Risky procedure rates differ at urban, rural hospitals; Providence nurses vote to form union;

News From Around the Web

> The rates of potentially dangerous obstetric procedures vary between rural and urban hospitals, according to a new study in Medical Care. Abstract

> The Illinois chapters of the American College of Surgeons (ACS), Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Illinois (BCBSIL), and Northwestern Medicine have partnered to join the Illinois Surgical Quality Improvement Collaborative, which aims to improve surgical quality and safety over the next three years. Announcement

> Registered nurses at Washington, D.C.'s Providence Hospital voted Tuesday to form a union, following the lead of six other D.C. hospitals' nurses who voted to do the same, the Washington Post reports. Article

Health Finance News

> Massachusetts is gradually rolling out a price transparency law, but patient advocates have raised some concerns that insurers have set up obstacles that make it difficult for patients to receive data. Article

> Two Ohio public policy advocate groups and a Cleveland-area labor union have criticized the Cleveland Clinic and the University Hospitals healthcare systems, claiming both are affecting the state's largest school system because they do not pay any taxes. Article

And finally… Incorrigible rogues rejoice! Article