery, KGW.com reports. Article
> In a move leadership says is necessary to keep an upcoming acquisition on track, Waterbury Hospital in Connecticut is reducing wages to its union and non-union workers by 5 percent, managers by 7 percent and senior management and employed physicians by 10 percent, the Republican-American reports. Article
> To address the national epidemic of prescription drug and heroin addiction, President Barack Obama has outlined a plan that includes better training for doctors and other healthcare professionals to help addicted patients and provide easier access for treatment, according to USA Today. Article
Health Payer News
> Though this is an era in which there is increasing momentum behind alternative payment models, it is still challenging for insurers to determine value for "transformational improvement" in the field of cancer care. Article
Health IT News
> In an interview with FierceHealthIT at the recent College of Healthcare Information Management Executives fall forum in Orlando, Intermountain Healthcare CIO Marc Probst discussed his Health IT Policy Committee efforts, Meaningful Use and his organization's role in the Department of Defense's electronic health record contract. Article
> Hospital IT strategies that aren't in lockstep with overall organizational plans risk failure, several CIOs said during a track session last week at the College of Healthcare Information Management Executives' annual fall forum in Orlando. Article
And Finally… Stor-meow weather. Article