Axios

DaVita recently disclosed a new investigation from federal attorneys in Florida, who are questioning whether the dialysis conglomerate submitted federal claims for blood, urine and fecal lab tests without ensuring the tests were accurate.

The big picture: This marks DaVita's sixth federal investigation. The other probes include alleged overbilling of Medicare Advantage patients and the company's relationships to a charity that helps dialysis patients sign up for generous-paying insurance. DaVita said it "is cooperating with the government."

The Department of Health and Human Services is pushing for a one-year delay of an Affordable Care Act policy that would fine drug companies for "knowingly and intentionally" overcharging hospitals for drugs within the federal discount program known as 340B.

The bottom line: This would be the fifth delay of the policy, which wouldn't go into effect until July 1, 2019. It's a clear victory for pharmaceutical companies wanting to avoid penalties for not offering mandated drug discounts.

Synthetic opioids, some of the most potent drugs, were involved in close to half of all opioid deaths in 2016 and 30% of overdose deaths overall, according to a new study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

Between the lines: Prescription drugs had been the primary cause of overdose deaths — in 2011, only 6% of overdose deaths involved synthetic opioids. But now these more dangerous, often illicit drugs, primarily fentanyl, are driving the ever-rising overdose death toll.