Researchers: Don't underestimate doc-rating websites; SDSU researchers make concussion breakthrough;

News From Around the Web

> According to a new study published in the Journal of Medical Internet Research, physician-rating websites should not be underestimated. "They already play an important role in providing information to help patients decide on an appropriate physician. Assuming there will be a rising level of public awareness, the influence of their use will increase well into the future," the study's authors said. Study

> A team of researchers at San Diego State University are developing software and an inexpensive balance board device that can measure balance with 99 percent accuracy on the field and in the clinic for athletes to combat concussions. "If you're an athlete and your livelihood depends on the results of these balance tests, you're going to want our more accurate reading on the field," Daniel Goble, professor at SDSU, said in an announcement. Announcement

Provider News

> A rural Maryland hospital has seen admissions and readmissions decline in the past three years amid a series of innovative reforms, the New York Times reports. Western Maryland Health Systems, the only major hospital in the Cumberland, Md., region, has taken steps that aim to continue safeguarding patients' health outside of the hospital proper; they include a wound center, a behavioral health clinic and a diabetes clinic, along with an increase in primary care practices and staffers who follow up with the infirm or elderly after discharge. Article

> The healthcare industry must take action against climate change, "a health issue that will affect everyone in the world," according to Healthcare Without Harm President Gary Cohen and Gundersen Health System CEO Jeffrey Thompson in an editorial for LiveScience. Article

EMR News

> Wisconsin, a state with a high percentage of providers using electronic health record systems, is about to launch its statewide health information exchange, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports. The Wisconsin State Health Information Network (WISHIN), a private, nonprofit created with grant money from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, has received commitments from most of the major health systems in the state. Article

And Finally... Don't look a gift wolf in the mouth? Article