News From Around the Web
> Engineers from Duke University are making strides toward developing artificial cartilage to replace joint cartilage. Combining two innovative technologies, lead authors Farshid Guilak, a professor of orthopedic surgery and biomedical engineering, and Xuanhe Zhao, assistant professor of mechanical engineering and materials science, found a way to create artificial replacement tissue that mimics both the strength and suppleness of native cartilage. Their results appear in Advanced Functional Materials, according to an article in R&D. Article
> The American Heart Association has paired with healthcare technology Medstartr for an HIT innovation challenge for heart disease, Med City News reports, "looking for early stage health IT companies developing products to help people prevent or manage cardiovascular disease and stroke." Article
Health Payer News
> A California doctor pleaded guilty Thursday to filing a false tax return and admitted to participating in a Medicare and Medi-Cal fraud scheme, according to the U.S. Department of Justice. While working at a Los Angeles-area hospital between 2008 and 2012, Ovid Mercene admitted homeless patients who had been referred from an alleged "care consortium," did not require hospitalization, and underwent unnecessary tests and skilled nursing facility transfers. Article
> PolitiFact has named President Barack Obama's promise that Americans who liked their insurance could keep it as the "lie of the year" for 2013. Cancellation letters hitting approximately millions of Americans followed by a public presidential apology secured the dubious award. Article
Provider News
> In an effort to make clinical alarm systems safer, the Joint Commission issued a new National Patient Safety Goal (NPSG), which requires accredited hospitals and critical access hospitals to improve their systems. Article
And Finally... These St. Nicks are on the naughty list. Article