Chris Christie calls for two-year tax freeze on hospitals; 5 hospitals downgraded;

News From Around the Web

> After vetoing a bill that would have had not-for-profit hospitals reimbursing municipalities for some of their expenses, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie has proposed a two-year moratorium on any hospital taxes, NJ.com has reported. Article

> Five hospitals have received downgrades of their credit in the past month, accoding to Becker's Hospital Review. Article

> The ECRI Insitute and the London School of Economics will team up on a project to determine the prices of medical devices in the United States and other parts of the world, the two organizations announced. Announcement

Provider News

> Black patients in cardiac distress are more likely than white patients to suffer harm from having their ambulance diverted away from overcrowded emergency departments in their local hospitals, according to a study published in BMJ Open. Furthermore, these patients were less likely to receive specialized cardiac care at the hospitals where they do receive treatment and have lower one-year survival rates. Article

Healthcare IT News

> The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services has released a new tool that will help improve knowledge of the geographic disparities in the health of Medicare patients. The interactive map, according to an announcement, will identify areas that have great differences in the number of Medicare patients with chronic diseases. Article

And Finally... Snake gets captured in spider web. Article