Ombudsman blasts Nightingale; company calls report flawed
A court-appointed patient care ombudsman who looked into Nightingale Home Healthcare’s operations says he found more than 1,300 complaints from patients and family members since 2011.
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Indiana surgery centers sue nation’s top insurer over payments
A Carmel surgery center is joining others in the state in suing UnitedHealthcare, alleging it unlawfully withheld payment for some services to make up for overpayment of other claims.
Storing babies’ blood samples pits privacy versus science
Indiana is one of several states involved in legal battles over the storage of blood samples. The cases pose a dilemma: How can society balance the right to privacy with the needs of science and medical research?
AIT Labs founder to return more than $3M in settlement
The founder of AIT Laboratories, along with his insurance companies and bank, will pay back more than $3 million to employees who bought the company from him six years ago at what the government said was an inflated price.
Volatile malpractice fees frustrate doctors, hospitals
It’s been a roller-coaster ride for Indiana physicians and hospitals, with fees swinging wildly up and down in recent years to fund a state insurance program that helps pay malpractice awards.
Indiana Blood Center sees fewer donations amid Zika virus
The Indiana Blood Center said it has been forced to defer up to 30 percent of donors at some post-spring break blood drives because they had traveled to areas where the Zika virus is being transmitted.
Judge awards ex-Lilly manager $500,000 after lawsuit
A federal judge made the award to Lilly’s former executive director of human resources, who quit for health reasons and was later dropped from the company’s extended disability plan.
Toxicology labs face tough times
Deep cuts in Medicare reimbursements and competition from a few huge national chains and walk-in labs are making it tougher for Indianapolis-based AIT and other toxicology labs to compete.
Zika virus fear fuels demand for local DEET manufacturer
Indianapolis-based chemical manufacturer Vertellus Specialties Inc. has expanded its production capacity by 80 percent to keep up with customer demand for DEET, a common active ingredient in mosquito and tick repellents.
Cook recalling 4.1 million catheters after reports of splitting or breaking
It’s the largest recall in recent years for Cook, which previously had issued four recalls covering more than 400,000 catheters and pressuring monitoring sets in the past two years.
Anthem voices optimism on exchange growth prospects
The Indianapolis-based insurer essentially broke even on its Obamacare exchange business last year.
Enrollment gains help Anthem top analysts’ earnings expectations
The company, which is in the process of buying rival insurer Cigna Corp. for $54 billion, said medical enrollment has climbed by about 1 million members since the end of 2015, reaching 39.6 million members.
Bristol-Myers drug tops Lilly’s Erbitux in cancer study
Bristol-Myers Squibb Co.’s blockbuster cancer drug Opdivo prolonged survival in cases of recurrent head and neck cancer, a first for patients with the harshest form of the disease who often face a bleak prognosis.
UnitedHealth to exit all but a few Obamacare states
UnitedHealth Group Inc., the biggest U.S. health insurer, said it expects to lose about $650 million on the Obamacare plans this year.
New law paves way for Indiana to fully embrace telemedicine
On July 1, Indiana will join 46 states in allowing physicians to write prescriptions after talking to patients on their laptops or smartphones, with no office visit required.
Transplant surgeon blasts IU Health after exit
Dr. Joseph Tector, who built IU Health’s transplant program into one of the nation’s largest before announcing his departure Friday, is seeking back wages and penalties worth $4.7 million from the hospital system.
IU Health’s top transplant surgeon leaves for Alabama position
Indiana University Health’s Joseph Tector, who built the transplant program into one of the nation’s largest, has resigned after 15 years to take a job at the University of Alabama in Birmingham.
Insulin’s surging price turns diabetes staple into luxury good
The three drugmakers that dominate the world diabetes market—Eli Lilly and Co., Novo Nordisk A/S and Sanofi—are introducing improved forms of insulin, with a price tag to match.
Allergan, Pfizer call off proposed record $160B merger
The biggest U.S.-based drugmaker, Pfizer Inc., will stay put thanks to aggressive new Treasury Department rules that succeeded in blocking Pfizer from acquiring rival Allergan and moving to Ireland—on paper—to reduce its tax bill.
Meth law opens door for fledgling drugmaker
A small manufacturer angling to pick up more business in Indiana makes cold and allergy medicine resistant to being abused by methamphetamine makers.