Health Headlines for Friday, June 29

U.S. fines CVS for failing to report opioid theft in New York

Reuters

CVS Health Corp agreed to pay a $1.5 million civil fine to resolve U.S. charges that some of its pharmacies in Nassau and Suffolk counties in New York failed to report in a timely manner the loss or theft of prescription drugs, including the opioid hydrocodone.

Rural hospitals blur state lines in fight for survival

Politico (Subscription Required)

Faced with an existential threat in the form of a declining and increasingly older population, smaller rural hospitals are looking across state lines to band together in order to survive.

US Charges Hundreds in Major Health Care Fraud, Opioid Crackdown

NBC New York

The Department of Justice on Thursday announced charges against 601 people, including doctors, for taking part in alleged health care frauds resulting in over $2 billion in losses and which, in some cases, contributed to the nation’s opioid epidemic, Reuters reported.

Competition would fix the state’s chaotic health care market

Crain’s New York Business/Opinion (Subscription Required)

New model gets stunning results in the Midwest and California. Let’s try it

Amazon to buy PillPack in potentially disruptive drug retail push

Reuters

Amazon.com Inc said on Thursday it would buy small online pharmacy PillPack, a move that will put the world’s biggest online retailer in direct competition with drugstore chains, drug distributors and pharmacy benefit managers.