Pacers, Clarian Health offer free health screenings
On Oct. 31, the Indiana Pacers announced a partnership with Clarian Health to improve health awareness for area residents.
Health Care & Life Sciences
Articles
Study says consumerism cuts costs
Consumer-directed health plans really work, at least according to WellPoint Inc., which has made a big push to sell them recently.
OneAmerica well positioned to acquire other insurance companies
OneAmerica Financial Partners Inc. has made no secret of its desire to acquire other companies. Well, if it wants to buy,
it could hardly find a better time.
Winona lacks evidence to prove fraudulent money transfer
The trustee for Winona Memorial Hospital lost in court against the hospital’s former owner earlier this month — but
not without
receiving a bit of vindication from the judge in the case.
Hospitals suffer from spiking bond interest rates, investment losses
Indianapolis-area hospitals have suffered a double whammy of spiking interest rates on their bonds and heavy losses in their
investment portfolios and are trying to save cash any way they can.
WellPoint, St. Francis battle over insurer’s IT problems
A year of computer snafus boiled over Oct. 13 when the St. Francis system declared WellPoint Inc. in breach of its contract
because of habitually late payments.
Lilly buys ImClone as part of strategy to capitalize on cancer-drug market
Eli Lilly and Co. has written a $6.5 billion IOU to acquire the cancer drugs of ImClone Systems Inc. Cancer drugs are now
the best-selling class of drugs in the world and one of the fastest growing.
Rooney’s death spawns uncertainty for struggling insurance company, not-for-profit
After the unexpected death of insurance magnate J. Patrick Rooney, two organizations he led until the day he died are scrambling
to figure out who will lead them into the future.
Ex-WellPoint VP sues, says he was axed for testifying in drug case
WellPoint Inc. prides itself on working to hold down the rising cost of health care. But to hear one of its former vice
presidents tell it, the company retaliated against him when he worked to do just that. In a lawsuit against
WellPoint, Dr. Randy Axelrod claims his former employer forced him out when he tried to curtail a drugmaker’s
controversial pricing strategy that was costing WellPoint money.
Lilly taps hedge fund to cut research costs for Alzheimer’s drugs
Eli Lilly and Co.’s unorthodox efforts to develop new treatments for Alzheimer’s disease–if successful–could usher in
a new approach to drug development. The Indianapolis-based pharmaceutical company announced that a New York
hedge fund, TPG-Axon Capital, will invest up to $325 million to help cover the exorbitant development costs
of two experimental compounds to treat Alzheimer’s disease.
WellPoint expected to look for growth overseas
WellPoint Inc., the most dominant health insurer in the United States, registers as barely a pipsqueak in the rest of the
world. But it’s only a matter of time, say industry experts, before WellPoint plunges into foreign markets to grow sales of
its health benefits and services.
Dry cleaner’s fight against sons’ rare disease could lead to other life-saving treatments
Nathan’s Battle Foundation, led by Phil Milto–who has two sons afflicted with the disease–has evolved over 10 years into
what Milto calls a not-for-profit biotech company that has raised money and guided research that resulted in a promising treatment
for Batten disease. Now, some of the gene therapy techniques researchers developed are being applied to other disorders.
New president shakes up nursing home group: Three quarters of staff leaves within months of arrival
Steve Smith has shaken up the Indiana Health
Care Association so much, the group representing Indiana’s for-profit nursing homes is hardly recognizable to those who knew
it before. And the way Smith tells it, he’s just getting started.
Community Health CEO Corley preparing for ‘something different’
This month, 65-year-old Bill Corley gave his 18 months’ notice that he will be retiring as CEO of Community Health Network,
the third-largest hospital network based in Indianapolis. Perhaps Community’s board of directors needed so much time to replace
a man who has held his post so long-nearly 25 years. When Corley arrived in 1984, Community consisted of just one hospital
on Indianapolis’ east side. Today, it has five.
WellPoint 401(k) participants sue over decline in stock price
Angela Braly, Wayne DeVeydt and the rest of the top brass at WellPoint Inc. face wrath over the company’s recent stock swoon
from a new group: ex-employees. Four former WellPoint workers have filed lawsuits against the Indianapolis-based health insurance
giant over the losses its 401(k) retirement plan suffered in March when the company slashed its profit forecast for the year.
Clarian blazes trail with transplants, but some question its zeal
Clarian Health this decade has transformed its transplant program into one of the busiest in the country. Its team of surgeons
takes calls around the clock if a viable organ becomes available. They will hop on a charter plane to check out an organ other
doctors don’t want.
Hospitals are mixed bag for rural economies
Around Indiana, hospitals continue to grow and add workers, increasing their role as an economic driver to the state’s economy.
But health care reformers say hospital growth has a double edge, as higher health care costs dampen growth prospects for other
Indiana employers and their workers.
Health network leading charge for electronic patient records
Four years after its launch, the Indiana Health Information Exchange is laying the groundwork to take its game outside state
borders. The Indianapolis-based not-for-profit offers a service that provides patient records and test results via computer
to hospitals and doctors around central Indiana. But now, its leaders think they can take their expertise to other cities
and help them develop their own health information exchanges.
Startup NICO Corp. hopes to commercialize brain surgery device
Economists call it a “virtuous cycle” when successful entrepreneurs plow their gains into new businesses. Jim Pearson calls
it another day on the job. The former Suros Surgical Systems Inc. CEO is attempting to repeat what he already has done: Build
a company to bring a promising medical device all the way from the drawing board to the market.
Janitors want Lilly, WellPoint to push for better health benefits
Service Employees International Union Local 3 is backing local janitors as they restart contract negotiations April 16 with
five of the largest janitorial contractors in Indianapolis. SEIU now is taking direct aim at Lilly, health insurer WellPoint
Inc. and even some local hospitals, hoping they will pressure the janitorial contractors to come to terms.