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Gateway Medical Center in Clarksville, Tenn., has removed all bedside Bibles and implemented a new policy in order to boost infection prevention efforts, according to a Leaf Chronicle report.

Rhode Island had the highest number of C. difficile-related deaths in 2007, according to a Bangor Daily News report.

The 30-day readmission rates for non-surgical hospitalizations for chronic conditions were higher than the readmission rates for acute conditions, regardless of payor or age group, according to a statistical brief published by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.

Seventy percent of primary care physicians and sixty percent of pediatricians surveyed anticipate a decline in the number of practicing physicians as a result of healthcare reform, according to a study of physicians by research consultancy Market Strategies International.

The U.S. Senate has passed the Pandemic and All-Hazards Preparedness Act Reauthorization, which reauthorizes several programs that fund emergency preparedness activities, according to an AHA News Now report.

Hanover (Pa.) Orthopaedic Associates is joining York, Pa.-based WellSpan Medical Group, the physician organization of two-hospital WellSpan Health.

Twenty-four percent of hospital executives and 11 percent of cardiovascular professionals said recruiting cardiovascular professionals is among the biggest challenges of running a cardiovascular unit, according to a survey by the American College of Cardiology.

As the saying goes, "time is money." This is especially true for hospitals and their billing departments, which stand to lose money simply from time wasted on administrative burdens associated with bill payments and other revenue cycle features.

Dallas-based Baylor Health Care System will close its 71-bed Baylor Southwest Fort Worth facility no later than May 4, according to a Star-Telegram report.

Elderly patients who experience falls are more likely to experience morbidity, mortality and higher costs, according to a study published in the American Journal of Surgery.