Health Care

The city of Worcester, Worcester County and the state as a whole are seeing a rise again in coronavirus cases at a time when Massachusetts has been so far able to reopen many shops and restaurants without seeing the high case numbers reported elsewhere, especially in the South.

67 Degrees Brewing Co., a microbrewery in Franklin, opened just a month and a half before having to shut down because of COVID-19.

House lawmakers on Wednesday unanimously voted to take another pass at infusing additional cash into financially strapped community hospitals, a key feature of a health care bill that collapsed two years ago when House and Senate Democrats could not reach agreement by a July 31 deadline.

Income from diagnostics products, including coronavirus tests, was nearly enough to keep Marlborough medical device company Hologic from sliding into a revenue drop in the quarter ending June 27.

Akoya Biosciences, a Marlborough firm analyzing tissues for therapy research, has signed a collaboration with the Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center at the University of California San Francisco.

Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts, the state's largest health insurer, has instituted a series of new initiatives to help members better access mental health care, including expanding the number of child psychiatrists available to members, adding telehealth options and giving greater access to an online program to manage anxiety and stress.

Four Central Massachusetts hospitals have been included in an annual rating of the best places to receive specialty care services.

Boston Scientific saw sales plunge by 24% in the second quarter, a loss of roughly $630 million from the same point a year ago in struggles the Marlborough medical device manufacturer foreshadowed with temporary work schedule reductions and executive pay cuts in the spring.

Under the legislation (H 4888), insurers would be required to cover telehealth services, and any deductible, copayment or co-insurance requirements could not exceed in-person rates. It also includes language designed to protect patients from out-of-network surprise bills.

With cases of COVID-19 on a slight upswing across Massachusetts and state officials trying to get a clearer picture of coronavirus activity in the state, Gov. Charlie Baker announced Monday that his administration is making free, widespread testing available in eight more communities showing concerning signs.