Stay in the know with Becker's Hospital Review's weekly roundup of the nation's biggest healthcare news. Here's what you need to know this week.
1. Feds extend ACA health plan enrollment deadline
Government officials moved the sign up deadline to Dec. 19 for individuals looking to gain health insurance Jan. 1 by enrolling in health plans on the federal exchange, The Washington Post reports.
2. CMS adds advanced APM opportunities under MACRA
CMS is officially reopening applications for physicians to join two value-based care models in 2018 — both of which qualify as advanced alternative payment models under the Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act.
3. UHS loses 20% of its market cap after BuzzFeed investigative report
King of Prussia, Pa.-based Universal Health Services' stock plunged 20 percent since Dec. 7, when BuzzFeed published an investigative story alleging UHS' psychiatric hospitals put profits ahead of patients.
4. 2 ex-pharmaceutical executives charged with price fixing generic drugs
Two former executives of Eatontown, N.J.-based Heritage Pharmaceuticals were charged with conspiring to fix prices on generic drugs, according to the Department of Justice.
5. DOJ recovers $2.5B from healthcare false claims cases
The Department of Justice obtained more than $4.7 billion in fraud and false claims settlements and judgments in fiscal year 2016 — the third highest annual recovery in False Claims Act history — and more than half of the amount recovered came from the healthcare industry.
6. 2 VA staff members fired after veteran's body left in shower for 9+ hours
Two Bay Pines (Fla.) VA Healthcare System staff members were fired for their role in leaving a veteran's body in a shower for more than nine hours in February, hospital officials told the Tampa Bay Times.
7. CHS sells 2 hospitals for $45M to drive down debt
Franklin, Tenn.-based Community Health Systems signed a definitive agreement to sell Yakima (Wash.) Regional Medical Center & Cardiac Center and Toppenish (Wash.) Community Hospital to Sunnyside (Wash.) Community Hospital & Clinics for approximately $45 million.
8. CDC: Heroin overdose deaths surpass gun homicides for first time
Heroin overdose deaths narrowly surpassed gun homicides as the most prolific killer last year, according to new CDC data relayed by The Washington Post. Nearly 13,000 people died from heroin overdoses in 2015, marking a 2,000-case increase from the year prior.