News From Around the Web
> Holy Cross Hospital in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., has notified 9,900 patients of a data breach that occurred between November 2011 and August 2013. According to CBS Miami, a Holy Cross employee accessed patient names, dates of birth, addresses and Social Security Numbers, and a hospital investigation found that the employee intended to use the information for fake tax return purposes. "The employee was terminated, and efforts are underway to prosecute this individual to the fullest extent possible," the hospital said in a statement to CBS Miami. Article
> Kohlberg Kravis Roberts has acquired Japanese company Panasonic Healthcare, which manufactures and sells blood glucose monitoring meters and sensors for diabetics, and produces information technology equipment for medical clinics and biomedical laboratory equipment, for $1.67 billion, according to the New York Times. Article
Provider News
> Orderlies, attendants and nursing aids suffer more musculoskeletal injuries than any other profession, and registered nurses suffer more such injuries than the average worker, according to data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Article
> As the implementation of healthcare reform draws closer, outreach groups are turning to physicians to help spread accurate information. Several advocacy groups and physicians' organizations have launched new resource sites and information campaigns, according to the article. For example, the American College of Physicians (ACP) and the American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP) both have introduced resource pages to help doctors inform patients about new coverage options. Article
Health Finance News
> The cost to the Medicare program for treating heart attack patients has risen by nearly 20 percent between 1998 and 2008, with post-discharge care driving the increase. The average per-patient costs rose $6,100, or 16.5 percent, based on a study recently published in JAMA Internal Medicine, which examined more than 300,000 Medicare discharges of heart attack patients treated in 1998-1999 and in 2008. Article
And Finally... A presidential pardon to miss class, indeed. Article