> It was bad financial news for the usually-profitable University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, which lost $7 million for the first nine months of fiscal 2008 after suffering steep losses on its investment portfolio.

> St. Louis-based Shriners Hospital for Children has fired a financial official over unnamed "financial irregularities" and turned the matter over to authorities.

> Johnston Memorial Hospital of Smithfield, NC has secured a $137 million government-backed loan to finance a planned expansion and build a new medical center.

> The new owners of financially-struggling St. Francis Hospital & Health Center are facing a tough challenge in turning the beleaguered non-profit around.

And Finally...  Nice thinking, buddy. Maybe you shouldn't have inhaled before you came to court.