The largest health insurance company in Ohio is looking to further its reach in Indiana, planning a 30 percent expansion next year in the Hoosier State.Medical Mutual of Ohio expects to increase its coverage in Indiana to 21,000 members next year from a current 16,000, the Indianapolis Business Journal (IBJ) reported. And then the company [...]

A new study has found that the amount of stress and mental effort felt by physicians doesn’t vary much across specialties, and represents another argument for decreasing the compensation gap between primary care and specialty doctors.University of Cincinnati (UC) researchers used various work-intensity measurement tools to gauge the level of mental effort and stress experienced [...]

Almost one in five hospital patients was injured by their care, according to a study of 10 U.S. hospitals published in the New England Journal of Medicine that found little improvement from industry and government efforts to improve safety, reports Bloomberg Businessweek.

Medical Mutual of Ohio has received a national award for its employee wellness program that has improved health and lowered costs, according to a nonprofit group affiliated with former Surgeon General C. Everett Koop.

Ohioans with pre-existing health conditions, such as cancer or diabetes, can apply for insurance coverage under a new high-risk pool beginning Aug. 1.The insurance pool is a key piece of President Barack Obama’s health care overhaul. The programs will be in place until 2014 — when health insurance companies will no longer be allowed to [...]

The state has tapped Medical Mutual of Ohio to run its so-called “high-risk insurance pool,” a program established under the federal health reform law that’s designed to provide affordable insurance for people with pre-existing conditions.About 5,000 Ohioans would be covered through the pool, according to a statement from the Ohio Department of Insurance.“We selected Medical [...]

One of Ohio’s biggest health insurance companies is trying to convince doctors to forego their old-fashioned prescription pads more often.Cleveland-based Medical Mutual of Ohio is teaming up with its pharmacy benefits manager, Medco Health Solutions, for a pilot program that gives select doctors financial incentives to prescribe medications electronically.Medical Mutual is signing up 250 of [...]

Updated 5:10 p.m.A proposed Ohio law would prohibit employers from refusing to hire people who smoke tobacco.House Bill 470 would fine employers who violate its terms $25,000 on the first offense, $50,000 on the second and $100,000 for each subsequent violation. Rep. Stephen Dyer, a Democrat from Green and former Akron Beacon-Journal reporter, sponsored the [...]

Whether they’re for the historic health-reform bill or against it, local health-care and business leaders agree big changes likely are coming as a result.Some portions of the legislation could go into effect in as soon as three months, while others will take until 2019 to be fully implemented.While many of the [...]

Less than 24 hours before Audrey Nichols was scheduled to undergo a cardiac stress test at a local community hospital, she received a phone message telling her to bring along payment for her portion of the bill. The amount: $2,191.39. Nichols ended up paying $600 after shopping around.