Two Large Indiana Physician Groups Team with Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield in Real-World Research to Improve Their Patients' Health

INDIANAPOLIS, Jan. 18, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Hundreds of physicians from Indianapolis-based Community Physicians of Indiana and Evansville-based Deaconess Clinic have enrolled in HealthCore's Integrated Research Network® (IRN) to participate in research that they can use to improve their patients' health.

The IRN® is operated by HealthCore, Inc. and owned by the parent company of Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield in Indiana. The IRN has enrolled thousands of physicians nationally in multiple practice areas. Individual physicians may enroll at https://www.healthcoreirn.com//home/registration.

"Physicians' willingness to be involved in cutting-edge health research illustrates the innovative aspects of Community Physicians and Deaconess," said David Lee, M.D., vice president of physician engagement for Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield in Indiana. "These physicians want to know what methods, drugs, tests and devices work the best and are the safest in the real world for their patients. They use this information every day when seeing patients to help them improve their patients' health."

Most clinical trials provide research on a drug or device before they are released for use by the general public. These trials are typically conducted in small, controlled environments, which is why real-world results may differ in research gathered after a product has been approved by the Food and Drug Administration and used by a variety of patients of different ages, income, education, gender, and ethnic and racial backgrounds.

The IRN is a network of physicians engaged in studies commissioned through HealthCore that involve drugs, devices, diagnostics and various medical and surgical approaches for treatment of many illnesses. In addition to providing data for ongoing studies, physicians will be able to identify clinical issues to study, respond to health surveys and recruit and enroll patients in comparative effectiveness and safety studies in real-world settings.

When clinical and patient-reported data collection for a study is complete, this information can be combined with HealthCore's data environment, which includes integrated information on medical and pharmacy use, eligibility and benefits, and laboratory results on as many as 33 million patients from across the country, to reach conclusions that are shared back with the physicians.

The Deaconess Clinic, which has about 90 physicians in its multi-specialty physician group, performs about 100 clinical and device trials per year, including researching new treatments for obesity, heart disease, diabetes, chronic pain, skin disorders, and most cancers.

"We are involved in clinical research to be closer to leading-edge science and to have hands-on experience with promising new treatments and technology," said Greg Folz, administrative director of the Research Institute of Deaconess Clinic. "We are looking to participate in the IRN to give us continuous access to additional research about evidence-based medicine to further enhance the care we can provide our patients and the communities we serve."

Community Physicians of Indiana, which employs about 200 general practice physicians for Community Health Network, wants to tie in the IRN studies to its focus on chronic disease management, inclusive of diabetes, asthma, coronary artery disease, congestive heart failure, dementia, and back pain.

"We have not only a moral and ethical responsibility to improve health care, we have a financial responsibility to our community," said Mary Jane Hall, director of clinical excellence for Community Physicians for Indiana. "It's a huge responsibility to make sure our patients are getting the best health care possible. The IRN is one of our efforts to help fulfill this responsibility."

The IRN is currently registering practicing physicians in internal medicine, family practice, general practice, rheumatology, cardiology, endocrinology, psychiatry, oncology and gastroenterology. Specifically, HealthCore is exploring several opportunities in the areas of heart failure, several pain syndromes, antibiotic resistance, Type 2 diabetes and breast cancer.  Individual physicians may enroll at https://www.healthcoreirn.com//home/registration.

About Anthem

Anthem Health Plans of Indiana, Inc. trades as Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield in Indiana, and its service area is all of Indiana. Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield and its affiliated HMO HealthKeepers, Inc. are independent licensees of the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association. ®ANTHEM is a registered trademark of Anthem Insurance Companies, Inc. The Blue Cross and Blue Shield names and symbols are registered marks of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association. Additional information about Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield in Indiana is available at www.anthem.com. Also, follow us on Twitter at www.twitter.com/healthjoinin, on Facebook at www.facebook.com/HealthJoinIn, or visit our YouTube channel at www.youtube.com/healthjoinin.

About HealthCore

HealthCore, based in Wilmington, Del., is a clinical outcomes research company.  HealthCore has a team of highly experienced researchers including physicians, biostatisticians, pharmacists, epidemiologists, health economists and other scientists who study the "real world" safety and effectiveness of drugs, medical devices and care management interventions. HealthCore offers insight on how to best use this data and communicates these findings to health care decision-makers to support evidence-based medicine, product development decisions, safety monitoring, coverage decisions, process improvement and overall cost-effective health care. For more information, go to www.healthcore.com.

SOURCE Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield in Indiana