Doctors breathe a sigh of relief
As doctors threaten to drop Medicare patients, Congress delays cuts for another six months.
Health Care & Insurance
Articles
Lilly’s Effient steps forward, then back
A day after doctors were alerted to a black-box warning that could slow sales of Effient’s main competitor,
Plavix,
a medical journal published research showing that patients suffered 43-percent more cancer tumors on Effient than on Plavix.
Security glitch exposes WellPoint customer data
Indianapolis-based WellPoint Inc. says it notified 470,000 individual insurance customers about an online security breach
that may have exposed medical records, credit card numbers and other sensitive information.
Marcadia enlists Lilly to help develop new diabetes drug
The two companies will jointly develop a short-acting glucagon drug, which they hope proves more convenient than Lilly’s
current Glucagon for patients with severe hypoglycemia.
WellPoint exec sees health insurer ‘oligopoly’ coming
U.S. health insurers are “moving towards an oligopoly,” a process that this year’s health-care overhaul
will accelerate, the investor-relations chief at WellPoint Inc. said Thursday.
Hoosier firms that rely on innovation pine for patent reform
One key change would grant patents to the first inventor to file an application, not the first who can prove to have made
the invention first.
OneAmerica to acquire McCready and Keene
McCready and Keene Inc. is the fifth-largest employee benefits firm in the Indianapolis area. It employs 95 people nationally, 82 of them in Indianapolis, according to IBJ research.
Hospital jobs keep growing in recession
Hospitals continued to be a stable and slightly growing source of jobs and wages in Indiana—for better and for worse.
The sector paid $7.3 billion to 127,000 Hoosiers in 2008, according to the latest data from the American Hospital Association.
Medicare cuts hit doctors as Congress feuds
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.
Lilly, Amylin stock rises on drug postponement
Roche Holding AG’s decision to postpone its experimental diabetes drug is helping boost shares in Amylin Pharmaceuticals
Inc. and drug partner Eli Lilly and Co.
Lilly layoffs pare communications department
The giant drugmaker is in the process of trimming 35 percent—or about 19 people—from its 55-person communications
staff. Most of that staff is based in Indianapolis.
Insurer WellPoint to reaffirm 2010 profit outlook
Wellpoint has stuck to the $6-per-share forecast since January even after reporting that first-quarter net income jumped 51
percent, easily topping Wall Street expectations.
Indiana’s biggest private companies majored in the basics in 2009
Health care, plastics, other fundamental consumer needs kept some companies on upswings.
WellPoint CFO says feds may phase in medical-spending rule
U.S. regulators may phase in requirements on how much health insurers spend on medical care to avoid pushing plans out of
the market for people who buy their own coverage, WellPoint Inc.’s chief financial officer said Wednesday.
LEADING QUESTIONS: Clarian CEO on daily rounds
Dan Evans, president and CEO of Clarian Health, details his cure for losing sight of day-to-day operations, how
he gauges his effectiveness, and two bits of crucial advice.
Fairbanks Foundation gives $20M to IUPUI public health school
The Indianapolis-based Richard M. Fairbanks Foundation is contributing $20 million to support IUPUI’s effort to open
a school of public health.
Report says Blue Cross worst in insurance claim accuracy
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.
Insurer WellPoint plans online care option
WellPoint plans to build a network of primary care doctors and specialists who will be available any time to consult with
patients.
Arcadia sees smaller quarterly, fiscal-year losses
Despite losses, company sees growth in its DailyMed pharmacy services, which packages the right dosages of prescriptions to
make it easier for patients to follow their regimens.
Study: Online doc ratings mostly positive
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.