Health Care

The home health care workforce is in crisis due to low pay, high turnover and a lack of oversight, lawmakers and people who care for others as a career said Tuesday as they pushed legislation to raise pay for workers and establish more formal rules for the rapidly-growing industry.

Athena Health Care Systems, which operates six skilled nursing facilities in Central Massachusetts, has settled allegations it turned away patients seeking treatment for opioid addiction.

Two former Fallon Health executives are rejoining the Worcester health insurer after each spent several years away.

Allurion, a Natick company making a gastric weight-loss balloon that doesn’t require an operation, has more than doubled its capacity and workforce this year, with high hopes accompanying planned U.S. regulatory approval in 2020.

The company that makes and sells OxyContin has reportedly agreed to a settlement with 22 state attorneys general and thousands of municipalities, but not Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey, who is pledging to continue her fight against Purdue Pharma.

The secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services said Wednesday the federal government is putting policies in place to ban the sale of flavored e-cigarettes.

New audit results suggest state regulators have not properly prioritized and conduct investigations of cases of alleged mistreatment of nursing home residents in Massachusetts, prompting a call for change from from Auditor Suzanne Bump.

Talks between state attorneys general and Purdue Pharma over a possible $12 billion settlement to resolve thousands of lawsuits brought against the opioid manufacturer have stalled, in part because Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey is not on board, according to Reuters.

A UMass Medical School and UMass Memorial Medical Center initiative for supporting drug overdose and prevention research is holding a symposium with dozens of area agencies Thursday.

Healthcare jobs are projected to soar in the coming years, and it isn’t just for doctors, nurses and other care providers.