The green effect of electronic health records? (Morning Read)

Current medical news and unique business news for anyone who cares about the healthcare industry.

The green effect of EHR? A new study by Kaiser Permanente found that switching to electronic health records in its own system could reduce CO2 emissions by as much as 1.7 million tons a year. That’s the pollution equivalent of taking more than 300,000 cars off America’s roads.However, only a quarter of physicians use EHR, the New York Times reports.

FDA issues new rules to improve food safety: Empowered by the FDA Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA), signed into law by President Barack Obama in January, the FDA put into effect laws that affect the nation’s food supply. This reverses a rule starting July in which the FDA had to work with state agencies to embargo a food product under the state’s legal authority until federal enforcement action could be initiated in federal court.

Go ahead, pile on that salt: High salt lowers heart risk. Whaat? A new Belgian study shows that eating a high-salt diet can reduce the risk of heart attacks or stroke. The study, which followed 3,681 healthy European men and women aged 60 or younger, also found that above-average salt intake did not appear to increase the danger of developing high blood pressure.

Nurses cancel planned strike: A tentative agreement between nurses and St. Vincent Hospital in Worcester, Massachusetts hospital has averted a strike. According to the new contract, nurses would not have to care for more than four or five patients during the day and evening, and no more than five patients at night.

Early surgery lowers risk of prostate cancer deaths for some men: Swedish scientists found that men under 65 can reduce the risk of death related to prostate cancer if they undergo early surgery. But older men did not see this benefit.

Don’t stay up late and wake up late: The old adage “early to bed early to rise makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise” may have some truth to it. Northwestern University researchers found that people who stay up late and sleep in are putting themselves at risk of gaining weight.