Provider News
> Testing patients with certain risk factors upon admission could help hospitals identify asymptomatic C. difficile carriers, according to a new study published in the May issue of the American Journal of Infection Control. Researchers studying 320 patients showing no symptoms of C. difficile at admission to a tertiary care hospital in Minnesota between March 1 and April 30, 2009, found nearly 1 of 10 tested positive for C. diff. Article
> U.S. medical schools are on pace to see enrollment reach more than 21,000 by 2017, according to a new survey from the Association of American Medical Colleges Center for Workforce Studies. But despite the 30 percent enrollment growth, experts warn the predicted shortage of physicians will remain unless the number of federally funded residencies increases from levels frozen since 1997. Article
Mobile Health News
> San Francisco-based Jawbone, a provider of smart audio devices and wearable technology, announced it will purchase Pittsburgh-based BodyMedia, a wearable body monitor maker. Although the companies did not disclose the value of the deal, sources cited by a TechCrunch article said Jawbone is paying more than $100 million for BodyMedia. Article
Health Insurance News
> Blue Cross Blue Shield of Rhode Island blocked a deal between Steward Health Care System and Landmark Medical Center by not negotiating reasonable payments, Steward alleged in a lawsuit against the insurer. The complaint filed in state Superior Court in Providence said Blue Cross engaged in anticompetitive practices and interfered with prospective contractual relations, thereby obstructing Steward's attempt to buy the Rhode Island-based hospital. Article
And Finally… Did they think his present day experience with piracy entailed swashbucklers and a search for buried treasure? Article