Health

HE A LTH • Spring 2019 5 UMass to open region's first IVF clinic Dr. Julia Johnson, chair of the obstetrics and gynecology department at UMass Memorial Medical Center in Worcester, has raised most of the money she'll need for the hospital to start building what Johnson said will be the first in-vitro fertilization (IVF) clinic in Central Massachusetts. UMass is looking to build a facility costing $1.3 to $1.4 million in a vacant space in an office building at 33 Kendall St., a block behind the main entrance to the Memorial Campus. Johnson has raised roughly $400,000 of the $500,000 she'll need through faculty and administration, with the same amount matched by the hospital. Another $300,000 to $400,000 is planned to be raised once construction starts. Fallon hits record member- ship and revenue totals Worcester insurer Fallon Health reached the highest membership and revenue totals in 2018 in its 41-year history, with 271,369 members last year, a one-year rise of 24 percent. Revenue jumped accordingly, hitting $1.6 billion, a jump of 21 percent. Those results come as Fallon has joined MassHealth's accountable care organizations, a new way of joining insurers and health providers for the state's Medicaid patients. In the last five years, government programs as a percentage of Fallon's total membership have increased from 20 percent to 50 percent, according to the company. Cigna to cover ReWalk exoskeleton system Marlborough medical device firm ReWalk Robotics said a major health insurer will take requests for coverage of exoskeleton medical devices for people with spinal cord injuries. Connecticut-based Cigna Corp. has revised its policy, becoming the first private U.S. insurer to review submissions from beneficiaries. ReWalk CEO Larry Jasinski called Cigna's coverage a major milestone for healthcare beneficiaries in the U.S. The policy change is the first major development in the U.S. for exoskeleton devices since the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs issued a national policy in 2015 for the evaluation, training and procurement of ReWalk's systems. Continued on Page 6 diagnosis, treatment, recovery and survivorship Advanced Cancer Care is just minutes away. 55 Sayles St., Southbridge MA | 508-764-2400 harringtonhospital.org/cancer Christopher Seidler, MD Medical Director Donna Kentley, PA-C Jeffrey Gordon, MD Ascentria receives $23M to acquire Brighton center Ascentria Care Alliance, a Worcester human service nonprofit, has acquired Presentation Rehabilitation and Skilled Care Center in Brighton, Ascentria's second such facility in Boston. Presentation's services include a center for short-term rehabilitation and longer-term care. The 122-bed facility has physical, occupational and speech therapy services, social services and care by other providers, including podiatry, optometry, audiology, dentistry, geriatric psychiatry services, and hospice. Ascentria, which has offices in five New England states, previously acquired Laurel Ridge Rehabilitation and Skilled Care Center in the Jamaica Plain section of Boston. New chief medical officer at Recovery Centers A 19-year veteran of substance abuse treatment is joining Westminster-based Recovery Centers of America as the chief medical officer at its Westminster and Danvers facilities. Heidi Ginter has worked in the addiction treatment field since 2000 and has lectured on opioid dependency and how other medicines can help fight the disease. Ginter will oversee all medical treatment at RCA's Mass. alcohol and drug addiction facilities. Saint Vincent cheapest for MRI services Worcester's Saint Vincent Hospital was found to be the cheapest among 14 hospitals, according to a study by Boston think tank Pioneer Institute to show how varied MRI costs can be. The average cost for an MRI at Saint Vincent was $476, the Boston-based think tank found. That's vastly cheaper than the $1,423 average cost at Boston Children's Hospital, which topped the list, and well below the average among the hospitals of $742. Saint Vincent was the only Central Massachusetts hospital among those studied. Hanover Insurance doubled profits last year Hanover Insurance Group saw its profits double last year to $391 million, with the Worcester company already sharing much of those profits with its shareholders. Hanover raised its dividend for a 14th consecutive year in December, increasing its quarterly dividend by 11 percent. Operating income was $6.79 per diluted share for the year. Dr. Julia Johnson

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