San Francisco will start easing some indoor masking rules beginning Oct. 15, in today's bite-sized hospital and health industry news from California, Georgia, and Rhode Island.

• California: San Francisco announced that some indoor masking rules will be eased starting Oct. 15, on the condition that new Covid-19 infections and hospitalizations do not rise. Masking rules will be relaxed only in settings with proper ventilation and fewer than 100 people, who must all be fully vaccinated individuals over the age of 12. Certain settings, such as offices, fitness centers, religious gatherings, and indoor college classes will be eligible if they meet the criteria for relaxed rules. "I'm excited that we're once again at a place where we can begin easing the mask requirements," Mayor London Breed said in a statement with the San Francisco Department of Public Health. (Jeong, Washington Post, 10/8)

• Georgia: CDC on Thursday announced that HealthVerity was selected to create a data platform for Covid-19 research. The start-up will generate patient history using deidentified patient information from medical records, claims, lab data, and more. Data from over 100 million patients will remain in compliance with HIPAA regulations. CDC plans to use the dataset to keep track of variants, testing, reinfection, and vaccinations. Researchers will be able to use the dataset analyze disease patterns, progression, and outcomes. (Mitchell, Becker's Hospital Review, 10/7)

• Rhode Island: Lifespan Health System announced Thursday that Mark Deitch has been appointed as the new SVP of medical affairs and CMO for The Miriam Hospital. He will oversee the 247-bed not-for-profit teaching hospital, which is affiliated with The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University. According to Maria Ducharme, president of The Miriam Hospital, "Dr. Deitch's commitment to better health and improving the patient experience will further our Lifespan 2025 goal of becoming one of the nation’s leading health systems." (Serreze, Providence Business Journal, 10/7)