Governor Mike Pence joined executives from Lutheran Health Network today to announce that its affiliate, Shared Services Center Fort Wayne, plans to expand its business operations in northeastern Indiana, creating up to 320 new jobs by 2017.

“By creating great jobs like this in Indiana, Lutheran Health Network is helping to nurse Indiana’s economy to even stronger health,” said Pence. “Indiana is already a life sciences leader. These jobs will continue to lift Indiana’s status as a home base for related industries, such as hospital business services. Hoosiers win when companies, from local shops to Fortune 500 firms, decide that Indiana provides the best environment for their growth, placing success within reach here in a state that works.”

Currently, there are more than 175 employees at Shared Services Center Fort Wayne who provide services including the processing of medical insurance claims, billing, appeals, insurance collection and customer service for Lutheran Health Network’s hospitals and others in the region. To accommodate future growth, it will relocate its offices to 1700 Magnavox Way where it will occupy more than 62,000 square feet of leased space.

“Indiana is a great place to live, work and play, making it an ideal place to grow business and for employees to call home,” said Brian Bauer, chief executive officer of Lutheran Health Network. “We are proud of our work to serve Hoosiers with high quality, compassionate care and are delighted to expand our commitment to our community by creating new opportunities for employment.”

The Shared Services Center in Fort Wayne has already begun filling open positions. Interested applicants may apply by visiting the careers page at LutheranHealth.net.

“I continue to be encouraged by the unprecedented momentum we’re experiencing in the city of Fort Wayne as we work together to invest in the future and be a leader in job growth and retention,” said Fort Wayne Mayor Tom Henry. “We appreciate the commitment that Lutheran Health Network is demonstrating by significantly expanding its presence in Fort Wayne.”

The Indiana Economic Development Corporation offered Revenue Cycle Service Center, LLC up to $3,250,000 in conditional tax credits and up to $200,000 in training grants based on the company’s job creation plans. These tax credits are performance-based, meaning until Hoosiers are hired, the company is not eligible to claim incentives. The city of Fort Wane will consider additional incentives at the request of Greater Fort Wayne Inc. Also, Northeast Indiana Works is supporting the project with $78,380 toward in-kind employment services and on-the-job training.

With the help of growing companies like Shared Services Center Fort Wayne and Lutheran Health Network, Indiana has added 235,300 private sector jobs to its economy since July 2009 at a rate that’s the eighth fastest growing in the nation. Much of this growth is concentrated in the professional and business services sector, with a growth rate of 24.4 percent, the fourth largest in the nation.

Source: Indiana Economic Development Corp., Inside INdiana Business