News From Around the Web
> After Texas-based Tenet Healthcare backed out of a plan to buy five hospitals in Connecticut, citing a too-strict regulatory environment imposed by the state, the CEO of one of the hospitals is asking Connecticut Gov. Dannel Malloy (D) to rescue the deal, reports NBC Connecticut. Article
>The growth of ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs) continues to accelerate, with 49 hospitals opening or announcing plans for opening an ASC in 2014, Becker's ASC Review reported. Article
>New York has proposed that hormone therapy and gender reassignment surgery for transgender patients be covered under the state's Medicaid program, according to The Associated Press. Article
EMR News
>Consumers continue to warm up to the concept of online access and patient portals, although many of them are still unaware of the tools, according to a new survey. Article
>Congress has made clear that the Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT's priority should be on interoperability, ordering the agency to change how it certifies electronic health records so that non-interoperable products don't make the cut. Article
And Finally… I felt a great disturbance in the Force, as if millions of grandmothers cried out in excitement and were suddenly silenced. Article