News From Around the Web
> Are we currently in the golden age of healthcare informatics? Mark Braunstein explores this question in a recent Healthcare Informatics commentary. "I am the eternal optimist, and I think the answer is yes. However, while we may no longer be completely in the Dark Ages, we've yet to get to the Renaissance," he writes. Post
> The U.K.'s National Health Service (NHS) plans to launch a hospital safety website, the Nursing Times reports. The site will be launched next year as part of the government's response to a recent report, ministers have announced. Information will include staffing levels; pressure ulcers; healthcare associated infections and other key indicators. Article
Health Payer News
> Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina asked regulators Tuesday to approve reinstatement of canceled plans that don't meet Affordable Care Act requirements, but the move may come with a hefty price tag: BCBSNC is seeking 16 percent to 23 percent rate hikes on extended individual plans. The increases are due to ACA-triggered taxes and fees, coupled with rising healthcare consumption by enrollees of these plans. Article
Provider News
> The transition from traditional fee-for-service healthcare to the value-based model may be disproportionately hurting safety-net hospitals, according to a recently published analysis by Ashish K. Jha, M.D., a professor at the Harvard School of Public Health. Article
And Finally... A cheesy and delicious victim of the Affordable Care Act? Article