Health Care

Dr. Aaron Lazare, the former head of the UMass Medical School widely credited with raising the school's national profile during his 15-year tenure, died Tuesday at the age of 79.

Worcester-based Spectrum Health Systems has expanded into Northern Worcester County with an outpatient treatment clinic in downtown Leominster, and more locations in that region are possible, according to Chief Operating Officer Kurt Isaacson.

Arch Therapeutics of Framingham has raised $3 million in equity financing through sales of stock to 19 accredited investors, the company announced Wednesday.

Health insurers say new payments they face in connection with the Affordable Care Act could drive up premiums on individuals and small businesses and punish companies that are focusing on more efficient health care operations.

The head of the state agency that helps enroll uninsured residents with health care coverage said he can't make changes to the state's risk adjustment program, a feature of the Affordable Care Act designed to spread the risk of insuring the sickest patients through the state's health insurance exchange.

Leominster-based HealthAlliance Hospital and the Massachusetts Nurses Association (MNA) said they have reached a tentative three-year contract agreement that limits patient assignments and increases nurse staffing while boosting pay, according to the MNA.

Home care workers in Massachusetts say a newly agreed upon contract extension with the state will make them the first in the nation to receive a $15 starting hourly wage.

The Massachusetts branch of the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) has launched a statewide campaign, CEOs Against Stigma, to address workplace stigma and create more productive workplaces.

Nurses at HealthAlliance Hospital in Leominster on Wednesday voted “overwhelmingly” to authorize a one-day strike, according to a statement from the Massachusetts Nurses Association (MNA), the union representing the nurses.

Hospital administrators — and the public — now have a more complete picture on Massachusetts hospital readmissions, after the state Center for Health Information and Analysis (CHIA) last week released the first report showing readmissions rates for all insurance payers.