> New Jersey's Capital Health on Monday sent notices to the system it is laying off approximately 175 employees at its Trenton and Hopewell hospitals, NJ.com reported. Hospital execs say the cuts were made to balance staffing needs after evaluating the patient load. Cuts were primarily in finance, management and tech positions rather than medical professional positions in patient care. Article
> Ohio's Christ Hospital settled with the Justice Department in late June and has agreed to pay $1.8 million following claims that a doctor repeatedly ignored internal procedure by signing off on vascular tests and charging Medicare without reading the tests first, Cincinnati.com reported. The lawsuit claims that the doctor did not adequately read nearly 8,000 patient tests and urges the hospital to review the tests to screen for blockages, aneurysms and blood clots. Article
> New research from the U.K. shows that preventative interventions, such as education, exercise and rehabilitation, telemedicine in selected patient populations and specialist heart failure interventions can help reduce unplanned admissions by up to 60 percent, according to the University of Bristol. Unplanned admissions account for 40 percent of all U.K. hospital admissions. Announcement
> Ronald Regan UCLA Medical Center on Monday announced it received a $2.5 million grant to study hospital-acquired infections (HAI), which affect 20 million hospital patients each year, according to The Examiner. The study looks at whether lower levels of bacteria on hospital surfaces such as bed rails, door knobs and tray tables reduces HAIs. Article
> EMS personnel do not notify hospitals about incoming stroke patients in about one-third of cases, according to researchers, Doctor's Lounge reported. This failure to alert hospitals of stroke patient arrivals leaves emergency facilities unprepared, can add minutes on to the diagnosis and treatment process and can delay the administering of clot-busting drugs that are critical for patients within four hours of stroke onset. Article
And Finally… Drink up to better bones. Article