News From Around the Web
> Physician Compare, Medicare's online portal for checking physician qualifications, added quality scores for some group practice and accountable care organization physicians, Internal Medicine News reported. Article
> The Office of Inspector General finally released its fiscal year 2014 Work Plan, which The National Law Review summarized for physicians. Article
> In an update to its 2006 policy statement, the American Academy of Pediatrics says that retail-based clinics are "an inappropriate source of primary care for pediatric patients, as they fragment medical care and are detrimental to the medical home concept of longitudinal and coordinated care," USA Today reported. Article
Provider News
> "Hospital-dependent" patients are a distinct group from patients with chronic illnesses and hospitals must properly understand them in order to reduce readmission rates, two physicians write in an opinion piece for the New England Journal of Medicine. Article
Health Insurance News
> A proposed Medicare bill could slash federal spending by $1.3 billion while decreasing the rate of diabetes among beneficiaries by more than a third, according to a study released by the American Diabetes Association and the National Council of Young Men's Christian Association. Article
Health IT News
> What's holding the industry back from achieving interoperability? One reason is that it lacks the "wow factor," Marc Probst, CIO of Salt Lake City-based Intermountain Healthcare, told FierceHealthIT. Article
And Finally… Couple strikes gold while walking dog. Article