Ebola outbreak worse than official numbers show; Texas judge strikes down abortion clinic restrictions;

News From Around the Web

> A final agreement is in the works between Beaumont Health System, Oakwood Healthcare Inc. and Botsford Hospital to create a new hospital system that could become the largest in Southeast Michigan, a source told Crain's Detroit Business, although the hospitals involved haven't confirmed the news. Article

> More than 1,500 people are dead from the Ebola virus outbreak in West Africa, and the epidemic is much worse than official figures show, Tom Frieden, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, told CNN. Article

> A federal judge struck down part of a Texas law that would require all abortion clinics in the state to meet the same standards as outpatient surgical centers, according to a Kaiser Health News blog post. Post

Health Finance News

> At a time when the industry and consumers push for transparency in healthcare finances, the Indiana Hospital Association wants to go in the other direction regarding some forms of compensation, the Indianapolis Star reported. Article

> The per capita surgery rate in the United States is some 50 percent higher than in the European Union countries, and that higher demand is apparently driving up prices dramatically, NBC News reported. Article

And Finally… Faster than a speeding cop. Article