States are desperate to act in the national opioid epidemic, but laws limiting opioid prescriptions and doses are negatively impacting chronic pain patients and leaving doctors conflicted about care delivery, NPR reported.

Physicians employed at small, independent primary care practices (SIPs) in New York City report dramatically lower levels of burnout, according to new research published July 9 in the Journal of the American Board of Family Medicine.

Comprehensive Pain Specialists—a Tennessee-based company with clinics in 12 states—will close many, if not all, its facilities. The unannounced move comes after its CEO, John Davis, was indicted for Medicare fraud in April, accused of receiving $770,000 in bribes from another healthcare executive.

On July 7, CMS announced it will stop making risk adjustment payments, which were designed as part of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) to help insurers that accept more high-cost patients avoid major losses.

Registered nurses employed at First Hospital in Kingston, Pennsylvania, reached a contract agreement with the hospital’s parent company, Tennessee-based Community Health Systems (CHS), that includes wage increases, health insurance and new protocols for floating nurses between units in the hospital.

CMS bumped back the due date for providers to opt into the Bundled Payments for Care Improvement (BPCI) Advanced model—moving the final date to Aug. 8 from Aug. 1. The move comes in amid growing concerns from those in the industry that claims data were not provided in a timely fashion.

Mark McClellan, MD, a former CMS administrator and a former Commissioner of the FDA, was appointed to Cigna’s board of directors, where he will begin his term Dec. 1.

Pfizer has increased prices for 100 drugs, including Viagra, by an average of 9 percent, according to The Financial Times. The move from America’s largest pharmaceutical company, which took effect July 1, came just a month after President Donald Trump addressed drug costs, saying the industry would voluntarily slash prices.