TWO LARGE CONSTRUCTION PROJECTS in Indianapolis have been put on hold, according to the Indianapolis Star. Clarian Health hospital system has stopped construction of the Riley Hospital for Children in downtown Indianapolis and
at a new medical center in Fishers, Ind., as part of a series of cost-cutting measures. The move will delay the opening of
the first phase of the $475 million, 10-floor Riley Simon Family Hospital Tower. Three inpatient units, a pharmacy and an
MRI unit were to open in June, with the 675,000-square-foot building in full use by 2013. Clarian says construction will resume
next year, and the facility is still on track to be finished by 2013. The $180 million Saxony Medical Center project in Fishers,
which includes a 42-bed hospital, had been slated to open in 2010. A new opening date has not been set.
PUBLIC HEALTH SCHOOLS PLANNED
Indiana University has announced plans to establish two public health schools in an effort to address the state's public health
needs, according to the Associated Press. One school will be based in Bloomington and will focus on rural health issues and general wellness. The second will be based
in Indianapolis and will address urban health issues. Although the schools' missions will be different, they will collaborate
on efforts to address public health problems in the state, including obesity, cardiovascular disease and diabetes.
UNIVERSITY LAUNCHES PHRThe Indiana University Health Center has implemented a personal health record (PHR) system for students at its Bloomington
campus, Healthcare IT News reports. Using the online http://NoMoreClipboard.com/ system, students can supply personal information and answer specific questions to automatically populate registration forms,
which are then aggregated into the health center's system. In addition, students can send information from their PHRs to their
PCP.
INSURER PARTICIPATES IN HIE
Anderson, Ind.-based Unified Group Services, which has nearly 50,000 members, in May became the first third-party payer to
participate in the Indiana Health Information Exchange (IHIE)'s Quality Health First (QHF) program.
The QHF program was designed by IHIE and the Employers' Forum of Indiana to help physicians and patients achieve better health
outcomes and reduce the overall cost of care. QHF securely aggregates and accurately delivers patient information such as
lab results, medication histories and treatment histories in a standardized, electronic format, across all providers.
The QHF service, available at no cost to physicians, allows them to view a list of their patients who are due for preventive
screenings and chronic disease follow-up care for conditions such as diabetes and heart disease, well-child visits and mammography
screening.
MHE Sources: Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services; Urban Institute; Kaiser Family Foundation; U.S. Census Bureau; The
Commonwealth Fund; National Center for Health Statistics; Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
