Health

6 HEALTH • Spring 2018 { Briefs } Continued from Page 5 BETTER IS NOW EASIER. In today's hectic world, who doesn't love a time saver? At UMass Memorial, we realize that you don't have time to check out every one of our exceptional doctors. So we've simplified the process. Calling 855-UMASS-MD means speaking with a real person – a knowledgeable representative who will provide solutions to your inquiry. One call gets you to the doctor best suited for you. We're your connection to all of UMass Memorial Health Care. Better is now easier with our personalized process. 855-UMASS-MD One Call. 1,700 Great Doctors. Reach out today. Call 855-UMASS-MD (855-862-7763) www.umassmemorial.org/appointment businesses with 50 or fewer employees shopping on the state health-insurance exchange. With new partnership, the New England Business Association, based in Waltham, will highlight Health Connector for Business on its website and hold seminars on the plat- form and its benefits. Health Connector for Business will create a dedicated access point for New England Business Association mem- bers and offer direct support to busi- nesses considering insurance options. Shrewsbury home health firm acquired for $2.1M Shrewsbury home healthcare com- pany Family Tree Home Care will continue to operate in Central Massachusetts and all its employees are expected to stay on, after the firm was acquired by a Canadian organiza- tion for $2.1 million. Nova Leap Health Corp., based in Halifax, Nova Scotia, announced the purchase. Family Tree will operate under the same name and all employees will transition to Nova Leap employees. That brings Nova Leap's New England employee count to about 250 after three other investments in New England-based home health care companies. Gov. Baker to drug companies: Do more to fight opioid addiction Gov. Charlie Baker outlined a series of areas where he'd like to see the fed- eral government and the pharmaceu- tical industry each get more "aggres- sive" in the fight against opioid addic- tion. Speaking at a Washington Post Live event, Baker stressed the role prevention and education play in efforts to reduce the rates of opioid addiction, overdoses and deaths. Baker said the state still has "miles and miles to go" in combating addic- tion, but some efforts seem to be working. Asked what role he thinks pharmaceutical companies should play, Baker said, "Stop promoting these medications with a far more tilted set of statements … about the positive side of this stuff without talk- ing at all or even downplaying the negative side," he said. Autism services agency BCI rebrands Central Massachusetts autism ser- vices provider Behavioral Concepts Inc. (BCI) has rebranded, with a new logo, tagline and website, the compa- ny announced. BCI, with offices in Worcester and Fitchburg, updated its original logo, which used symbolism such as primary colors for children and puzzle pieces for autism. The new logo is an evolution of the prior "Sun" logo, where the sun's rays have been moved inside the C and shown in a contrasting lime green color. The company also has a new tagline of "Discover more. Learn more. BE MORE," and a new website and URL, http://bciaba.com, with enhanced user-friendliness and design. Mental health provider settles Medicaid fraud charges Behavioral health services provider South Bay Mental Health Center Inc., which has locations in Worcester and Leominster, has agreed to pay $4 mil- lion in a Medicaid fraud settlement with Attorney General Maura Healey's office, according to a statement from Healey. Healey's office alleged that the Brockton-based agency fraudulently billed the MassHealth program for mental health services provided by unlicensed, unqualified and unsuper- vised staff at 17 of its clinics across Massachusetts, according to the state- ment. Healey launched an investigation after a former South Bay employee filed a whistleblower lawsuit in 2015. The office uncovered a widespread pattern of employing unqualified staff at its mental-health facilities in viola- tion of MassHealth regulations. Mass. opioid deaths decline 8 percent Opioid deaths showed an 8-per- cent year-over-year decline between 2016 and 2017, the Massachusetts Department of Public Health (DPH) announced in a quarterly report. It is the first time a yearly decline has been reported since 2010, according to state data. There were 1,977 con- firmed opioid-related deaths in 2017, down 8.3 percent from the 2,155 cases confirmed in 2016, according to DPH. H

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