News From Around the Web
> In a recent pilot project, researchers from the Boston University School of Medicine demonstrated the value of a virtual computer environment for healthcare education. In a study published in BMC Medical Education, the researchers created a virtual world through which users created avatars to navigate and participate in educational activities. Study
> George Washington University's Colonial One High Performance Computing Center will pilot 40-Gigabit-per-second data transfers from the National Institutes of Health's National Library of Medicine via new links to technology community Internet2's network. GWU already connects to the Internet2 backbone network through its new research network, the Capital Area Advanced Research and Education Network. Internet2's links are 100 Gigabits per second. Scientists hope the new links will enable faster transfer of large data sets. Announcement
Health Provider News
> In the wake of conflict of interest concerns, National Quality Forum (NQF) President and CEO Christine Cassel, M.D., will resign from the boards of Premier Inc. and Kaiser Foundation Hospitals, according to an announcement from NQF. Cassel came under fire recently when medical ethics experts said payments for her work with Premier and the Kaiser created a conflict of interest. Article
> Mortality rates after common surgical procedures decrease dramatically if patients receive treatment in hospitals where nurses have manageable workloads and hold bachelor's degrees, according to a study published in The Lancet. For the study, researchers from the University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing in Philadelphia and Catholic University of Leuven in Belgium surveyed 26,516 nurses and studied 422,730 surgical patients who underwent hip or knee replacement, appendectomy, gall bladder surgery and vascular procedures in 300 hospitals across nine European countries. Article
Health Insurance News
> State exchange computer systems could be open to back-door security vulnerabilities, the Associated Press reported. States needed approval to connect to the new federal data hub, but AP-procured documents showed federal officials were signing security approvals regardless of whether state computer systems had a high risk for security problems. Post
And Finally... Bet you'll never see one of these at a Tiger Team meeting. Article