Indiana moves up in med tech rankings
Medical technology companies employed 19,950 Hoosiers in 2007 and supported another 35,000 jobs in supplier companies, according
to an analysis funded by an industry trade group.
Health Care Reform
Articles
Report says Blue Cross worst in insurance claim accuracy
One in five medical claims is processed inaccurately by commercial health insurers—and a unit of Indianapolis-based
WellPoint Inc. does even worse—often leaving physicians shortchanged, according to the nation's largest doctor's
group.
WellPoint spent $1.4M lobbying government in first quarter
The Indianapolis-based insurer’s first-quarter spending is 16 percent more than it spent in the same quarter last year and
in the fourth quarter of 2009.
Expert: Reform can improve communities
The much-maligned health care bill provides a huge opportunity for local communities to improve the health of their citizens
and for local health care providers to win bonus payments from federal health insurance programs. That's the message Len
Nichols, a Beltway veteran and health policy expert, will bring to attendees at the All Healthcare is Local conference today.
MARCUS: Health care bill opens doors to change
The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act is a major step forward. It widens the door to health insurance for those
with pre-existing conditions, for employees of small businesses and others currently not covered.
Summit to counsel cities on reform
Now that health reform is law, a local not-for-profit group, Better Healthcare for Indiana, wants to help Indiana community
leaders use the law to slow runaway medical spending while improving the health of their citizens.
Effective stats are new hurdle for U.S. drugmakers
WellPoint Inc.'s announcement of comparative effectiveness research guidelines last week marks a new era for U.S. drugmakers.
The Indianapolis-based health insurer will use studies that compare the effectiveness of one drug against another as a complement
to typical clinical trial research that compares a drug against a placebo sugar pill.
New estimate says health plan to cost Indiana $2.9B
The estimate released Friday from an outside actuary hired by the state is lower than the actuary’s “worst case scenario”
given two weeks ago.
Drug-spending increase highest in four years
The price increase was fueled by the debate over the health-care overhaul in Washington, D.C., Medco Health Solutions Inc. CEO David Snow said.
Evans: Health care real estate is evolving
If Clarian Health CEO Dan Evans were investing in health care real estate, he’d make bets in three new things: smaller,
denser clinics with lots of computer equipment to do telemedicine; medical office buildings populated by physician assistants;
and nursing homes with a strong relationship with a hospital.
State names first medical records technology chief
Indiana has named its first coordinator for overseeing a $10.3 million effort to shift the state's hospitals and clinics
from paper medical records to electronic files.
Sebelius sees insurers as health reform partners
U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius said having insurers as "good partners" is part of health
care reform, but she made no promises Friday to tone down criticism of an industry the Obama administration has attacked repeatedly.
Report: Indiana faces $3.6B cost for health overhaul
Committee Chairman Sen. Luke Kenley says it's "vital" for state officials to get a handle on the fiscal impact
of the health care changes as they begin the early stages of putting together the next two-year state budget.
Q&A
Joe Guzman is a co-founder of Indianapolis-based Ascend USA, the new trade adopted after Guzman merged his
benefits brokerage, Benefits Strategies Inc., with benefits business Steven Goodin. The eight-person firm expects to hire
as many 15 new employees in the next year. Those workers will help Ascend diversify from health benefits into brokering commercial
insurance products.
Study: Quality, costs better at big practices
As physician mergers increase in Indianapolis, a new study has determined that quality at large, multispecialty practices is at
least 5 percent higher and costs are 3.6 percent lower than at small group practices.
Report: WellPoint, Aetna may need relief from cost mandate
The U.S. health overhaul’s mandate that insurers spend 80 percent of premiums on medical care may
need to be loosened
to keep companies from quitting the market for people who buy coverage on their own, state regulators said.
WellPoint, others may need relief from law’s spending mandate
The health law passed by Congress in March will force insurers like WellPoint to give rebates to customers next year if the
companies don’t meet the medical-spending minimums.
Braly, Obama spar again over WellPoint cancellation policies
CEO of Indianapolis-based health insurer wrote to Obama on Sunday to rebut the president’s criticism that WellPoint seeks
out breast cancer patients to cancel their policies.
TAYLOR: Reform will drive demand for health care facilities
There has been a noticeable uptick in the level of health care real estate development activity this year.
Reform to accelerate health care costs
Medicare actuary Richard Foster estimated the new law would raise overall health care spending by an additional $311 million
over current law—more than when he first examined the legislation in December.