Five cool things I learned last week
There's nothing like getting away from phones and deadlines to really learn about the fascinating world of disease and treatment.
John Russell
Articles
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.
IU Health transplant chief quits, citing rift
The top transplant surgeon at Indiana University Health, who built the program into one of the nation’s largest, has resigned, citing growing differences with hospital administration. Dr. Joseph Tector left IU Health on March 31 and has taken a position as professor of surgery at the University of Alabama School of Medicine. Tector He will […]
Citizens Energy spends $350K to soften rate-hike request
The utility’s ad campaign comes as state regulators are considering Citizens’ request to raise water and sewer rates by double-digit percentages on about 400,000 customers.
Mainstreet Property Group cuts 7 percent of workforce
The company said the 10 dismissals were for performance and reallocation reasons and not due to any financial issues at the Carmel-based company, which still has aggressive expansion plans.
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.
Purdue research team makes Zika virus breakthrough
The findings could help develop treatments for the mosquito-borne virus, which has swept through 33 countries and has been declared an international public health emergency by the World Health Organization.
Hospitals try to cut readmissions, avoid steep federal penalties
Across Indiana, 64 hospitals are facing total federal penalties this year estimated at $9.3 million, according to the Indiana Hospital Association. Nationally, hospitals will pay an estimated $420 million.
Time to cheer on the struggling YMCA
The national not-for-profit organization, trying to fight back against high-end gyms and boutique studios, is now a national model for diabetes prevention.
Lilly angles for arthritis blockbuster
Within six months, Eli Lilly and Co. could know whether the Food and Drug Administration has approved its latest drug, baricitinib, a once-a-day tablet for treating rheumatoid arthritis.
My 10 favorite news stories in health care
From investigations into questionable biotech products to poignant essays on death, here are my favorite journalism pieces on health care in 2015.
Lilly wins FDA approval for plaque psoriasis drug
For Eli Lilly and Co., the approval rewards a decade-long effort to re-enter the biotech and autoimmune spaces that it helped pioneer in the 1980s but then abandoned in the 1990s.
The nail-biting is over for medical students
More than 40,000 medical students around the nation, including 327 at the IU School of Medicine, learned Friday where they will do their residency. Not all got picked.
Indy airport board cancels $500M medical plan; to reopen bidding
The Indianapolis Airport Authority board said it would “leave our options open and continue to search for the optimal project.”
Get ready for new push against smoking
As Indiana continues to outpace the nation in smoking rates and other unhealthy behaviors, a group of public health officials and hospital executives are looking for ways to turn bad behavior around.
IPL lands regulatory OK for $29.6 million rate hike
About 470,000 customers of Indianapolis Power & Light Co. can expect to see their monthly bills increase after state regulators approved an order allowing the utility to collect an additional $29.6 million in annual revenue.
Airport chair delays vote on medical project, cites Hogsett concerns
Airport authority board Chairman Kelly Flynn sent an email Tuesday evening to other board members, telling them “we need to take a step back” on Athlete’s Business Network’s plan.
Five Indiana nursing programs under fire
The for-profit programs racked up low passing rates for graduates taking state licensing exams, and could lose their accreditation if they don’t get the scores back up.