Health

6 HEALTH • Fall 2017 { Briefs } Continued from Page 5 H ANDREA CHIARAMONTE M.D., M.P.H. JOSEPH OYER M.D., F.A.C.S. MELINDA THACKER M.D. JONATHON SILLMAN M.D., F.A.C.S. JAMES HUGHES M.D., M.B.A., M.H.A. ROBERT MORAN P.A-C CYNTHIA DUHAMEL P.A-C MERRISA MURTHA Au.D., CCC-A MICHELLE FLECK M.A., CCC-A JANE EHNSTROM M.S., CCC-A MARLA ALLARD M.A., CCC-A We are pleased to formally announce that Associates in Otolarygology Head and Neck Surgery will be moving our medical office to a bigger, and brighter office as of October 23, 2017 at the following location: 100 Martin Luther King Junior Blvd. Worcester, MA 01608 Our telephone number and fax numbers will stay the same: Phone: 508-757-0330 • Fax: 508-752-9850 At Associates in Otolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, every doctor, physician assistant, audiologist and staff member are here to ensure you receive the best possible quality care. We take pride in caring for your health and feel it is privilege to serve our community in this way. We look forward to seeing you at our new office location in October! Announcing our new location everyone physically safe and now they are asking Gov. Charlie Baker to step in. Two officials from the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) hand-delivered to the governor's staff a petition signed by more than 1,100 workers asking for the installation of metal detectors at seven facilities. Fallon Health avoids net losses in 2Q Fallon Health posted a $2.9-million operating loss in the second quarter ended June 30 but broke even on the bottom line, while revenue and membership were up over 2016 levels, the Worcester-based health insurer said. Revenue increased to $331 million, up from $302 million a year earlier, and membership grew 7.5 percent, according to Fallon. The company said the increase was driven by "growth across multiple lines of business." Fallon expanding elder care program to Webster Worcester-based Fallon Health announced it will move its elder care program in Charlton to Webster, which will increase program capacity by 50 percent. Over the next 12 months, the health insurer's Summit ElderCare program will be moved into a planned facility at 108 Thompson Road in Webster, accord- ing to a company statement. Construction will begin soon, and will consolidate the Charlton pro- gram's operations at two facilities under one roof. The move is neces- sary because of the significant growth of Fallon's Program of All Inclusive Care for the Elderly, a Medicaid-funded program Fallon has operated under the Summit ElderCare name for 22 years. Biostage completes successful human implant Holliston-based Biostage Inc. announced the first implant of its proprietary Cellspan Esophageal Implant in a human patient, a major milestone for the company struggling to maintain its NASDAQ listing this year. The esophageal implant was surgically implanted into a 75-year- old male with a life-threatening cancerous mass in his chest, according to a company statement. Biostage said the surgery was required to address the tumor's encroachment on the patient's lung, heart and esophagus. Heroin-related hospital visits grew 256% in four years Heroin-related hospital visits in Massachusetts grew by 256 percent from 2011 to 2015, with the sharpest increase among patients between the ages of 25 and 34, according to data. New research by the state's Health Policy Commission found a 56 per- cent increase in all opioid-related hospital inpatient and emergency department discharges from 2011 to 2015, rising from about 40,000 to more than 60,000. Heroin-related discharges rose the most sharply, climbing to about 10,000, while visits related to other opioids increased by 50 percent. Analysis: Mass. providers leading hospital M&A surge More mergers and acquisitions among hospitals are happening this year than last, according to a new anal- ysis that cites two Massachusetts-based providers as announcing some of the biggest transactions in 2017 so far. Partnership transactions among hospi- tals increased 15 percent, year over year, in the second quarter of 2017, according to an analysis by financial advisory firm Kaufman, Hall & Associates LLC. So far in 2017, there have been 58 transactions among U.S. hospitals. That's compared to 52 this time last year. $1M Community Health Connections project underway in Fitchburg Construction of Community Health Connections' (CHC) new ACTION Health Center in Fitchburg is begin- ning, according to Green Leaf Construction, the firm managing the project. Leominster-based Green Leaf said in a statement that the new, $1-million facility in the Market Basket plaza on Water Street, will include 7,400 square feet of medical, dental and behavioral health exam space.

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