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More consumers are pricing out care Northeast Ohio hospitals are adjusting to increasing number of patients who want to know how much procedures will cost By TIMOTHY MAGAW tmagaw@crain.com
With people on the hook for larger portions of their medical bills, especially as the Affordable Care
Act takes hold, Northeast Ohio hospitals expect consumers to do a little more price shopping before they commit to care. Hospitals, of course, aren’t expecting those demanding immedi-
ate treatment to shop around for the cheapest emergency room. But for elective procedures or tests — think knee replacements or CT scans — hospitals increasingly expect consumers to seek out the best
deal, while hoping they’ll keep quality in mind. As a result, many hospitals are putting systems in place to give prospective patients an almost instant quote of how much they can expect to owe out of pocket for certain services. It seems like a fairly obvious solution and one that should have been done long ago. However, health systems are just starting to
orient themselves to a marketplace fueled by consumer choice. Technology has enabled hospitals to automate the otherwise cumbersome process of estimating patients’ out-of-pocket costs based on their individual insurance.And consumers are starting to respond, in part because insurance often is covering less of their bills. See CARE Page 15
Industry building brighter future Manufacturers see good things ahead locally for sector By DAN SHINGLER dshingler@crain.com
MCKINLEY WILEY
Jim Tressel, originally hired in 2012 as the University of Akron’s vice president for strategic engagement, is now the Zips’ executive VP for student success.
HE’S NOT JUST HERE FOR SHOW Tressel’s ever-expanding role at Akron proves he’s anything but ‘an ornament’ ON THE WEB: Watch an excerpt
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of the interview with Jim Tressel at: www.crainscleveland.com
By TIMOTHY MAGAW tmagaw@crain.com
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f the last 24 months have proven anything about Jim Tressel, it’s that he’s no ornament.
Two years ago next month, Mr. Tressel joined the University of Akron in what was then
a largely undefined administrative role — one that carried the weighty title of vice president for strategic engagement. The controversial hiring came less than a year after the Northeast Ohio native resigned as Ohio State University’s head football coach in the wake of a scandal involving a group of his players and his failure to report violations to the NCAA. See SHOW Page 17
The chilly breeze everyone experienced in early January might not have felt so frigid to area manufacturers, who seem to have all of the wind at their backs these days as a broad front of improving economic conditions portends a warming trend for the sector this year. “After a pretty lackluster 2012 and first half of 2013, it looks like manufacturing is finally getting some traction,” said Chad Moutray, chief economist for the National Association of Manufacturers in Washington, D.C. “We’ve seen a pretty noticeable pickup from the first quarter on. … We’ve seen production pick up and we’ve also seen new orders pick up.” The reasons for the uptick are plenty, say Mr. Moutray and others. Export markets in Europe are improving, there is still strong demand for automobiles in the United States, aircraft production is continuing to rise and demand for both metals and machinery is strong here at home. See INDUSTRY Page 15
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SMALL BUSINESS Companies discuss the challenges of making the leap onto shelves of big-box stores ■ Pages 11-14 PLUS: HISTORIC PRESERVATION ■ JUICING ■ & MORE
Entire contents © 2014 by Crain Communications Inc. Vol. 35, No. 2