> Kaiser Permanente has developed a new model of screening patients for hepatitis C that recent research shows can improve detection of the disease in the 1.5 million Americans who don't know they have it. Announcement
> A federal judge denied Anthem's request to access the computers of former customers who are suing the insurer over its massive data breach, saying it is "ironic that the defense was seeking discovery of the plaintiff's personal information when the core allegations of the plaintiffs is the defense failed to protect them from damage to their personal information," Courthouse News Service reports. Article
> A new survey from United Benefit Advisors shows that small businesses have been hit the hardest by increases in costs for employer-based health insurance plans. Announcement
> A top official in charge of Oklahoma's Medicaid program has proposed an alternative to expanding Medicaid that would let residents who are uninsured or on Medicaid receive subsidized insurance through the pre-Affordable Care Act program Insure Oklahoma, Bloomberg reports. Article
Health Finance News
> Sutter Health, the large hospital chain in Northern California, is pushing for employer groups that contract for its services to agree to arbitration if there are legal disputes, or pay far more for services at its out-of-network facilities, according to NPR. Article
EMR News
> The Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT has released a request for information to obtain input from the public regarding how to support and measure interoperability, as required by the Medicare Access and Chip Reauthorization Act. Article
And finally… The canine hero we deserve. Article