HHS’ Office of Civil Rights (OCR) has released its much-anticipated guidance on how healthcare organizations can better understand and respond to ransomware attacks, including defining such incidents as breaches that require affected individuals to be notified under HIPAA in most circumstances.

The Senate will likely pass legislation to combat opioid addiction this week, even though Democrats hadn’t signed off on the bill over the lack of new federal funding for treatment and prevention programs.

A Los Angeles Times investigation alleges Purdue Pharma, the maker of OxyContin, continued supplying clinics and pharmacies it suspected of trafficking the highly addictive drug and never alerted law enforcement.

Here’s a roundup from healthcare news from California, Illinois, Ohio and Massachusetts.

The House appropriations bill covering HHS would increase the agency’s funding by $73.2 billion over fiscal year 2016, but includes policy amendments likely to stir up opposition among Democrats and cuts for CMS and programs tied to the Affordable Care Act.

CMS would increase payments for primary care, geriatricians, family physicians and mental healthcare under the proposed physician fee schedule for 2017, along with expanding its Medicare diabetes prevention model. 

A woman posing as a healthcare worker at four different senior living facilities has been charged with burglary, theft, attempted burglary and corrupt business influence, reports Fox59.

The Veterans Affairs Commission on Care released their final report July 5, a culmination of an investigation into better healthcare practices after the 2014 scandal veterans hospitals waiting time scandal.