> Twenty-six "Hospital Engagement Networks" will receive $218 million from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services in an effort to lower the occurrence of hospital acquired conditions, Health Data Management reports. The networks could support as many as 4,800 hospitals in 46 states. Article
> Citing a need to prevent tampering of evidence in criminal investigations of physicians, a federal rule taking effect this week (Dec. 23) will prevent physicians from receiving notice if law enforcement accesses information about them through the National Practitioner Data Bank (NPDB). FiercePracticeManagement
> Breast cancer survivors mostly are skeptical about the prospect of virtual follow-up visits with providers, Reuters reports. Overall, 218 surveys were sent out to breast cancer survivors who were seen at the Boston-based Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. Only 20 percent of surveyed patients believe that such visits can lead to decreased stress and an increased survival rate. Article
> Electronic health record vendor Epic Systems cleaned up in 2011 KLAS awards last week, earning the title of overall winner for health IT software. Epic also was named the top health IT vendor for hospitals with more than 200 beds, and the top EHR vendor for practices with more than 75 physicians. Article
And Finally... Pot, meet kettle. Article