ZWIRN: Most health care reform will happen at local level
Smart coalitions will cut costs, improve quality.
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SMITH: Small steps, big results: gauging design’s impact
Metrics make a difference in health care facilities.
UnitedHealth to acquire Medicare insurer XLHealth
UnitedHealth Group Inc. said it will acquire XLHealth Corp., a provider of managed care for chronically ill Medicare members. Indianapolis-based WellPoint Inc. had been considering a possible acquisition of the company.
WellPoint eyes $1.5 billion deal for XLHealth
Offers for XLHealth, a provider of managed care for chronically ill Medicare members, may value the company at $1.5 billion to $2 billion.
Indiana officials blast feds for ‘over-regulation’ on reform
Michael Gargano, secretary of the Indiana Family and Social Services Administration, blasted the rules for both “glaring omissions” as well as creating new and unfunded “mandates” not included in the 2010 health reform law
Q&A
As an Eli Lilly and Co. lobbyist in Washington, D.C., Jay Bonitt is hoping the Congressional “super committee” charged with trimming the federal budget doesn’t turn to the Medicare prescription drug program, known as Part D, to do so. Bonitt, Lilly's vice president of federal affairs, said the program is under budget and helps spur drugmakers to further innovation.
Insurer Humana’s quarterly profit climbs 13 percent
Humana Inc. raised its 2011 earnings forecast, following the lead set by other big insurers, including competitor WellPoint Inc.
Insurance mandate lacks teeth, WellPoint CFO says
As constitutional challenges to the health reform law’s mandate to buy insurance advance, WellPoint Inc.’s chief financial officer reiterated that the company does not object to the mandate, just to its lack of penalties.
Deficit committee could bite CNO
Medicare supplement policies are reportedly one of the targets of Congress’ special deficit-reduction committee—and that’s not good news for Carmel-based CNO Financial Group Inc.
Medical supplier Hill-Rom makes $42M fraud settlement
Hill-Rom Holdings Inc., a medical-equipment company based in Indiana, agreed Tuesday to pay nearly $42 million to settle a government lawsuit. The government had accused the company of knowingly submitting false claims to Medicare from 1999 to 2007.
Q&A
Dr. Ed Kowlowitz, owner and medical director of the Center for Pain Management in Indianapolis, recently challenged a regional Medicare reimbursement policy and, surprisingly, won. He spoke with IBJ about the experience, as well how his three-physician practice is growing even while many physician practices are selling to hospitals.
Firm tries again with personal health records
Even though Google Inc. has given up on the business of electronic personal health records, Fort Wayne-based NoMoreClipboard.com is launching a new service it thinks will crack open the market.
Health regulatory leaders ready to flock to city
The top event for regulatory professionals in the health care industry is headed to Indianapolis next month. The annual conference of the Regulatory Affairs Professionals Society, or RAPS, is expected to draw thousands of members representing 120 companies and organizations.
Indiana company quits Missouri Medicaid contract
Indianapolis-based SynCare has ended its contract to screen Missouri Medicaid recipients after numerous complaints about its job performance.
Private firm with Medicaid deal gets state help
Officials with the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services say they had to hire 13 temporary workers and shift as many as 20 state workers from their regular jobs after withering consumer complaints against SynCare LLC of Indiana.
Missouri health care advocates decry Indiana contractor
Indianapolis-based SynCare LLC, hired to determine the eligibility of Missouri Medicaid patients for in-home care, has "been a complete disaster from the beginning," statewide health care advocates charge.
Arcadia Resources to delist stock amid cash crunch
Arcadia Resources Inc.’s share price dwindled to just 5 cents as of late Tuesday morning, following the company's announcement that it was delisting its stock and had suffered another quarterly loss.
Indiana asks court to lift Planned Parenthood order
Indiana asked a federal appeals court Monday to lift a judge's order blocking parts of a new abortion law that cuts some public Planned Parenthood funding, saying the issue should be decided by Medicaid officials and not the courts.
Birth control coverage required in U.S. health plan
Health insurers led by WellPoint Inc. would be required to cover birth control pills and devices at no cost to patients under the recommendation of a top U.S. scientific advisory board.
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Not-for-profits vying with WellPoint may get $3.8B in loans
Not-for-profits that compete with insurers such as WellPoint Inc. are eligible for $3.8 billion in U.S. financing under the health law, and the government expects more than a third of the loans not to be repaid.