IN Pulse – January 12, 2026
2026 | Issue 2 – Policy Push • Leadership Transitions • Affordability Fight
Trendline Health | IN Pulse | 2026 | Issue 2
Policy & Regulation
Indiana Hospital Association Unveils Aggressive 2026 Legislative Agenda
IHA pushes for Medicaid reimbursement stability through HB 1385 (Medicare as floor, guarding against $12.7 billion federal funding loss over the decade), stronger criminal penalties for violence against healthcare workers (HB 1040), insurer accountability reforms (HB 1271 bans unnecessary downcoding/recoupments; HB 1279 shifts cost-sharing collection to payers), and preservation of nonprofit hospital status.
Indiana Hospital AssociationAG Todd Rokita Files New Lawsuit Against Eli Lilly Over Insulin Pricing Practices
Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita sues Eli Lilly alleging deceptive schemes inflated insulin prices more than 1000% despite low production costs, seeking injunctive relief, damages, and structural market changes after two years of failed negotiations—building on prior actions that secured $35 monthly caps and significant price reductions.
State of Indiana | Becker’s Hospital Review
Rural Health Information Hub, Source: CDC Diabetes County Data Indicators
Growth & Finance
Beacon Health System Completes $11.9M Expansion at Beacon Granger Hospital
Beacon Granger Hospital adds 15,000 sq ft of outpatient services including rheumatology, infusion therapy, laboratory, and specialized rehabilitation for Parkinson’s, stroke, spinal cord injuries, concussions, and amputations—its second expansion since opening in 2019.
Beacon Health System
Innovation & Tech
Notre Dame + Northwestern Launch County-Wide Youth Mental Health Scale-Up Funded by Valinhos Grant
The three-year St. Joseph County Universal Wellness Project trains 75 providers and adapts Northwestern’s evidence-based single-session interventions (in-person + digital via Project YES) to deliver quick, free, anonymous mental health support to local youth, with ambitions to become a national model.
Notre Dame News
Workforce & Leadership
Good Samaritan Hospital Leadership Transition: Rob McLin Retires, Adam Thacker Named CEO
After 34 years (15 as CEO), Rob McLin retires from Good Samaritan Hospital; Adam Thacker (with the organization since 2013, most recently President/CAO) assumes the CEO role January 7, emphasizing people-first leadership, clinical excellence, and independence in the hospital’s 118th year.
Vincennes PBS | Good Samaritan HospitalIU Health Ball Memorial President Dr. Jeff Bird Retires After 40+ Years
Muncie native Dr. Jeff Bird—born at the hospital, mentor to nearly half of Delaware County physicians, builder of the behavioral health unit—retires at 67 after a career centered on patient relationships, honest medicine, and community care.
Muncie Star Press274 Hospital and Health System CNOs to Know — 2025
Becker’s annual list spotlights chief nursing officers driving staffing solutions, quality gains, Magnet/Pathway designations, virtual nursing pilots, dramatic turnover reductions, and harm-prevention programs across the country — several from systems with strong Indiana ties.
Becker’s Hospital Review
Sources: Indiana Hospital Association, Vincennes PBS, Good Samaritan Hospital, Muncie Star Press, Notre Dame News, Beacon Health System, Becker’s Hospital Review, Office of Indiana Attorney General
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