News From Around the Web
> Home births present a greater danger than hospital deliveries, with four times the likelihood of seizures and 10 times the risk of unresponsiveness, according to a study in the American Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology. Abstract
> Switching to an energy-efficient technology called combined heat and power could give Massachusetts hospitals several advantages, including reduced greenhouse gas emissions, increased energy efficiency, removal of pollutants and backup power in case of natural disaster, according to a report from Health Care Without Harm and the Green Ribbon Commission. Report (.pdf)
> The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has posted wage index data for fiscal year 2015. Timetable (.pdf)
> One reason obese cancer patients are less likely to survive may be doctors' tendency to undertreat them, the Minneapolis Star-Tribune reports. Article
Health Payer News
> Insurance executives and government officials are rushing to address a pricing glitch in the software that operates health insurance exchanges before the online marketplaces open in less than two weeks. Article
> Despite some payers' attempts to improve asthma patients' health outcomes, the incidence, hospitalization rates and costs related to asthma continue to rise. And since a large portion of the uninsured population has asthma, payers will soon see an influx of members with the costly chronic illness when the health insurance exchanges open for enrollment. Article
And Finally… Eating for education. Article