News From Around the Web
> A physician is seeking $3.35 million in damages from Augusta Health and its physicians' group, saying he was fired from the hospital last year because he would not make medical referrals solely to the Virginia hospital and its specialists, The Daily Progress reported. Article
> Thousands of registered nurses will walk off the job Christmas Eve at nine San Francisco Bay Area hospitals, including Sutter Health and two HCA-affiliated hospitals, over staffing and benefits issues, reported the Associated Press. It will mark the California Nurses Association's eighth strike since September 2011. Article
> Fifty percent of patients with autoimmune diseases routinely took their medications as prescribed, according to a study from the American Autoimmune Related Diseases Association. However, only 35 percent of newly diagnosed patients trust their physician's recommendations alone concerning new medications. Statement
> Traditional treatment for people with diabetes may promote the over-use of high-dose medications for patients who don't need them, according to new research from the VA Ann Arbor Healthcare System and the University of Michigan Health System. Announcement
Provider News
> What direction is your hospital, system or organization going in the next few years? A former hospital CEO offers some strategic planning tips. Blog Post
And Finally… Is Doomsday coming? Article