Physician-Owned Hospitals Form Indiana Physician Hospital Association, Inc.

Physician-owned hospitals across Indiana have joined together to form the Indiana Physician Hospital Association, Inc. (IN PHA), to improve access to healthcare and advocate for greater control of superior patient care by physicians and their patients.

The new state association formed as a result of ongoing efforts in Congress to pass healthcare reform that would threaten the existence of physician-owned hospitals across the nation. The healthcare reform bill contains language that bans new physician-owned hospitals and does not allow existing facilities to expand to meet increasing demands for service. Fifteen communities across Indiana are served by physician-owned hospitals, which employ more than 4,000 nurses and staff, and 2,610 physicians.

IN PHA will act as a statewide advocate on behalf of physician-owned hospitals in Indiana, similar to the mission performed at the national level by Physician Hospitals Association of America (PHA).
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Survey: Hoosiers Favor Property Tax Cap

There is strong sentiment among Hoosiers that the Indiana General Assembly should pass a much-discussed constitutional amendment to cap property taxes, says a new public opinion survey from Ball State University.

The Hoosier Survey produced by Ball State’s Bowen Center for Public Affairs found that about 64 percent of Indiana residents favored the constitutional amendment, which has been championed by Gov. Mitch Daniels for several years.

The constitutional amendment was embraced by voters in every region of the state with the strongest support in the extreme northern and southern counties. About 14 percent of respondents were undecided on the issue.
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Notes: Gary Airport Expansion Prep Continues

The Gary Airport continues to move forward with expansion plans.

The Starke County Development Foundation has updated its Web site and added “economic” to its name.

A new report questions the profitability of the proposed “garbage to ethanol” plant in Schneider.

South Bend school board officials are looking for ways to avoid raising taxes after identifying $24 million in improvements that need to be made to local high schools.