COLWELL: Indianapolis strategizes for health care reform
The recent flurry of big announcements portends well.
Community Health Network
Articles
Sequester could sap $200M from Indiana health care providers
The sequestration plan kicking in Friday will chop Medicare payments to hospitals, doctors and nursing homes by 2 percent, beginning April 1. One study estimates that the cuts could result in 10,000-plus job losses in Indiana alone.
IU docs in middle of Community-Wishard deal
The new partnership between Community Health Network and Wishard Health Services could put a third health care entity in an awkward position: the Indiana University School of Medicine. Virtually all of the nearly 1,100 physicians who practice at Wishard Memorial Hospital and its community clinics come from the IU medical school.
UPDATE: Primary care at heart of hospitals’ deal
Community Health Network’s new partnership with Wishard Health Services will create a primary-care behemoth that the systems argue will put them in the best position possible to handle the changes coming from federal health reform.
Community, Wishard to form joint operating agreement
The partnership will create a new board to oversee and coordinate the operations of both systems, according to internal messages sent to Community stakeholders. Community Health CEO Bryan Mills will be the CEO of the new joint-operating entity.
Community, Wishard-Eskenazi plan ‘landmark’ announcement
The health care systems would not provide details, but said the announcement would place "Indianapolis in the best position for health care reform."
Anthem tries new ‘narrow network’ strategy
Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield has selected Community Health Network to be the “exclusive provider” for a new kind of health insurance plan—a sharp departure from Anthem’s typical strategy of offering the broadest network of hospitals and doctors.
Community taps Walgreens for health reform help
In the era of health care reform, hospitals will face two new challenges: They will need to run higher-volume, lower-margin businesses, and they’ll be on the hook financially for what patients do even when they’re not receiving health care. Community Health Network’s new partnership with Walgreens’ Take Care Clinics is designed to help address both issues.
Community to commercialize innovations
Community Health Network thinks it can help patients, engage doctors and maybe even make some money by trying to turn ideas within its organization into commercial products, service and companies.
St. Vincent, Community team up, forming colossus
Three area hospital groups—St. Vincent Health, Community Health Network and Suburban Health Organization—have agreed to join forces to manage patients’ health and strike new kinds of contracts with employers and health insurers.
Suburban hospitals charm patients
A little extra Medicare money will flow to suburban hospitals in the Indianapolis area, based on recent patient satisfaction scores. But hospitals in the core of Indianapolis—and hospitals that do significant amounts of teaching medical students—may take a hit.
Physician buyouts bruising hospitals
As St. Vincent Health has nearly doubled the number of physicians it employs over the past two years, the losses on those practices have mounted. And the same thing is happening at all the major Indianapolis hospital systems, as all have spent the past four years aggressively acquiring physician practices.
Howard officials OK hospital merger with Community
The merger of Kokomo’s Howard Regional Health System into Indianapolis-based Community Health Network received final approval Tuesday night.
More physicians using social media to find jobs
But major Indianapolis-area hospitals still prefer personal referrals
Community to expand Heart Hospital
Community Health Network will break ground this month on a $6.9 million, 4,600-square-foot expansion of its Indiana Heart Hospital, adding two operating rooms.
Patient referrals can be lucrative for hospitals
Physician liaisons are becoming key in recruiting efforts.
Hospitals to build $14M medical center in Bargersville
Community Health Network and Johnson Memorial Hospital plan to spend $14 million to build a medical office building and outpatient center in Bargersville. The 70,000-square-foot facility is scheduled to be completed in mid-2013.
Axiom signs ad deal with Community Health Network
The new agency owned by ad industry veterans is full service with an emphasis on branding.
Mills: Health care’s future is partnership
In spite of all the consolidation lately among hospitals, Community Health CEO Bryan Mills says the future of hospital systems will hinge more on partnerships like the one Community struck last week on its rehab hospital.
IU Health reports most serious medical errors
Indiana’s largest and busiest medical system committed 19 preventable errors last year at its hospitals in Indianapolis and other cities, three fewer than in 2009, according to a report released Monday.