News From Around the Web
> A federal judge has rejected the Obama administration's request to immediately appeal last month's ruling that allowed House Republicans to pursue their lawsuit against the Affordable Care Act, the Washington Post reports on its Law Blog. The ruling means Republicans will be allowed to proceed with parts of their lawsuit. Blog post
> Though they previously criticized the program as wasting federal money, Democrats are finally warming to the idea of Medicare Advantage in the wake of reforms that increase transparency, according to the Morning Consult. Article
> BlueCross and Blue Shield of Illinois and Advocate Health Care are teaming up to offer a health plan that will be one of the cheapest options the insurer offers on and off the Affordable Care Act exchange. The merging of the largest system in the state with the largest insurer in the state means 4,000 doctors will be available to patients at 12 different hospitals, Crain's Chicago Business reports. Article
> Johns Hopkins and Microsoft are teaming up to develop a new IT system that will make it easier for medical devices to communicate with each other. Microsoft will provide the technology, while Hopkins will add clinical knowledge to the project. Article
Antifraud News
> Lucrative reimbursement for cardiac procedures in Medicare's fee-for-service model is at the heart of an investigation involving three Indiana surgeons accused of performing unnecessary surgeries on hundreds of patients while the hospital turned a blind eye. Article
And finally... What you probably are getting wrong about the human brain. Article