2017 TOP STORIES: UnitedHealth buys American Health Network
The sale of the 300-doctor practice to suburban Minneapolis-based UnitedHealth Group marked the end of a 19-year run as a proud, independent player.
John Russell
Articles
2017 TOP STORIES: Anthem gives up deal after judge says no
Anthem’s goal in pursuing Cigna had been to build scale and get more leverage with hospitals and other providers in an industry undergoing huge change under the Affordable Care Act.
Senator presses Anthem on decision to clamp down on ER reimbursements
U.S. Sen. Claire McCaskill is asking the Indianapolis-based insurer to turn over a huge array of internal documents, explaining how it reached its decision to deny certain emergency room claims.
2017 NEWSMAKER: David Ricks
It’s been a whirlwind of activity at the Eli Lilly and Co. under David Ricks, who has acknowledged he is impatient and has “a high motor.”
IPL seeking rate hike that would add $14 to typical monthly bill
If state regulators approve the request from Indianapolis Power & Light Co., customers would see their rates rise by the end of 2018.
Convicted fraudster accuses attorney of secret relationship with his then wife
In an attempt to reopen his case, Keenan Hauke says Barnes and Thornburg partner Larry Mackey—who is now married to Hauke’s ex-wife—did not adequately represent him.
Indiana’s chief utility regulator steps down less than a year after appointment
James Atterholt, appointed chairman of the Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission in February, will step down next month, saying his wife has been offered a job transfer to Florida.
Moody’s warns Franciscan Alliance faces financial pressure, softer margins
The health system is selling $340 million worth of bonds to finance projects in western and northern Indiana. The ratings agency revised its outlook to negative, saying the system faces financial challenges.
Riley moves ahead with $142M maternity expansion project
Riley Hospital for Children is about to begin renovating four floors of its hospital into a new, centralized maternity and newborn health unit.
Assembly Biosciences’ market value surges to nearly $1B, despite red ink
The 5-year-old Carmel biotech has won plenty of attention from Wall Street and has secured more than $100 million through licensing deals and a stock offering to help fund expensive clinical trials.
OurHealth sues former exec Oesterle in dispute over compensation
The fast-growing provider of on-site medical clinics for employers wants their former executive chairman to sell back his incentive units, but the two sides are hundreds of thousands of dollars apart in their assessment of how much those units are worth.
Merger of two huge health systems would have implications in Indiana
The possible combination of Ascension (the parent of St. Vincent Health) and Providence St. Joseph Health could set off a scramble for physician recruiting and a push back against insurers who have been trying to steer patients away from costly hospital settings.
All eyes on Anthem after CVS megadeal
Pressure is building on the insurer to drop its conservative, bread-and-butter approach after one of its biggest rivals, Aetna Inc., agreed to be bought by drugstore chain CVS Health for $69 billion.
Ascension launches consulting, training operation with 65 workers
The business, called Agilify, will help train clients how to use digital technologies to speed up time-consuming chores, such as tracking down payments from customers.
Hot-selling Lilly drug gets OK for second use
Taltz, launched in 2016 to treat plaque psoriasis, won approval from the Food and Drug Administration for a second indication—treating adults with a form of arthritis.
Suddenly, Anthem finds itself in strange threesome with CVS, Aetna
The Indianapolis health insurer says its pharmacy-benefits deal with CVS included “flexibility” to deal in a “changing and dynamic marketplace.” With CVS now trying to acquire insurer Aetna, that might be how the deal comes undone.
$50M hospital fuels Hendricks health care war
Hendricks Regional Health’s new Brownsburg hospital is only the latest in Indiana’s second-fastest-growing county, where almost non-stop development is pushing demand for health care.
Lawsuit accuses Lilly of using kickbacks to boost insulin sales
A recently unsealed suit accuses the Indianapolis-based drugmaker of offering free nursing services to doctors to induce them to prescribe the company’s products.
IU Health, Monroe Hospital settle ambulance lawsuit
The settlement ends a two-year quarrel over whether IU Health violated antitrust laws when its ambulances transported most of the county’s 911-response patients to its own hospital.
Nurse no longer employed at IU Health after racist tweets
IU Health declined to name the employee or specify whether the job separation was a resignation or firing.