In Business

ArcelorMittal Department of Energy and elected officials gathered in October for the groundbreaking of a $63 million project to make North America's largest blast furnace, No. 7 at the Indiana Harbor steel mill, more energy efficient. (People in photo, from left to right) Isaac Chan, Mark Whalen, East Chicago Mayor Anthony Copeland, Representative Earl Harris, Andy Harshaw, Tom Hargrove, Congressman Pete Visclosky, Celina Weatherwax. (Photograph courtesy of ArcelorMittal.)

“In this world nothing can be said to be certain, except death and taxes,” Benjamin Franklin quipped at the end of the 18th century. But indefinite population growth and finite fossil fuel supplies point to a 21st-century certainty that business owners are especially aware of: rising energy prices.

Today, as gas prices creep back up after their rapid fall from historic highs in 2008, all kinds of Northwest Indiana enterprises are paying closer attention to their electricity, gas and oil bills, hunting for ways to cut fixed costs by using energy more efficiently. Increasingly, conserving energy is an economic (rather than just an environmental) decision.
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In the wake of health care reform, hospitals across the nation are challenged to deliver the highest quality of care in the most efficient manner. In order to accomplish this, medicine is borrowing a page from aviation by developing Evidence-based Order sets. Physicians, in collaboration with their peers, decide on a “best practice” checklist for a number of conditions seen in the hospital. Once agreed upon, these checklists are utilized for every patient with that condition, every time. These documented “best practices” ensure the highest quality of care, improved outcomes and increased patient safety and satisfaction.

At Saint Anthony Memorial, I am very proud to say that our physicians and staff have been leaders in implementing specific clinical support tools, including evidence-based order sets, plans of care, decision rules and practice guidelines into their everyday patient treatment procedures. Read the rest of this entry »

Cosmetic medicine is undergoing a revolution in the second decade of the 21st Century with new less-invasive technologies and products being used in addition to surgery, according to area physicians who specialize in cosmetic procedures.

“Not a day goes by that there doesn’t seem to be some new innovation in any one of the areas of cosmetic medicine, be it surgical, Botox, fillers, lasers and actual cosmetics themselves,” says Laura Hoffman, M.D., a Munster-based dermatology and cosmetic specialist affiliated with Medical Specialists.
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Seth Warren, CEO of St. James Hospital, spearheaded a revitalization of the two-campus health care facility.
(Photograph by Tony V. Martin.)

Seth Warren took over the helm of St. James Hospital in February 2008 and has spearheaded a revitalization of the two-campus health care facility that had become a financial liability for the Mishawaka-based Sisters of Saint Francis Health Services Inc.

The President of St. James Hospital and South Suburban Chicago Regional CEO talks frankly about the challenges the hospital faced.

“Our financial picture was bleak. We were averaging a $20 million loss per year. At the same time our reputation suffered, and our satisfaction scores were not stellar,” Warren says. As a third generation hospital administrator, Warren grew up learning about health care’s organizational and financial aspects. His mother, a registered nurse, also taught him to focus on patient care, he says.

Warren honed his skills during tenures at hospitals and as a consultant before joining SSFHS in 1998. He has continued to rise through the SSFHS ranks, starting as manager of operations at the order’s St. Francis Hospital & Health Centers in Beech Grove, Indiana. His career with the Sisters of Saint Francis Health Services Inc. has taken him to other Indiana-based SSFHS hospitals in Mooresville, Michigan City and Crown Point as director of operations, executive director, CEO and president.
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Epic's sprawling, eco-friendly campus is located in Verona, Wisconsin.
(Photograph courtesy of JJR architecture firm.)

At a time when jobs are scarce, businesses are dying and not having enough money to pay the bills is a common theme, there’s one company that’s thriving. The Epic Healthcare system isn’t just thriving. It’s snowballing around the world, and taking every major health care organization—including all of the big hospitals near and in Northwest Indiana—with it.

It’s rare that a company can boast having $650 million in revenue, no debt and a customer base that includes 30 percent of the United States and 1 percent of the world. But the Verona, Wisconsin-based technology focused health care company does that—and more.
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A letter from the publisher, Bill Masterson Jr.

In this issue of BusINess we are discussing health care as a broader topic.

In our cover story we talk with St. James CEO Seth Warren about the business of running a hospital in the current economic climate. This is not the first time that Seth Warren has had a challenge like this; he faced a similar crisis in Northwest Indiana earlier in his career. While we are on the subject of providers, there are articles on Wisconsin-based Epic e-records company, which is busily wiring hospital groups in Northwest Indiana and all over the world, and gender-specific health care and the growth of practices in our area with female physicians treating female patients. Also, we take a look at the future of clean energy and the health of future generations. Then we get into the fascinating expert opinions: Dr. James Callahan, who in addition to running St. Anthony hospital is a primary care physician, talks about innovations in medicine from a doctor’s perspective; Senator Ed Charbonneau tells the legislator’s side of the story on the challenges of funding healthy retirement for baby boomers; South Shore Clean Cities’ Carl Lisek explores the effect of environment on our communities and Family Christian Center’s Rev. Stephan Munsey explains the connection between spiritual and physical health.
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Saint Margaret Mercy Healthcare Centers will be shifting a host of services from its campus in Hammond to Dyer and eliminating others all together, the hospital president announced earlier this week.

President Tom Gryzbek announced the changes in a letter to staff members dated November 2. Among the services impacted are the Family Birthing Center, the newborn intensive care unit, the perinatal center, the outpatient surgery department, elective orthopedic and open heart surgeries, the da Vinci surgical robot and the oncology unit.

“The strategic actions announced today help prepare St. Margaret Mercy for the new healthcare delivery system that will be implemented as a result of healthcare reform,” Gryzbek wrote in the letter.
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Michael Griffin, center, clerk-treasurer for the town of Highland, speaks October 20 during the quarterly Times Board of Economists luncheon at Innsbrook Country Club in Merrillville. (Photograph by The Times.)

Northwest Indiana business leaders say the most powerful economic stimulus yet may be just around the corner: the end of the 2010 midterm elections.

“No matter what happens with these elections, at least they will be over with and people will settle down and we’ll have more consumer confidence,” said Bill McCabe, broker/owner at Century 21 Executive Realty in Schererville.

McCabe was one of 16 business leaders at the Times Board of Economists quarterly meeting at Innsbrook Country Club on October 20, all of whom cast a vote for getting the elections over with and getting on with the business of America.
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Local hospitals have achieved top national and state ranking according to a list released Wednesday by an independent health care ratings organization.

The Community Hospital, Methodist Hospitals and hospitals owned by the Sisters of St. Francis Health Services Inc. distinguished themselves in a variety of clinical areas, according to HealthGrades. Nearly 5,000 hospitals were included in the study, which examined mortality rates and complication rates in government data from 2007 to 2009.

“The latest ratings confirm that we’re headed in the right direction, thanks to the tireless work of our physicians and employees, who renew their unwavering commitment to high-quality patient care every day. I salute them,” Gene Diamond, Sisters of St. Francis Health Services Northern Indiana Region CEO, said in a statement.
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Lowell High School Guidance Director Connie Richie checks signs identifying each participating college for Tuesday's College and Career Fair with Dr. Leonard Anglis, an LHS graduate who is sponsoring the event, open to students and parents from 20 area high schools. (Photograph by The Times.)

Looking for a college that offers a degree in child psychology? Thinking about a career in the arts but not sure you can handle years of rejection before you get that big break?

Then visit Lowell High School from 6 to 8 p.m. Tuesday and check out the Career-College Fair featuring more than 100 college representatives and career professionals who are willing to share their knowledge with high school students and their parents.

The fair is open to students from area high schools in addition to Lowell. Co-sponsor Dr. Leonard Anglis and his wife, Nancy Anglis, are working with a friend, career counselor Sherry Nowak, of Highland, to finance and host this unique event.
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