News From Around the Web
> Medicare's method of comparing hospitals' bedsore rates is an unreliable measure of how well they prevent the condition, according to a new University of Michigan study. Announcement
> The president of Johns Hopkins Hospital has endorsed Maryland's proposal to overhaul its Medicare waiver, which he said will give the hospital "an opportunity to serve patients even better," the Washington Business Journal reports. Article
> The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services will not update Hospital Compare as scheduled in October due to the government shutdown, according to QualityNet. Announcement
Health Finance News
> The number of individual providers offering lines of credit to Medicare-eligible patients to pay for care is mushrooming and possibly altering the relationships between the two parties, the New York Times reported. Article
> California Gov. Jerry Brown has signed into law an extension of the hospital bed tax in California that helps to draw down hundreds of millions of dollars in matching funds each year from the Medicaid program, California HealthLine reported. Article
And Finally... Laugh 'til it doesn't hurt. Article