News From Around The Web
> A federal judge struck down a Texas law that would have mandated that the facilities of abortion providers conform to the same rules as those of outpatient surgical centers. Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott immediately appealed the ruling, Kaiser Health News reported. Article
> A patient who underwent a routine dermatological office visit at a practice owned by UPMC Healthcare in Pittsburgh was billed at a hospital rate. He has refused to pay it, claiming the provider is gaming the Medicare system, according to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Article
> A company called Vital Decisions now assists patients and their family members with tough decisions that come with terminal illnesses, Kaiser Health News reported. Article
Provider News
> Pilots and flight crews have long relied on the use of checklists and brief huddles to prevent errors and the concept has made its way to healthcare, particularly in operating rooms. But the patient safety protocols proved so successful at one South Florida healthcare system that it has implemented the processes in all of the procedural areas of its six hospitals. Article
Healthcare IT News
> Self-monitoring by patients with hypertension led to a drop in blood-pressure levels over the course of a year, according to research published this week in the Journal of the American Medical Association. Article
And Finally... Are Life Alert's TV commercials too scary? Article