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President Obama said Wednesday that he was "cautiously more optimistic" that the chances of additional infections in the U.S. stemming from Ebola victim Thomas Eric Duncan are ebbing." The fact that Duncan's closest associates have not fallen ill, the president added, "just gives, I think, people one more sense of how difficult it is to get this disease." (Eilperin, 10/22)

The Dallas hospital that treated the first patient in the U.S. diagnosed with Ebola saw its patient count and revenue drop by more than 20 percent in October compared with the first nine months of the year. ... The data was released the same day President Barack Obama called nurses at the hospital “to offer words of encouragement and support,” the hospital said in a separate statement. The negative financial impact “is primarily the result of the emergency department being placed on diversionary status” from Oct. 12 to Oct. 20. (Preston, 10/23)

For all the strengths of Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital Dallas, the first U.S.-diagnosed Ebola patient walked through its seemingly weakest link: the emergency room. Presbyterian met or exceeded 75 percent of 138 specific measures of care, according to its most recent data. But its emergency department failed to meet all five national patient safety and quality benchmarks the hospital reported. (Mendoza and Sedensky, 10/23)

Texas Health said it believed it had sufficient financial reserves to cover losses ... Last week, Moody’s Investors Service revised its outlook for bonds issued by Texas Health Resources to “developing” from “positive,” as analysts attempt to gauge the effect the Ebola scare may have on patient volumes. (McCabe and Weaver, 10/22)

“Hospital preparedness needs to be improved. It’s not all about making a vaccine or a new drug against Ebola or new leadership. Some of it is just preparedness right on the ground. I think that would yield tremendous benefits to the system,” Dr. Brett Giroir said on CNN's "New Day." Giroir is the head of the Texas Task Force on Infectious Disease Preparedness and Response. (Shabad, 10/22)