Tainted Eggs with a Side of Bribery: The ReportingonHealth Daily Briefing

Here's what we're reading today:

Hospital Bribery? A California man has been charged with bribery for trying to entice a hospital employee to accept would-be doctors into hard-to-get medical residency slots, according to a story in The Wall St. Journal. He allegedly paid the employee $15,000 as incentive. His lawyer calls him a "very generous guy."

Egg Recall: We'd make a joke about egg on their faces, but this is too serious. As the FDA expands its egg recall to 480 million eggs in the wake of a salmonella outbreak that has sickened more than 1,000 people, CBS/AP reports that the Iowa egg farm at the center of this mess has been sanctioned numerous times for health and environmental violations. It'll be interesting to see what penalties the farm faces this time around.

Rural Health: A new report from the Center for Rural Affairs spells out what agricultural regions can expect from health reform. One factoid we didn't know: only 9 percent of American physicians practice in rural areas, according to this story from AgriNews. For more on rural health, check out KQED's Health Dialogues public affairs program, which recently aired a series of stories on the topic. You also can check out our tips for reporting on rural health here.

Hospital Kitchens: We wish we'd seen this great Florida Today investigation of food safety violations at local hospitals and nursing homes earlier. It's a great read. Too bad state officials have cut back on such inspections to save money.

Dying Well: TODAYshow.com reporter Mike Celizic, who is fighting a losing battle with T-cell lymphoma, writes a moving and surprisingly uplifting essay about having only another few weeks to live.