News From Around The Web
> Texas lawmakers plan to explore "market-based alternatives" to expand Medicaid eligibility under the Affordable Care Act, which may include seeking block grants and waivers from the federal government, the Associated Press reported. Article
> The Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation has a $10 billion budget this fiscal year, a record. But it remains to be seen whether the center can live up to its funding, Kaiser Health News reports. Article
> More than 42,000 takers of the sleeping aid Ambien and similar prescription medicines visited hospital emergency rooms between 2009 and 2010, double the number from five years before, AHA News Now reported. Article
Provider News
> Massachusetts acute care hospitals saw a 70 percent jump in serious medical errors and patient injuries in 2013, an increase health officials attribute to expanded definitions of what constitutes medical harm, the Boston Globe reported. Article
Healthcare IT News
> In response to lawmakers' call for comments on healthcare data transparency, three industry organizations want the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services to release more data--and in a more useable form. Article
And Finally... Hospital inadvertently sends out death notices to familes of 200 patients. Article