Correction
St. Francis Medical Group has 125 physicians. The number was incorrect in the May 19 IBJ Health Care & Reform Weekly.
St. Francis Medical Group has 125 physicians. The number was incorrect in the May 19 IBJ Health Care & Reform Weekly.
In the company's latest response to withering criticism of its breast-cancer policies, WellPoint Inc. said it will pay
for any breast cancer patient to stay two days in a hospital after surgery.
A maker of medical imaging equipment that recently moved its headquarters to Fishers has grand plans to reach $1 billion in
sales and build a multimillion-dollar cyclotron facility in five years. But history shows Positron Corp. has been far better
at losing money than making it.
In 2008, Eli Lilly and Co. asked drug regulators to change the label on Alimta so Lilly could no longer promote it as a treatment
for all patients suffering from non-small-cell lung cancer, but for only about 70 percent of the patients. Since then, sales
of the drug have accelerated, growing a whopping 48 percent last year.
The drugmakers are counting on screening for the so-called K-ras gene to spur use of Erbitux in metastatic colorectal cancer.
Eli Lilly and Co. is a likely suitor for two cancer drug developers, according to unnamed sources interviewed
by The Financial Times. The Indianapolis-based drugmaker has made cancer its most intense area of new drug investment—as
have many of its peers. The company was outbid last year for Gloucester Pharmaceuticals, which was scooped up by New Jersey-based
Celgene Corp. Now, industry insiders believe Lilly will bid for Gloucester’s competitor in the race to develop the next
lung cancer drug, Colorado-based Allos Therapeutics Inc. Also, Lilly is a likely bidder for Washington-based Seattle Genetics
Inc., which is developing drugs to treat leukemia and Hodgkin’s lymphoma.
With funding still spotty for medical and biotech startups, a huge amount of attention is focusing on Qualified Therapeutic
Discovery Project Credits, which will award $1 billion in tax breaks to small companies developing products that help diagnose,
treat or prevent illnesses. Each business can receive a credit for as much of half its investment into qualified research
and testing of its products, according to a description of the act by Bingham McHale, an Indianapolis law
firm hoping to win clients by helping them apply. The credit will be paid in cash if a company has little to no tax liability.
Only companies that have 250 or fewer employees (of any type) can receive the credits.
Roche Diagnostics won approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for its test of antibodies that
build up to fight the hepatitis C virus in human fluids. The Elecsys Anti-HCV can be performed on certain models of Roche
Diagnostics’ Cobas and Modular Analytics machines. In April, Roche received FDA clearance for another immunoassay in
its infectious-disease portfolio, Rubella IgM. Roche Diagnostics operates its North American business out of Indianapolis.
Michiana Health Information Network has added Elkhart General Healthcare System to its health information
exchange service. Doctors in Elkhart can now receive electronic copies of medical records and laboratory results from Elkhart
General Hospital quickly and without the privacy issues of e-mail. Once fully implemented, all Elkhart physicians with electronic
health records will have the ability to instantly receive hospital reports, laboratory results and radiology reports directly
into their EHR systems. Michiana Health Information Network, established in 1999, includes more than 3,200 community health
care professionals in northern Indiana and southwest Michigan.
In its latest response to withering criticism of its breast-cancer policies, WellPoint Inc. started Tuesday
to pay for all breast cancer patients to stay two days in a hospital after mastectomy surgery. Some states already require
insurers to cover hospital stays of 48 hours if the patient and her doctor wanted that much time for recovery after mastectomy
surgery. But Indiana requires payment only for a 24-hour stay. Now, WellPoint will make the 48-hour policy standard for its
customers in any state. Indianapolis-based WellPoint has been under fire since a Reuters article in April said the company
uses a computer algorithm to target breast cancer patients for cancellation of their policies. WellPoint has repeatedly called
the article’s claims “inaccurate and grossly misleading.” But the article provided the basis for sharp criticism
of WellPoint from President Obama, Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius and dozens of members of Congress.
Dr. Christopher B. “Topper” Doehring has been appointed vice president of medical affairs at St. Francis Hospital & Health Centers, effective June 7. That position had been held for the past five years by Dr. Alan Gillespie.
Larry Meade has been appointed marketing manager for oncology at St. Francis Hospital & Health Centers. He served as manager of marketing and advertising for Columbus Regional Hospital.
Kimberly Stettler has been appointed manager for central scheduling at St. Francis Hospital & Health Centers. Before joining St. Francis in 2006, Settler was a compliance auditor at the Indiana University School of Medicine.
Community Health Network has named Steve Bell vice president of supply-chain management. He held the same position for a Community subsidiary, Visionary Enterprises Inc. Bell replaces the retiring Charlie Greve.
Dr. Peter W. McCauley Sr. has been named the new Midwest market medical executive for Cigna HealthCare. Based in Chicago, McCauley is responsible for customer health care services and Cigna’s physician and hospital network across Illinois, Indiana, Wisconsin and Minnesota. Most recently, McCauley oversaw more than 200 physicians at Gottlieb/West Towns PHO in Melrose Park, Ill.
J. Irwin Miller’s two sons have been battling for years over who should have paid expenses on the wealthy Columbus family’s
homes and businesses, but their fight isn’t about the money—especially after they inherited at least $20 million
apiece.
Angie’s List physician rating service has been controversial since it started in 2008. But an academic journal article
is now telling the docs to relax. Nearly 90 percent of patient comments on sites like Angie’s List are positive.
Dr. George W. Sledge Jr., a breast cancer specialist at the Indiana University School of Medicine, began
serving this month as president of the American Society of Clinical Oncology. He will remain president for the next year.
Harlan Laboratories has named Dr. Hilton Klein global vice president, science and new product introduction,
for the company’s research models and services operating group, and Steve Jennings global vice president,
marketing and sales for the research models and services operating group. Indianapolis-based Harlan tests experimental medicines
on animals on a contract basis.
SynCare LLC promoted Rachelle Davis, its executive vice president of medical management, to president of
the Indianapolis-based disease-management company. Davis will report directly to SynCare CEO Stephanie DeKemper and have chief
responsibility for day-to-day operations.
Indianapolis-based Benefit Associates/Benefit Consultants hired Spencer Milus, a registered nurse, as an
adviser for wellness and on-site strategies. Milus previously worked at Community Health Network/Infinity Employer Health
Solutions and WellPoint Inc.
Community Health Network appointed three of its physicians as vice presidents of medical affairs, all newly created positions,
at its three Indianapolis hospitals. Dr. Don Ziperman has the title at Community Hospital East, Dr.
Bob Lindeman at Community North and Dr. Randy Lee at Community South.
Clarian Health named Linda K. Chase, a registered nurse, chief nursing officer of Methodist Hospital, where
she will oversee 1,800 nurses. Chase will come to Methodist in July, leaving her current position as chief nurse at The Ohio
State Medical Center’s University Hospital and Richard M. Ross Heart Hospital in Columbus, Ohio.
We’re all quick to say we want lower taxes, but we’re slow to sacrifice services that affect us.
The federal government is currently doling out $1.1 billion in stimulus funds to pay for research that compares multiple medical
treatments against one another to determine which is most effective. Drug companies like Eli Lilly and Co. are wary that comparative-effectiveness
research could threaten their sales.
WellPoint plans to build a network of primary care doctors and specialists who will be available any time to consult with
patients.
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.
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.
The Indiana University School of Medicine ranked below average for its output of primary-care physicians,
according to a study published Monday in the Annals of Internal Medicine. Roughly one-third, or 34.1 percent, of
physicians minted by the IU med school go into primary care, ranking IU No. 79 out of 141 schools on the list. Some of the
nation's most prestigious medical schools—including Harvard, Johns Hopkins, New York University and the Mayo Clinic—ranked
among the bottom 15 for turning out primary-care docs. To see the full ranking, click here.
Eli Lilly and Co.’s experimental drug Bydureon helped diabetics lower their blood sugar and their
weight—but not any more than the cheap, old diabetes pill metformin. That’s the upshot of clinical trial data
released Tuesday by Indianapolis-based Lilly and its development partners on Bydureon. The once-a-week version of Byetta helped
patients reduce their blood sugar, measured by hemoglobin A1c, by 1.5 percentage points. So did metformin. Patients on Bydureon
lost an average of 4.5 pounds a piece. Patients on metformin lost 4.4 pounds on average. Bydureon did reduce blood sugar more
than Januvia, a medicine made by New Jersey-based Merck & Co. Inc., and roughly the same as Actos, a drug made by Japan-based
Takeda Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd. However, patients lost less weight on Januvia, and actually gained weight on Actos. Lilly is
waiting for the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to approve Bydureon for market.
WellPoint Inc. got some recognition for practicing what it preaches. The National Business Group, a not-for-profit
organization of large employers, named WellPoint one of 66 Best Employers for Healthy Lifestyles because the company encourages
its workers and families to adopt long-term, healthy habits. Meanwhile, Indianapolis-based WellPoint is developing online
care options to give patients a quicker way to converse with a physician—using online video and chat or using a phone.
In a partnership with Boston-based American Well, WellPoint will launch its online care option in the fall with a network
of primary-care and specialist physicians committed to conducting virtual visits with patients. The online care option will
begin in a few markets and then expand throughout WellPoint’s territories across the country.
Purdue University's Healthcare Technical Assistance Program is hiring 50 professionals to help 2,200
Indiana primary-care doctors adopt electronic records that meet federal standards. Purdue's center, armed with $12 million
in federal stimulus funds, will aid small Indiana practices of 10 or fewer health care providers, community health centers,
federally qualified health centers and rural health clinics.
Eight programs at Riley Hospital for Children ranked among the top 30 children's hospitals in the nation
in U.S. News' annual America's Best Children's Hospitals list. The rankings will be released in the August
issue of U.S. News & World Report. Riley ranked third in urology, 14th in pulmonology, 15th in diabetes, 20th
in neonatal care, 22nd in digestive disorders, 29th in cardiology and neurology and 30th in cancer. No other hospitals in
Indiana were named in the rankings. U.S. News based the rankings on each hospital's reputation, outcomes, and
such measures as nursing care, advanced technology, and credentialing.
What recession? Some firms are enjoying explosive growth.
The Indianapolis-based forensics, clinical and pharmaceutical testing firm, led by CEO Michael Evans, plans to invest $74
million to acquire and equip
an existing 90,000-square-foot building in Woodland Corporate Park near West 79th Street and Interstate 465.
As a practicing physician, I was disappointed by [Morton Marcus’] support of the recently passed health care legislation
[in his May 31 column].
Physician offices will begin receiving payments from the Medicare that are 21.3-percent below
what they’ve been getting so far this year. Doctors still expect Congress to reverse the payment cuts, but physicians
and the Medicare program will have to reprocess claims, costing both extra money.