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Eli Lilly and Co. and its peers might be back in Congress’ sights as lawmakers hunt for more ways to cut health care costs.
A study published in an influential journal concludes that European drugmakers operating in markets with drug price controls
have produced proportionally more innovations than their U.S. counterparts. The study undercuts an argument made over and
over again by Lilly execs that health reform must preserve profit potential for pharmaceuticals so companies can afford to
keep pumping out innovative new drugs.

A little lobbying on your lunch break? A consumer group says health insurers WellPoint Inc. and Minnesota-based UnitedHealth
Group pressured their employees to speak to members of Congress against health care reform proposals that the companies disagreed
with, the Associated Press reported. In a letter to California Attorney General Jerry Brown, the group Consumer Watchdog maintains
that both companies violated state labor laws. The attorney general’s office said it is reviewing the letter. Indianapolis-based
WellPoint, in an e-mail to employees, asserted that proposed health care legislation could cause tens of millions of Americans
to lose private health coverage and end up in a government-run insurance plan. Other consequences, the e-mail said, could
include limited choice for customers, and increased premiums for those with private coverage due to new mandates and coverage
requirements. "We believe it is important and permissible to provide up-to-date information about health reform to our
associates," spokeswoman Cheryl Leamon said in an e-mail.
 
Health records are now flying around the
state. At least part of the state. The Indianapolis-based Indiana Health Information Exchange last week began sharing electronic
medical records with two similar organizations across a multi-regional network. Connecting with HealthLINC in Bloomington
and HealthBridge in Cincinnati creates the nation’s first exchange of medical information among such organizations in different
regions, Indiana Health Information Exchange officials said.

Now, for example, if a patient is admitted to
a hospital in Indianapolis, physicians at his or her doctor’s office in Bloomington will be able to access the patient’s medical
information via the Internet, including test results and radiology notes. Together, the three exchanges connect more than
15,000 physicians, 50 hospitals and 12 million patient records. Initially, the Indiana Health Information Exchange will send
medical records to HealthLINC and HealthBridge providers. Full interconnectivity, in which information will flow among all
exchanges, should begin in mid-September.

The Indiana Health Industry Forum will hold a day-long summit on health
reform today. Various panels will address different aspects of reform and its potential impact. Panelists include Dr. John
Fitzgerald, CEO of the Indiana Clinic, Dhan Shapurji, a director at Deloitte Consulting, Bart Peterson, Eli Lilly and Co.’s
senior vice president of corporate affairs and communications, and Dr. Thomas Inui, CEO of Regenstrief Institute Inc. The
summit will run from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. at University Place Conference Center on the IUPUI campus.