News From Around The Web
> Pittsburgh hospitals are a relative bargain in terms of the way they price joint replacement surgeries, the Post-Gazette reported. Article
> Although nearly half of uninsured Americans qualified for health insurance under the Affordable Care Act last year, a poll concluded a large proportion of them were unable to afford coverage or told they didn't qualify for help, Kaiser Health News reported. Article
> After opposition from state lawmakers, McLaren Healthcare in Michigan plans to build a much less expensive short stay hospital in Oakland County, according to Crain's Detroit Business. Article
Provider News
> The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is tightening its laboratory security measures in the wake of several major safety mishaps, Reuters reports. The CDC has installed 67 cameras--at a total cost of $84,000--in key biosafety laboratories to allow outside supervisors to monitor technicians' adherence to protocol, especially when handling dangerous pathogens, according to the news agency. Article
Healthcare IT News
> The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services has finally agreed to give providers a reprieve, announcing that it intends to issue a new rule that would "update" the Medicare and Medicaid EHR incentive programs, and shorten the attesting reporting period in 2015 from 365 days to 90 days in order to "accommodate" these changes. Article
And finally...Black tap water? Article