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June 2004
Wednesday, June 30, 2004
In this Issue:
Picis files infringement lawsuit against Surgical
Information Systems and Capsule Technologie
Olympus announces senior management
appointments in Medical Systems Group
Under-the-skin sensor could monitor blood sugar, toxins
Precision Dynamics Corporation
joins
CIMIT’s industry
liaison program to research RFID and patient safety
New York hospitals implement green cleaning
Low maintenance wound care, pulmonary therapy,
bariatric products
Picis files
infringement lawsuit against Surgical
Information Systems and Capsule Technologie
Picis, Inc., a provider of integrated operating room, anesthesia and critical care information solutions, filed suit June 28 in the U.S. District Court of Georgia, Atlanta Division against Surgical Information Systems, LLC (SIS) and Capsule Technologie for infringement of Picis’ U.S. Patent No. 5,161,222. The Picis patent protects and covers a software engine and drivers that capture vital signs data from a broad variety of medical devices. The patented invention, Click n’Link connectivity engine enables software systems to capture data from physiological monitors, ventilators and anesthesia machines for automated patient charting and storage in a database to assist nurses and physicians in their review and analysis of a patient’s condition. The founder of Capsule Technologie was an employee of Picis from 1995 to 1997. In 1997, Picis contracted with Capsule Technologie to augment its team in developing medical device drivers for the Picis patented Click n’Link connectivity engine. The contractual relationship between Picis and Capsule Technologie ceased in June 1999.
Olympus announces senior management
appointments in Medical Systems Group
Olympus has announced various senior management appointments in its Medical Systems Group, effective immediately. Appointments for newly created positions include John Cifarelli, vice president and general manager, Surgical Products; and Eric Halvorson, vice president and general manager, EndoTherapy Products. Promotions include Rick Harbuck, vice president, Sales, and Eddie Garces, vice president, Endoscopy Service. David McKinley remains group vice president, Medical Systems. Olympus has also opened a U.S.-based Business Development center located in Melville, N.Y. to support the U.S. -based entrepreneurial clinicians, and attract new business partners in therapeutic device markets.
Under-the-skin sensor could monitor blood sugar, toxins
A new under-the-skin sensor that would continually monitor blood sugar for diabetics could potentially be used to detect a variety of toxins and microbes such as E. coli, staph bacteria, and the terrorism agent ricin. Smaller than a dime and paper thin, the device uses technology similar to that in anti-theft tags, reports Scripps Howard News Service. “The vision of our work is a plastic sensor of virtually unlimited lifetime that could be placed in the tissue of the skin,” said Craig Grimes, a professor of engineering at Pennsylvania State University and lead author of a report on the sensor published by the journal Analytical Chemistry. Grimes said the passive sensors require no internal power supply and no connection outside the body. The person simply waves their hand or arm in front of a reader that automatically detects the sensor. Grimes said that he has not yet partnered to commercially develop the sensors.
Precision Dynamics Corporation (PDC), a provider of automatic wristband identification, joins CIMIT’s (Center for Integration of Medicine and Innovative Technology) industry liaison program. PDC plans to work with existing members, such as Radianse, Inc., GE Healthcare Technologies, Inc., and other research institutions to develop solutions that promote new technology for patient safety. Through collaborative research among PDC engineers and CIMIT investigators, the efficacy of RFID wristband solutions will be tested to improve patient safety, reduce errors and improve workflow. PDC is interested in participating in the Operating Room of the Future (ORF) and NICU (neonatal) programs at CIMIT. The research will examine the effectiveness of PDC’s Smart Band® RFID Wristband System as well as other technologies.
New York hospitals implement green cleaning
Two New York City hospitals have instituted green cleaning, becoming the city's first hospitals to replace traditional chemical-based cleaning products with more environmentally-preferable ones. The two hospitals, Jacobi Medical Center and North Central Bronx, replaced cleaning chemicals such as ammonia and chlorine, with products made from biodegradable, nontoxic ingredients, such as soy, cornstarch and citric acid. Some traditional chemicals will still be used because they are mandated by law. Dr. Ellen Crain, vice chairperson of the North Bronx Healthcare Network (NBHN), which manages both hospitals, said, "We wanted to improve indoor air quality for children who come to the hospital suffering from asthma," according to Cleaning & Maintenance Management (CMM). “Some traditional hospital cleaning products can aggravate respiratory problems and cause headaches, eye, nose and skin irritation.” Initially, the hospitals were concerned that the green cleaning products might not be as effective as traditional products. However, according to Peter Lucey, director of environmental services for NBHN, the concern was soon put to rest, reports CMM. “The green cleaning products clean just as well as traditional cleaning products and are safer as well,” said Lucey.
Low maintenance wound care, pulmonary therapy,
bariatric products
Hill-Rom is now offering CareSelections(TM), a line of economical, simple-to-use and low maintenance products targeted to help healthcare providers, especially in Long Term and Long Term Acute Care facilities, achieve positive clinical and efficiency outcomes at an economical cost. This new offering currently includes low air loss wound care and pulmonary therapy surfaces to help in the prevention and treatment of pressure ulcers as well as to provide rotational therapy for patients with pulmonary complications. Also included is a variety of bariatric beds, therapy surfaces and accessories, such as wheelchairs, to help meet the needs of bariatric patients. These products require little maintenance and support, as well as minimal product training, to achieve positive clinical and efficiency outcomes. Basic installation procedures can be managed by the facility's own resources for easy implementation.
Tuesday, June 29, 2004
In this Issue:
Best Manufacturing Group LLC acquires Artex International, Inc.
Fitzgerald named new ASHES president
FDA clears medicinal leeches as medical devices
“Financing the Future” reports by HFMA/GE
Healthcare
National study rates Unibased
Systems Architecture, Inc.
best in surgery management systems
Healthcare Insights president presents at
Healthcare
Financial Management Association conference
Best Manufacturing Group LLC acquires Artex International, Inc.
Best Manufacturing Group LLC has acquired Artex International, Inc. Headquartered in Highland, IL; Artex is a manufacturer and supplier of textiles and garments for the U.S. textile rental and hospitality markets. Best Manufacturing, founded in 1914, services the textile rental, hospitality, healthcare and image apparel markets with a wide range of products, including, napery, uniforms and other textile products. The company is headquartered in New Jersey and has operations based in Massachusetts, Georgia, South Carolina, Illinois, Texas, Nevada, Canada and Mexico. The acquisition of Artex is part of Best’s strategy to focus on its core textile and garment businesses, expand product and service offerings and grow through acquisition. Terry Anderson, Artex’s existing Chairman and CEO, will lead a newly formed subsidiary of Best as President and CEO, reporting to Best Chairman and CEO, Scott Korman. This combination of Best’s institutional business unit and Artex, will conduct business as Best:Artex LLC.
Fitzgerald
named new ASHES president
Charles "Mike" Morley, CHESP, Director of Environmental Programs
Service for the Department of Veterans Affairs, resigned as ASHES President
effective June 22, 2004. An ASHES member since 1989, Morley has served on the
ASHES board since 2000. The ASHES Board, staff and members wish him success in
all his endeavors. ASHES President-elect Thomas "Tony" Fitzgerald, CHESP, Chief
of Environmental Management Service at the Veterans Affairs Palo Alto Health
System, will assume the responsibilities of President for the remainder of the
2004 term. Fitzgerald will also serve his elected term as 2005 President.
Fitzgerald became a member of ASHES in 1998 after completing military service
and beginning employment with the VA. Since he joined the society, he has served
on the Membership Committee and the Certification Task Force. His
responsibilities at Palo Alto include environmental sanitation, pest control,
laundry, linen, waste management, recycling and more for a 1000 bed health care
system. “I am committed to environmental excellence and member/customer
satisfaction," said Fitzgerald. "I will strive to enhance our members' knowledge
base, our service delivery to our hospitals and communities, our continued
personal and professional growth and recognition, as well as increasing ASHES
organizational exposure, growth in membership and certification and other
activities.”
FDA clears medicinal leeches as medical devices
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has for the first time cleared the commercial marketing of leeches for medicinal purposes. Leeches can help heal skin grafts by removing blood pooled under the graft and restore blood circulation in blocked veins by removing pooled blood. Today they are used in medicine throughout the world as tools in skin grafts and reattachment surgery. Ricarimpex SAS, a French firm, is the first company to request and receive FDA clearance to market leeches as medical devices. The firm has been breeding leeches for 150 years. They are handled in a certified facility that tracks each lot. FDA determined that leeches are medical devices because they meet the definition of a medical device under the Food Drug and Cosmetic Act.
“Financing the Future” reports by HFMA/GE Healthcare
The fifth and latest report in the “Financing the Future” project, titled “What are the implications for providers regarding future capital need and supply?”, suggests three competencies hospitals can use to stretch their limited capital dollars, reports AHA News Now. The report recommends hospitals develop an integrated strategic and capital plan, effectively manage the organization's balance sheet and hire expert advisors if appropriate, according to AHA. The yearlong project is led by the Healthcare Financial Management Association, in partnership with GE Healthcare Financial Services. The sixth in the series of reports, “What are the policy implications of future capital need and supply?” is to be released in September. For more on the project and report, "Core Competencies in Capital Planning," visit http://www.financingthefuture.org/reports.htm.
National study rates Unibased Systems Architecture, Inc.
best in surgery management systems
KLAS™, a research and consulting firm specializing in monitoring and reporting the performance of healthcare's information technology (HIT) vendors, announced the publication of a Surgery Management Systems Study. The 296 page report positioned Unibased Systems Architecture, Inc.'s product periOperative Resource Management System (ORMS) first among HIT surgery management products from an impressive list of firms including GE, McKesson and Cerner. Win/loss, technology assessments, integration and general product overviews are provided. A two-step process is used to collect performance data including a series of direct product/vendor evaluations completed by healthcare provider organizations covering 40 performance areas; and in-depth, confidential interviews with IT executives and department directors completing the questionnaire to gather valuable insight into specific strengths, weaknesses and future expectations for the product and vendors. Based upon a score of 1 to 100 in the 40 performance indicators, USA outperforms all vendors with a score of 89.9, followed by SIS at 81.5, Per-se at 79.7, and Picis at 76.9. USA received a perfect score in the categories of “Keeps All Promises”, “A Fair Contract”, and “Timely Enhancement Releases”. More Information: http://www.prweb.com/releases/2004/6/prweb136483.htm
Healthcare Insights president presents at Healthcare
Financial Management Association conference
For the sixth consecutive year, Steven Berger, President of Healthcare Insights LLC (HCI), provider of financial management software for the healthcare industry, was invited to speak at Healthcare Financial Management Association's (HFMA) Annual National Institute (ANI) 2004 Conference, held June 27 through July 1. As a leading industry expert, Steven Berger hosted three educational sessions regarding financial management in healthcare facilities. On June 27, Berger conducted a session entitled, “Using Data to Make Better Management Decisions”, designed to analyze financial problems within healthcare facilities and seek solutions through management principles and analysis techniques. He also hosted, “Managing the Modern Medical Center with Metrics” session on June 28, which demonstrated how hospitals can operate successfully, achieve positive financial results and improve clinical outcomes by using metrics to set appropriate goals. Berger's final session, “Determining and Monitoring Revenue Cycle Key Performance Metrics”, highlighted specific revenue cycle metrics that can be used by hospitals to indicate the efficiency, effectiveness and productivity of their revenue cycle staff and management.
Monday, June 28, 2004
In this Issue:
HPN names Terrebonne General Medical Center
2004 Materials Management Department of the Year
Investment group acquires Regent Medical
House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee
investigates hospital billing practices
Medicare lottery will extend early drug coverage
to 50,000
OraSure receives CLIA waiver for
OraQuick
Rapid HIV-1/2 Antibody Test
MedAssets Net Revenue Systems introduces
charge capture audit tool
HPN names Terrebonne General Medical Center
2004 Materials Management Department of the Year
Healthcare Purchasing News (HPN), the market’s first choice for hospital and healthcare facility business news and analysis, has selected Terrebonne General Medical Center, a 314-bed JCAHO-accredited suburban community hospital located in Houma, LA, for its inaugural Materials Management Department of the Year Award. Terrebonne’s materials management team, under the leadership of director Kary LeBlanc, was chosen from among many applicants across the country based on logistics and supply chain performance in the areas of teamwork, innovation/creativity, savings to hospital, originality, long-lasting results, contribution to quality care, productivity, efficiency and customer service. According to HPN senior editor Rick Dana Barlow, “Terrebonne General Medical Center best represents the letter and spirit of HPN’s first annual Materials Management Department of the Year. We felt Terrebonne’s overall strategic attitude and direction, as well as tactical decisions, best embodied the operation our readers should emulate.” Specific accomplishments of the department cited by HPN include improving automation capabilities, helping nurses streamline supply replenishment, assuming responsibility for cath lab inventory management, revamping an excess equipment disposal program and establishing a formal product analysis committee structure. The HPN staff, along with editorial board member and AHRMM (Association of Healthcare Resource and Materials Management) President John Mateka, evaluated scores of noteworthy entries from small, mid-sized and large private and public hospitals, integrated delivery networks (IDNs), multihospital systems, group purchasing organizations and several government facilities representing three branches of military service. Adds Barlow, “Terrebonne really showed how materials management should take charge of supply chain activities. They not only displayed true leadership qualities but also demonstrated their usefulness to the organization as a whole.” Terrebonne, and its 22-member materials management team, will be featured in HPN’s July issue.
SSL America has approved the sale of their Infection Control Department, Regent Medical, makers of Biogel® and Hibi Brand products, to a private investment group. Regent Medical Ltd, has been formed to purchase the assets of the Regent Biogel and Hibi business from SSL International plc. The principal ownership of the new company will be held by a private equity fund advised by Apax Partners. Stuart Heap will lead the new business venture and take responsibility for the global Biogel and Hibi brands. Regent Medical is the provider of Biogel powder-free, latex surgical gloves, Biogel Skinsense™ powder-free, non-latex surgical gloves and the Hibi range of antiseptic products. SSL will provide transitional services for a period of up to ten months and will manufacture Hibi products for Regent Medical for a minimum period of two years.
House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee
investigates hospital billing practices
The House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations discussed findings of its yearlong investigation of for-profit and not-for-profit hospitals’ billing and collections practices, saying that hospitals were charging uninsured patients “by far the highest rates of any segment of the population,” according to CongressDaily. Subcommittee Chair Jim Greenwood (R-PA) said, “An average working man or woman treated at a hospital can be stuck with a bill that is double what managed care or government programs pay. Then, to add insult to injury, they are sometimes aggressively pursued for these inflated debts.” According to Dr. Gerard Anderson, director of the Center for Hospital Finance and Management at Johns Hopkins University, hospitals typically charge uninsured patients two to four times as much as patients with health care coverage because of discounts negotiated with insurers, as reported by AP/Denver Rocky Mountain News, Several hospital executives testified that they have modified their billing policies since the investigation began, in part because HHS clarified that hospitals can extend discounted rates to uninsured patients without violating Medicare and Medicaid regulations. The House Ways and Means Subcommittee on Oversight held a hearing on Tuesday on whether not-for-profit hospitals are providing sufficient charity care to justify their tax-exempt status. Over the past two weeks, trial lawyers have filed suit against more than 20 hospitals and health systems alleging that the institutions violated their obligation as charities by overcharging uninsured patients, reports the Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report.
Medicare lottery will extend early drug coverage to 50,000
Health and Human Services Secretary Tommy Thompson said that some 50,000 people to be chosen in a lottery will get a head start on Medicare prescription drug coverage. More than 450,000 others will have to wait until 2006 for coverage. Medicare will accept applications for the lottery from July 6 to Sept. 30. It will randomly select 25,000 cancer patients and 25,000 people with other illnesses. Treatments for multiple sclerosis, rheumatoid arthritis and six other illnesses that can be administered at home will be covered. People who apply by Aug. 16 will be eligible for an early draw, with coverage beginning Sept. 1.
OraSure receives CLIA waiver for OraQuick
Rapid HIV-1/2 Antibody Test
OraSure Technologies, Inc. announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), through its Center for Devices and Radiological Health, has approved a waiver under the Clinical Laboratory Improvements Amendments of 1988 ("CLIA") for the Company's OraQuick(R) Rapid HIV-1/2 Antibody Test. Specifically, the test has been waived for use in detecting HIV-1 and HIV-2 antibodies in oral fluid, finger stick whole blood and venous whole blood samples. With this waiver, the OraQuick(R) HIV-1/2 test, which provides results in just 20 minutes, can be used by more than 180,000 sites in the United States, including outreach clinics, community-based organizations and physicians' offices. The OraQuick(R) HIV-1/2 test is expected to be available for sale in mid-August.
MedAssets Net Revenue Systems introduces
charge capture audit tool
MedAssets Net Revenue Systems announced the introduction of CCA.Net Pre-bill, a charge capture audit tool for healthcare organizations. The software application is designed to work with existing IT assets and can be implemented across multiple facilities within a healthcare system. CCA.Net analyzes 100% of the detailed patient bills and identifies missed charges and overcharges on a pre-bill basis. MedAssets Net Revenue Systems’ CCA.Net is one product in a suite of tools created to improve the financial health of healthcare organizations. Other products include BPI.Net, a chargemaster monitoring and maintenance tool that ensures the accuracy of the charge data list, and CRM.Net, a price modeling tool designed to help hospitals determine a defendable and compliant pricing strategy for services.
Friday, June 25, 2004
In this Issue:
Army pharmacy techs conspire to steal insulin
New study shows copper could control MRSA contamination
100 million flu shots to be available
Nasal SARS vaccine shows promise in monkey trials
HCCA audio conference on OIG
compliance program draft guidance
Misys Healthcare Systems launches
Misys Laboratory-Collection Manager
ASHES commends VA
Evironmental Management
Service for 50 years of service
Army pharmacy techs conspire to steal insulin
Eleven people were indicted in a $2 million scheme to steal insulin and insulin test strips from Army base pharmacies for sale on the black market, reported the Associated Press. The indictment charges that between 2002 and 2004, nine Army pharmacy technicians conspired to steal the insulin and test strips from pharmacies at Fort Riley, KS; Fort Polk, LA; Fort Knox, KY; Ft. Lee, VA; Fort Gordon, GA; and at Walter Reed Army Medical Center, Washington, D.C. The technicians were in charge of the post pharmacies. The wives of two of the technicians were also indicted. An estimated 40,000 vials of insulin were stolen. A 10-month investigation began after a traffic stop in Topeka, when police discovered stolen pharmacy goods in the possession of a Fort Riley pharmacy technician. None of the defendants is in custody; most are expected to voluntarily surrender. Initial appearances were set for July 12. The charges include conspiracy to transport stolen goods in interstate commerce and conspiracy to commit mail fraud.
New study shows copper could control MRSA contamination
A new study shows promise for reducing MRSA contamination by using copper alloys for surfaces in healthcare facilities. Doctors C. William Keevil and J.O. Noyce of the University of Southampton, U.K., reported the study at a meeting of the American Society for Microbiology. The study compared the survival rates of the bacteria on stainless steel, the most commonly used metal in healthcare facilities, and on selected copper alloys. At room temperature, MRSA was able to persist and remain viable in dried deposits on stainless steel (C304) for periods up to 72 hours. For copper alloys – C77000 (55% copper), C24000 (80% copper) and C19700 (99% copper) – significant reductions in viability were achieved after 4.5 hours, 3 hours and 1.5 hours, respectively. The yellow brass rendered the bacteria completely inviable after 270 minutes, while the high-copper alloy took only 90 minutes. Dr. Keevil said the study strongly indicates that use of the copper metals in such applications as door knobs, push plates, fittings, fixtures and work surfaces would considerably mitigate MRSA in hospitals and reduce the risk of cross-contamination between staff and patients in critical care areas. He also explained that, despite the significant performance of copper alloys in this study, the survivability of MRSA on all metals at lower temperatures (39°F/4°C) is much greater, indicating that heightened hygiene is particularly imperative in those environments. More Information: http://www.prweb.com/releases/2004/6/prweb136016.htm
100 million flu shots to be available
The government has announced that vaccine makers will have available 100 million doses for this winter. This is in addition to the estimated 4.5 million doses of flu shots the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention will keep in reserve for children. For the 2003-04 season, there were 86.9 million doses available, compared with 95 million in 2002. The CDC has also directed states to collect data on any children hospitalized with the flu and to report child flu deaths. Because such data has not been consistently collected, health officials do not know how many children typically die from the flu each year. In the last flu season, the CDC found 152 children who died from the flu; 70 percent of which had not received flu shots.
Nasal SARS vaccine shows promise in monkey trials
An experimental vaccine which was sprayed into the nose of monkeys has protected them against SARS and offers hope for immunization of humans, said scientists. Only one dose of the vaccine, developed by scientists at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), was needed to protect the monkeys. The researchers, who reported their results in The Lancet medical journal, immunized four African green monkeys with the vaccine and four others with a control vaccine. A month later they infected all the animals with the SARS virus. None of the monkeys given the SARS vaccine developed the disease, while all of the four who received the placebo did get SARS. The experimental nasal vaccine is the third potential SARS vaccine developed by NIAID but the first to be delivered directly into the respiratory track, which is the main infection site.
HCCA audio conference on OIG compliance program draft guidance
Compliance experts will review DHHS' Office of Inspector General's Draft
Supplemental Compliance Program Guidance for Hospitals, during the Health Care
Compliance Association's (HCCA) 2-part audioconference, on June 30 and July 7 at
12 Noon Central. The “OIG Draft Supplemental Compliance Program Guidance for
Hospitals” was published in the June 8 Federal Register. This new draft guidance
contains new compliance recommendations and an expanded discussion of risk
areas. HCCA's audioconference will provide important details on how this
guidance will impact healthcare compliance programs. Compliance professionals
will outline how the guidance differs from the OIG's 1998 Compliance Program
Guidance for Hospitals. Also reviewed are the OIG recommendations and ways to
effectively implement them into your compliance program. Part I, held June 30,
will focus on: self-reporting and changes to hospital payment systems. Part II,
held July 7, will focus on evolving and underappreciated fraud and abuse risk
areas; and hospital compliance program effectiveness. For details or to
register,
http://mailiwant.com/links.jsp?linkid=13593&subid=2067409&
campid=136433&type=0
Misys Healthcare Systems launches
Misys Laboratory-Collection Manager
Misys Healthcare Systems announces the availability of Misys Laboratory(tm)-Collection Manager. The clinical lab software application uses handheld technology devices to assist healthcare professionals in automating specimen collection and print labeling at the bedside. The result is increased accuracy of patient identification, specimen data entry and tube labeling at the point of care leading to improved outcomes, reduced errors and enhanced patient safety. ThedaCare(tm), a Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organization (JCAHO)-accredited integrated delivery network serving Northeastern Wisconsin, is among the first Misys customers to use Collection Manager within their daily laboratory workflow. One notable benefit is the password-protected security feature that 'time stamps' or documents the hospital employee collecting the specimen and when the collection occurs.
ASHES commends VA Evironmental Management
Service for 50 years of service
On behalf of the ASHES board of Directors, membership and staff, ASHES thanks and congratulates the Environmental Management Service of the Department of Veterans Affairs on 50 years of creating and maintaining clean and safe environments for the care of our nation's heroes-the Veterans.
Thursday, June 24, 2004
In this Issue:
Ten million women without a cervix still get Pap tests
Bush supports condom use to prevent spread of AIDS
“Time Out” deadline approaches
Nellcor receives Frost & Sullivan’s 2004
Technology Innovation
award in
U.S.
pulse oximetry sensor market
Planar receives FDA's first
approval for
flat-panel display use in mammography
Ten million women without a cervix still get Pap tests
A new study shows that as many as 10 million women who have had hysterectomies and who no longer have a cervix are still receiving Pap tests to screen for precancerous cells in tissue scraped from the cervix. The study’s lead author, Dr. Brenda E. Sirovich, a research associate at the Outcomes Group at the Veterans Affairs Medical Center in White River Junction, VT, said that testing women without a cervix can lead to false positives and wasted money, with tests ranging from $20 to $40. The study did not include women who have had a hysterectomy and still have a cervix. About 12 percent of the 85 million women who are currently being screened have unnecessary Pap tests, said Dr. Sirovich. The study, published in The Journal of the American Medical Association, analyzed national data on Pap testing and on hysterectomies over 10 years. When a woman does not have a cervix, a doctor scrapes cells from her vagina instead. Vaginal cancer is rare, and tests of vaginal cells are much more likely to result in false positives, possibly resulting in unnecessary vaginal biopsies, or even the removal of healthy vaginal tissue. The study pointed to the habits of doctors and the expectations of women as key to the high number of unnecessary tests.
Bush supports condom use to prevent spread of AIDS
For the first time, President Bush, in a report from The New York Times, encouraged the use of condoms to prevent the spread of AIDS. He noted that the United States should “learn from the experience” of countries like Uganda in fighting the disease. Announcing modest changes to government financing for antiretroviral drugs in front of a church-affiliated group in Philadelphia, Mr. Bush also promoted sexual abstinence. He advocated the “A.B.C.” approach to AIDS prevention being implemented in Uganda, “That stands for: Abstain, be faithful in marriage, and, when appropriate, use condoms.” Mr. Bush said, the approach was working and was a "practical, balanced and moral message". He added that “in addition to other kinds of prevention, we need to tell our children that abstinence is the only certain way to avoid contracting H.I.V.”
“Time Out” deadline approaches
By July 1, all accredited hospitals, ambulatory care and office-based surgery facilities in the U.S. will be required to comply with the universal protocol outlined by the federal Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO) to help prevent surgical mistakes. Before surgeries begin, the operating team must stop and verify the patient's identity, the procedure to be performed and site of the procedure. Failure to do so will mean a halt to Medicare reimbursements. The Association of periOperative Registered Nurses (AORN) called for a "National Time Out" on June 23rd. For more information, visit www.nationaltimeoutday.com or www.aorn.org.
Nellcor is the recipient of the 2004 Frost & Sullivan Award for Technology Innovation in the U.S. pulse oximetry sensor market for its contribution to patient care through inventive technology. Nellcor successfully developed and introduced an innovative pulse oximetry sensor that provides significantly faster response times in poor perfusion conditions. With the Nellcor® MAX-FAST™ Forehead Sensor, Nellcor expanded its pulse oximetry sensor product family and made significant product performance contributions to patient monitoring. Nellcor's “forehead reflectance” technology offers unique advantages over the current selection of finger, toe, and ear sensors. Specifically designed for patients exhibiting poor perfusion, the sensor offers physicians and other healthcare workers a means to determine oxygen saturation quickly, reliably, and noninvasively in critically ill patients.
Planar receives FDA's first approval for
flat-panel display use in mammography
Planar Systems, Inc. has received FDA 510(k) approval to market the flat-panel Dome C5i system for displaying and viewing mammograms. Until now, the only FDA approved equipment for all soft copy mammography reviews employed cathode-ray tube (CRT) displays, limiting choice and excluding radiologists from flat-panel technology's image quality, ergonomic and quality-assurance benefits. FDA approval follows clinical evaluations conducted at Elizabeth Wende Breast Clinic in Rochester, NY. The study was performed in conjunction with evaluations of Fischer Imaging's SenoScan Full-Field Digital Mammography System. Evaluations demonstrated that Planar's Dome C5i is equivalent to and, in many respects, better than 5MP CRT displays of full-field digital mammograms over a wide range of mammography cases. In addition to the diagnostic benefits of flat-panel displays over CRTs, flat panels offer additional quality assurance. CRT monitors degrade over time and require constant inspection and adjustments to maintain optimal performance. Planar's Dome Cx line of flat-panel monitors automatically calibrates with Dome CXtra(tm) software to stay in conformance with Digital Imaging and Communications in Medicine (DICOM) standards. The software warns users of any deviation from DICOM parameters and produces detailed log information for auditing purposes. Additionally, all of Dome CXtra's quality-assurance functionality can be viewed and managed remotely by IT and quality-assurance departments, reducing the total cost of ownership of the displays.
Wednesday, June 23, 2004
In this Issue:
Reputations of pharmaceutical and health insurance
companies continue downward trend
CDC seeks comments on HIV content guidelines
AdvaMed forms health information technology
and wound management sectors
South Carolina places $750,000 order for additional
TVI decontamination equipment
Cardinal Health introduces
automated medication safety
and supply management product for oncology
South Bend Medical Foundation signs agreement with
MedAssets
Reputations of pharmaceutical and health insurance
companies continue downward trend
According to an annual Harris Interactive® survey published by PRNewswire that measures how 15 different industries are rated in terms of “serving their customers”, the ratings of both the pharmaceutical and the health insurance industry have declined further this year; a trend that has continued since the survey began in 1997. In this year's survey, 44% of all adults think the pharmaceutical companies are doing a good job for their consumers (and 48% think they are doing a bad job). In 1997, 79% thought the industry was doing a good job. This fell to 73% in 1998, 66% in 1999 and 59% in 2000. It remained virtually unchanged in 2001 and 2002 before dropping again to 49% in 2003 and 44% in 2004. In 1997, a 55% majority believed that health insurance companies were doing a good job for their consumers. This year, only 36% rate health insurance companies with good marks. Some members of the public see a difference between managed care and health insurance companies; only 30% of the public give managed care companies good marks, unchanged from last year, but 21 points lower than in 1997. For the last two years, managed care has been tied for last place with tobacco companies. Hospitals continue to receive high marks; this year 70% of all adults rated them as doing a good job at serving their customers, although down slightly from 73% in the two previous years. Harris Interactive noted that while the increase in hospital costs in the last two years has produced virtually no backlash, they believe the principal reason for growth in hostility toward the pharmaceutical companies is the increase in the cost of drugs. They contribute this to the fact that many people have experienced increases in their out-of-pocket costs for drugs, but not for hospitals; and to the great amount of media coverage surrounding drug prices. Harris Interactive surveyed 979 adults nationwide by telephone between April 8 and 15, 2004. Downloadable PDFs are available at http://www.harrisinteractive.com/news/newsletters_healthcare.asp
CDC seeks comments on HIV content guidelines
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has published two notices in the Federal Register requesting public comments on proposed revisions of the Interim HIV Content Guidelines, revised in 1992. The first notice requests comment on the Guidelines, entitled “Content of AIDS-related written materials, pictorials, audiovisuals, questionnaires, survey instruments, marketing, advertising and website materials, and educational sessions in CDC regional, state, territorial, local, and community assistance programs.” The second notice requests comments on new Interim Guidelines, entitled “Content of AIDS-related written materials, pictorials, audiovisuals, questionnaires, survey instruments, marketing, advertising and website materials, and educational sessions in CDC school-based assistance programs.” The public comment period ends August 16, 2004. Visit, www.cdc.gov.
AdvaMed forms health information technology
and wound management sectors
AdvaMed’s Board of Directors voted to form two new product sectors in the areas of digital health information technology (DIGHITS) and advanced wound management to address patient access barriers and other policy issues. DIGHITS sector technologies and information systems are reducing medical errors, improving patient outcomes, and lowering healthcare costs by assisting clinicians with monitoring, decision support, and outcomes studies. AdvaMed’s wound management sector represents a broad array of medical technologies that can effectively treat chronic wounds, including: advanced specialty dressing, bioengineered skin substitutes, wound closure devices, hyperbaric oxygen equipment and pressure relief beds.
South Carolina places $750,000 order for additional
TVI decontamination equipment
TVI Corporation, a supplier of rapid deployment shelters and chemical/biological decontamination systems for the military, public health and first response agencies, announced that South Carolina has placed a $750,000 order for additional TVI decontamination systems and accessories. The purchase follows a $280,000 initial order received and filled in 2002 for TVI decontamination systems and accessories. The order was procured through a Federal grant administered by the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control (DHEC). The shelters' ultimate destination will be the local Hospital and County Emergency Medical Service. The systems will be delivered to four regional locations where end users will participate in intense hands-on training provided by TVI representatives. South Carolina first selected TVI's 3-line decon shelter as their shelter of choice in 2002. Those shelters were part of an order to outfit the then newly-established state sponsored COBRA Teams: 15 specialized response teams tasked with responding to incidents involving the use of WMD (weapons of mass destruction) and accidents/incidents involving chemical, biological and radiological materials.
Cardinal
Health introduces automated medication safety
and supply management product for oncology
Cardinal Health, Inc. has launched the Pyxis OncologyStation(tm), a specialized product that meets the unique medication safety and supply management needs of outpatient oncology clinics. Pyxis OncologyStation was developed by Cardinal Health to automate non-clinical, time-consuming tasks and ensure a reliable inventory of medications and supplies for the specialty care market. The system helps address the growing pressure on oncology clinics to lower costs while increasing safety and services levels. Pyxis OncologyStation captures patient charges by sending medication use information for each patient directly into the practice's billing system. With the just-in-time inventory management process supported by Pyxis OncologyStation, the waste of expired medication and excess inventory can be virtually eliminated. Three-year data storage capabilities also offer clinics the ability to perform trend reporting to better manage a practice.
South Bend Medical Foundation signs agreement with MedAssets
South Bend Medical Foundation (SBMF) has signed a five year agreement with MedAssets for its group purchasing/supply chain management services and will transition its purchasing functions to MedAssets within the next 90 - 120 days. South Bend Medical Foundation is a freestanding laboratory organization responsible for management and human resources in the laboratories of four major medical centers in North Central Indiana.
Tuesday, June 22, 2004
In this Issue:
Supreme court limits suits against HMOs
New Jersey passes CS mandatory state certification law
First on-line graduate certificate course on sharps injury prevention
Florida puts a halt on Canadian drug orders
Woman in
U.S.
dies of suspected mad cow disease
Consorta, Inc. announces
radiation oncology products agreements
Supreme court limits suits against HMOs
The Supreme Court overturned, by a vote of 9 to 0, a Texas patients' rights law, in a ruling that bars all states from allowing patients to sue managed-care companies whose refusal to pay for treatment allegedly results in death or injury. The court ruled that a 1974 federal statute prohibits such state laws, meaning that the citizens of Texas and nine other states (Arizona, California, Georgia, Maine, New Jersey, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Washington and West Virginia) will lose the right to sue health plans in state courts. According to the court, such rights can only be granted by Congress.
New Jersey passes CS mandatory state certification law
Late last week, New Jersey became the first state to pass a law mandating state certification for central service (CS) personnel. Don Gordon, President elect of IAHCSMM, commented, “Congratulations Tony Monaco and our fellow new jersey central service professionals on the new law for central service mandatory state certification! IAHCSMM thanks you for leading the way for our profession. June 17, 2004 will go down in history as a historic day for the CS Profession.” Added Richard Schule, BS, CST, CRCST, CHMMC, FCS, manager of the surgical processing department for The Cleveland Clinic (OH), “Finally hard work and perseverance is rewarded to a most deserving pioneer! Congratulations to Tony and the State of New Jersey for realizing the importance of our profession. Tony's dedication to patient safety and continuum of care is paramount. New Jersey is setting the stage for quality production and service. In the future, the list is sure to grow. Momentum is building. Now, more than ever, IAHCSMM needs to continue their vision and mission of strengthening educational opportunities for the women and men of our profession throughout the country.” For more info, www.iahcsmm.com
First on-line graduate certificate course on sharps injury prevention
Touro University International (TUI) has a series of four on-line, distance learning courses, leading to a Graduate Certificate in Sharps Injury Prevention that will be offered beginning September 2004. The goal of the program is to provide healthcare and other professionals with advanced knowledge, skills and abilities to assist international efforts to eliminate the risk of needlestick and other sharps injuries and subsequent risk to bloodborne infections (e.g. HIV, HBV, HCV). This certificate program in sharps injury prevention is funded, in part, through an unrestricted educational grant from the Safety Institute, Premier, Inc. For additional information, visit the Safety Institute Web site at http://www.premierinc.com/safety. Click on "Sharps safety resources" or the syringe icon.
Florida puts a halt on Canadian drug orders
Florida has issued cease-and-desist orders to a dozen businesses, demanding that they stop taking orders for Canadian prescription drugs. Officials say more shops will soon be targeted. The businesses take orders to be filled by mail in Canada. Violators can face five years in prison. Last year, the Justice Department sued to close two affiliated companies operating storefronts in 20 states.
Woman in U.S. dies of suspected mad cow disease
Charlene Singh, 25, the only U.S. resident thought to have the human form of mad cow disease, or variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (vCJD), died Sunday. In April 2002, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Florida Department of Health announced ‘the occurrence of a likely case of variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease in a Florida resident [then] aged 22 years.” Singh was born in England, where health officials concluded that she contracted the disease. She moved to the United States in 1992. A definitive diagnosis is not possible until an autopsy is performed.
Consorta, Inc. announces radiation oncology products agreements
Consorta, Inc. has announced new purchasing agreements for radiation oncology products with Elekta, Inc., Norcross GA, and Siemens Medical Solutions, Concord, CA.
Monday, June 21, 2004
In this Issue:
SARS virus found in patients’ tears
Nurse’s death prompts TB testing
CDC reports human cases of West Nile in five states
Stanford researcher says students choosing
personal life over surgical career
Frost & Sullivan releases analysis in RFID sector
SARS virus found in patients’ tears
Researchers have discovered the SARS virus in the tears of patients, which could give additional insight into the spread and detection of SARS, according to a study in the British Journal of Ophthalmology. Researchers collected tear samples from 36 suspected SARS patients in Singapore over a 12 day period in April 2003. Among them, eight turned out to have probable SARS; after further analysis, three were confirmed to have the disease. Testing also confirmed the presence of the coronavirus SARS virus in the tears of these three patients.
Nurse’s death prompts TB testing
After a nurse at Chesapeake General Hospital in Virginia died last week of tuberculosis, testing is set to begin for hundreds of people who may have come into contact with her. The nurse had been coughing since October, but continued to work at Chesapeake until April, officials said. Letters urging testing were sent Friday to about 450 to 500 patients and 250 to 300 staff and volunteers who worked in the medical surgical unit where the nurse worked.
CDC reports human cases of West Nile in five states
Seven human cases of West Nile virus were reported from June 9-15, bringing the total number of U.S. human cases this year to 14 in five states, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported last week. No deaths have been reported. The CDC reported that so far, human cases have been limited to the Western portion of the country, with 10 cases reported from Arizona and one each from California, New Mexico, South Dakota and Wyoming. Two cases were reported in Sarasota, FL last week, however it was noted that both may have contracted the disease while traveling. The disease has been reported in birds and other animals in 19 additional states, including much of the Eastern U.S. Last year, there were nearly 10,000 human cases of West Nile in the U.S. and 264 deaths from the illness. For the latest West Nile activity in the U.S., visit http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dvbid/westnile/surv&control04Maps.htm.
Stanford researcher says students choosing
personal life over surgical career
According to a study led by Susan Brundage, MD, associate professor of surgery at the Stanford University School of Medicine, doctors in training are forgoing careers as surgeons due to the perception that the profession cuts into family and personal time. The study reports on a series of focus groups that zeroed in on factors influencing the career choices of 29 University of Texas-Houston medical students. Medical student interest in surgery as a career peaked in 1981, with 12.1 percent of senior med students choosing the specialty. Since then, interest has dropped, reaching a low of 5.3 percent in 2002. For more information, visit the Web site of the medical center's Office of Communication & Public Affairs at http://mednews.stanford.edu.
Frost & Sullivan releases
analysis in RFID sector
New analysis from Frost & Sullivan's Auto ID division regarding the World RFID
Based Applications Market and the Global RFID Standards Markets reveals that the
industry generated revenue totaling $1.7 billion in 2003. Revenues are expected
to grow to $11.7 billion by 2010. According to Frost & Sullivan, the tremendous
growth potential of the global radio frequency identification (RFID)-based
applications market is being restrained by the lack of established industry
standards. Manufacturing prices could rise if organizations have to bring out
products with multiple-standards compatibility. “A more structured standards
framework is necessary to enable better innovations in technology and product
development,” says Frost & Sullivan Research Analyst Karthik Nagarajan. “With
the exception of electronic product codes (EPC), the industry is still
fragmented in its choice of standards for emerging applications.” To view the
entire press release for the World RFID Based Applications Market, click here:
https://www.frost.com/prod/servlet/press-release.pag?docid=19827196
Friday, June 18, 2004
In this Issue:
Medicare proposes to cover PET scans for Alzheimer’s diagnosis
Kaiser Permanente to dedicate $4 million
to nursing education in 2004
Broadlane launches service to reduce
cardiovascular program costs
Case Medical announces
consulting services
MedAssets signs agreement with The
University
of North Carolina Health Care System
Consorta awards stretcher contract
to Stryker Medical
Medicare proposes to cover PET scans for Alzheimer’s diagnosis
Federal health officials said they have made a preliminary decision to have Medicare pay for brain scans to help diagnose Alzheimer's disease in some patients who show symptoms of the disease. Health officials had previously rejected the idea of paying for the tests to help diagnose Alzheimer's because of a lack of definitive evidence of its usefulness for that disease. The decision, announced by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, was the result of “an exhaustive review of the evidence”. Under the coverage plan, Medicare would pay for its use to aid in the diagnosis of suspected Alzheimer's disease when diagnosis “remains uncertain despite a thorough clinical evaluation.”
Kaiser Permanente to dedicate $4 million
to nursing education in 2004
Kaiser Permanente has awarded 85 nursing students from more than 40 Southern California college campuses a total of $150,500 in scholarship funds to help meet expenses and complete their education. The announcement was made at the Kaiser Permanente Southern California headquarters in Pasadena. Kaiser Permanente's commitment to building California's future nursing workforce is expected to exceed $4 million by year's end. This sponsorship includes Kaiser Permanente's Nursing Pathways and Direct Community Benefit Investment (DCBI) in career ladder programs, grants to colleges, forgivable loans, and the Deloras Jones RN Scholarship Program, which was established in 1989. This year, Kaiser Permanente received 459 applications and granted $310,000 in nursing scholarships to 168 recipients throughout California. For information on Kaiser Permanente's scholarships and forgivable loans, http://financialaid.kp.org
Health Management Corporation (HMC), a national health and disease management (DM) company, announced that industry thought leader Michael Cousins, Ph.D. will present “Maximizing the Impact of Predictive Modeling”, a June 23 workshop at the World Research Group's Predictive Modeling Implementation conference in Chicago. Dr. Cousins' presentation will explore the technology's capability to help health plans and employers control escalating expenses by identifying those who will be most positively impacted by targeted DM program interventions. HMC has employed predictive modeling for several years as a key component of its NCQA-accredited Healthy Returns(SM) DM program, which helps clients control health care expenses by assisting members identified with costly chronic conditions.
Broadlane launches service to reduce cardiovascular program costs
Broadlane has announced the launch of a comprehensive cardiovascular cost management program designed to help hospitals reduce the costs associated with cardiac care. Broadlane's program can reduce the costs of a hospital's cardiovascular services by 10 percent to 20 percent through detailed tracking and analysis of spending and utilization patterns, better procurement and management of supplies, collaboration with clinicians to standardize products and eliminate excess utilization, and improved efficiencies in procedures and processes. Broadlane's program is offered to all hospitals and systems regardless of their group purchasing affiliation or cardiovascular supplier.
Case Medical announces consulting services
Case Medical Inc. (Ridgefield, NJ) has announced the establishment of Case Consulting Services. This new addition to Case product line and professional services will focus on surgical support services and CPD operations. The Case Consulting team consisting of clinical, technical, educational and management experts will provide contracted consultation services in the areas of: human resource management; staff development /education and training; instrumentation management; customization; case cart systems; project management; policies and procedure assessments; systems technology; facilities and equipment assessments; process improvement initiatives; and regulatory affairs.
MedAssets
signs agreement with The University
of North Carolina Health Care System
MedAssets and Shared Services Healthcare (SSH), a MedAssets Affiliate, announced that they have signed an agreement with The University of North Carolina Health Care System (UNC HCS) to provide supply chain management and purchasing solutions. The five-year agreement is effective June 1, 2004. Shared Services Healthcare will be providing dedicated personnel to serve UNC HCS on a daily basis.
Consorta awards stretcher contract to Stryker Medical
Consorta, Inc. has awarded a three-year, sole source contract for stretchers to Stryker Medical (Kalamazoo, MI). The agreement covers Stryker’s emergency room, operating room, recovery, pediatric and transport stretchers.
Thursday, June 17, 2004
In this Issue:
HIGPA asks CMS for clarification with Medicare’s
‘Average Sales Price’ interim final rule
Claims filed against nonprofit hospitals for overcharging uninsured
Sempermed offers a latex-free, powder-free solution
HIGPA
asks CMS for clarification with Medicare’s
‘Average Sales Price’ interim final rule
The Health Industry Group Purchasing Association (HIGPA) submitted comments to the Department of Health and Human Services’ Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) on June 7th regarding Question and Answer 16 accompanying the interim final rule titled, Medicare Program; Manufacturer Submission of Manufacturer’s Average Sales Price (ASP) Data for Medicare Part B Drugs and Biologicals, File Code CMS-1380-IFC. HIGPA pointed out that Q and A 16 should not include group purchasing organization (GPO) administrative fees in pharmaceutical manufacturers’ calculation of the “average sales price.” HIGPA asserted that administrative fees do not affect the price to the purchaser. The GPO industry’s message is that “manufacturer administrative fees to GPOs for outpatient drugs are for the functions or services that GPOs perform. They are not price reductions that adjust the prices actually realized by the manufacturers,” HIGPA’s June 7th letter to CMS stated. In passing the Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement and Modernization Act of 2003 (MMA), “Congress expressly listed the deductions [volume discounts, prompt pay discounts, cash discounts, free goods that are contingent on any purchase requirement, and chargebacks and rebates] that should be taken by manufacturers in calculating ASP. Congress also provided that the list of price concessions that should be included in the ASP calculation could be expanded after 2004 based upon the recommendation of the Office of Inspector General of HHS (“OIG”) that such concessions would be a reduction of the cost to the purchaser. Based upon the express direction of Congress, CMS cannot expand the items or transactions included as price concessions in 2004. Thereafter, CMS cannot expand the list without a recommendation from the OIG that the price concession results in a reduction of the cost to the purchasers. Accordingly, Question and Answer 16 should be interpreted to be redundant and therefore consistent with the Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement and Modernization Act ("MMA") statute,” HIGPA’s President and CEO Robert Betz, Ph.D., stated in the comment letter. HIGPA recommended that CMS issue an additional Question and Answer to the Questions and Answers that were issued by CMS in conjunction with the Regulation as follows:
Q. Are administrative fees paid to group purchasing organizations (GPOs) included in the ASP calculation?
A. No. Group purchasing organizations (GPOs) are not buyers, and administrative fees paid to these entities are not price reductions and are not included in the ASP calculation.
A copy of CMS’ interim final rule can be found at http://frwebgate1.access.gpo.gov/cgi-bin/waisgate.cgi?WAISdocID=41631951794+47+0+0&WAISaction=retrieve. A copy of the question and answers are at http://www.cms.hhs.gov/providers/drugs/aspqa_web_042204.pdf. Questions regarding HIGPA’s comments can be directed to the Association’s Director of Communications, Carolyn Hickey at (703) 243-9262 or chickey@higpa.org.
Claims filed against nonprofit hospitals for overcharging uninsured
A group of plaintiffs' lawyers filed civil lawsuits against more than a dozen nonprofit hospitals across the country Wednesday, contending that the hospitals violated their obligation as charities by overcharging people without insurance and then hounding them for the money, reports The New York Times. The complaints name some of the largest hospitals in the Chicago, Atlanta and Minneapolis metropolitan areas. One of the lawyers in the case said that more lawsuits are expected to be filed, reported The Times. The lawyers are calling for the creation of a trust that would be financed by the hospitals and would provide affordable medical care for those without insurance. The lawyers argue that because the hospitals have tax-exempt status and other benefits as nonprofit organizations, they have an obligation to provide affordable care to the uninsured.
Representatives from leading national medical organizations, physicians and hospitals in the U.S. formed a workgroup to develop consensus guidelines for preventive use of antibiotics to help reduce surgical infections. The workgroup examined the best practices for antibiotic administration for five common surgical procedures: cardiothoracic surgery, vascular surgery, colon surgery, hip or knee replacement, and vaginal or abdominal hysterectomy. The most important recommendation by the panel was that antibiotics should be given one hour before surgery (on average, only 55 percent of surgical patients receive antibiotics within an hour of surgery) and should not be used for more than 24 hours after the end of the operation. Nationally, antibiotics are currently continued for an average of 40 hours following a surgical procedure. The panel validated that timely administration of antibiotics results in effective infection prevention and that a shorter duration of antibiotics is less likely to produce antibiotic-resistant bacteria. The paper, “Antimicrobial Prophylaxis for Surgery: An Advisory Statement from the National Surgical Infection Prevention Project,” was the result of a yearlong effort by leading national medical organizations to identify best practices for preventing surgical site infections. The statement has been accepted by more than 20 medical societies and national health care organizations, including the American College of Surgeons, the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, and the Society of Thoracic Surgeons. For more information visit, http://www.journals.uchicago.edu/CID/home.html
Sempermed offers a latex-free, powder-free solution
Sempermed® is now offering Sempermed® Syntegra CR Powder-Free Surgical Gloves. For the latex sensitive, Syntegra CR offers a similar fit and feel to latex. These gloves are manufactured with polychloroprene, also known as neoprene. Syntegra CR provides excellent tactile sensitivity, while the textured surface and beaded cuff enhance gripping and protection.
Wednesday, June 16, 2004
In this Issue:
North Shore University Hospital
warns 177 patients
of possible exposure to HIV/Hepatitis
Health organizations set guidelines for deadly disease prevention
Implantable device deemed safe for depression by FDA advisors
PeopleSoft Healthcare customers meet to discuss top IT priorities
Tenet repurchases $450 million of existing debt
North
Shore University Hospital in Manhasset informed 177 patients last week that they
may have been exposed to H.I.V. or the hepatitis virus because instruments used
for routine endoscopies might not have been properly disinfected. Eighty-six of
the patients have returned to the hospital, on Long Island, for precautionary
blood tests, and none have tested positive for hepatitis or H.I.V., said a
hospital spokesman. The New York State Department of Health is investigating.
Hospital officials discovered that two employees had failed to test a
disinfectant bath used to clean the endoscopes. One was suspended without pay
and the other was fired. A hospital spokesman said that the technicians scrubbed
all the instruments by hand, machine-washed them with disinfectant and water and
then air-dried them. However, the employees failed to test the water supply to
the washing machine. Officials discovered a 12-day stretch beginning April 28
where there was no record that the employees had checked the disinfectant
levels. The hospital sent out letters last Wednesday to the 177 people who
underwent endoscopies during that 12-day period.
Health organizations set guidelines for deadly disease prevention
Three of the nation's leading health organizations have joined forces to release the first unified set of recommendations on how to prevent the nation's deadliest diseases: cancer, diabetes, heart disease and stroke. Experts claim that if the guidelines are followed carefully, people can lower their risk of getting these diseases by two-thirds. The recommendations, announced by the American Heart Association, the American Cancer Society and the American Diabetes Association, are designed to encourage a healthier lifestyle; changes that lower the risk for one disease, could cut the risk for them all. The guidelines include general prevention and screening recommendations: a healthy diet for achieving and maintaining a healthy body weight; being physically active; being a nonsmoker and staying away from tobacco smoke; and discussing with your doctor about any personal health risks you may have. The specific recommendations for both men and women are: blood pressure measurements every two years starting at age 20; body mass index (BMI) measurements at every regular health-care visit starting at age 20; cholesterol measurements at least every five years starting at age 20; blood glucose levels measurements every three years starting at age 45; and a colorectal screening every one to 10 years, depending on which test your doctor uses, starting at age 50. In addition, women should have: a clinical breast exam starting at age 20 every three years and, after age 40, every year; a mammography every year starting at 40; and a Pap test every year starting at age 20 and every one to three years after age 30, depending on the particular test used and past results. Men should have: a prostate specific antigen (PSA) test and a digital rectal exam starting at age 50. The organizations are launching a new public awareness campaign, “Everyday Choices for a Healthier Life,” which includes a toll-free number and Web site for consumers. The three-year public education campaign will begin with a series of public service announcements.
Implantable device deemed safe for depression by FDA advisors
A Cyberonics device for epilepsy is safe enough to treat chronically depressed patients, despite concerns over how much relief it could provide, said a U.S. Food and Drug Administration panel of outside experts. While data showed some impact for those most severely depressed, the panelists said unclear results made it difficult to determine if the pacemaker-like implant or other factors were at work. But the device, called VNS Therapy, was called safe despite “annoying side effects,” such as a hoarse voice and coughing. The device, which is surgically implanted to deliver electrical pulses to the brain, is already cleared for epilepsy. Some panel members suggested the company conduct double-blind, randomized placebo studies to gain clearer data. Other panelists agreed the acute need to help those patients outweighed the data problems. The FDA outside experts recommended several conditions along with the approval, including proper education for surgeons, psychiatrists and other doctors as well as a patient registry to collect more data.
PeopleSoft Healthcare customers meet to discuss top IT priorities
Executives and managers of leading healthcare organizations met at the
PeopleSoft Healthcare Industry User Group (HIUG) conference in Florida and the
PeopleSoft Industry Executive Forum in
Las Vegas
to discuss how business software impacts their ability to address today’s
strategic priorities in the healthcare industry. Priorities included: Nursing
shortage – Hospitals are looking toward solutions to manage training programs to
focus on retaining and developing the nurses they have; Financial constraints –
Trend toward more use of self-service applications for staff and suppliers,
looking to reduce costs of administrative tasks associated with HR and
Accounting. Executives say their organizations need to focus on training their
staff, including doctors, on using these systems; Simplify reporting –
Healthcare is facing more reporting requirements, and hospitals need solutions
that ease the burden of this process; Integration with clinical systems –
Hospitals are looking to connect ERP and clinical systems and want more
pre-integration from solution providers; Remove the fog – Executives are looking
toward solutions that provide better visibility over their entire organization’s
operations, to enable better decisions and react to budget or supply problems
faster.
Tenet repurchases $450 million of existing debt
Tenet Healthcare Corporation announced it has repurchased $450 million in
outstanding debt with maturities in 2006 and 2007. Upon settlement of these
transactions, Tenet will have approximately $1.1 billion in available cash on
its balance sheet.
Tuesday, June 15, 2004
In this Issue:
The New York Times: Hospitals eager to build may find scarce funds
JCAHO seeks proposals from hospitals on
staffing agency certification program
HIMSS and Modern Healthcare honor 2004
CEO IT Achievement award recipients
The New York Times: Hospitals eager to build may find scarce funds
An article in The New York
Times, warns that hospitals eager to make long-awaited capital improvements
such as building surgery centers, renovating operating rooms, buying updated
medical equipment and computer systems may face funding shortages. Recent survey
findings show that hospital executives plan to increase their capital spending
by an average of 14 percent a year for the next five years. Said The Times,
the expected rise in interest rates will make borrowing more expensive,
particularly for hospitals run as nonprofit organizations who frequently raise
money by issuing tax-exempt bonds. Hospitals planning to eke out cash from
operations may find future revenues squeezed due to private insurers balking at
higher care prices, and the federal government looking for ways to cut the
budget. Consultants say hospitals will likely prioritize spending in high ROI
areas such as operating rooms, surgical suites, and medical and diagnostic
equipment. The Times cited other consultants who said that deferred items
are likely to include computer systems and other badly needed information
technology. Also likely to be delayed are the replacement or renovation of old
facilities. Still, according to The Times, many hospitals who cannot put
off spending any longer, are moving forward with capital investments.
Construction alone reached $15 billion last year, roughly 50 percent more than
annual construction spending through much of the 1990's.
A national survey conducted by Harris Interactive® and released by Common Good, has found that 62 percent of American adults favor having medical malpractice lawsuits tried in special health courts. When asked the following question – “Specifically, would you favor or oppose having medical malpractice cases tried in special courts presided over by medical professionals and other experts to review and decide injury cases?” – the response was as follows: 62% in favor; 20% opposed; and 18%, answered “Don’t Know”. Limiting medical liability was supported by a more than 3-to-1 margin. “Would you favor or oppose new legislation to limit the costs of medical liability and reduce the costs of medical malpractice insurance?” (Favor, 54%; Oppose 17%, Don’t Know, 29%). In response to another question – “How often do you think that medical malpractice claims are brought against doctors and hospitals when there has been no malpractice?” – 63 percent of those surveyed said that such claims occur “somewhat often” or “very often.” Additionally, 55 percent of Americans think that malpractice suits against doctors and their fear of being sued harm patient care, while 31 percent believe that it improves care. The Harris Interactive survey was conducted online within the U.S. between May 13 and 17, 2004 among a nationwide cross section of 2,386 adults (aged 18 and over).
JCAHO seeks proposals from hospitals on
staffing agency certification program
The Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO) is asking hospitals and others to propose performance measures for a certification program for healthcare staffing services it plans to launch later this year, in addition to the proposed standards it released for field review last month. The program seeks to provide an independent evaluation of staffing agencies' ability to provide competent staffing services. The deadline for submitting additional proposed standards is July 9. For more information, visit http://www.jcaho.org/dscc/hcss/pm.htm.
Strategic Initiatives in Healthcare (SIH) announces new
service for hospitals & expense management professionals
Strategic Initiatives in Healthcare (SIH) is introducing a new service to help address the need to strengthen the supply chain and materials management functions in healthcare. According to a 2002 research study by one of the nation’s largest volume purchasing companies for hospitals, some healthcare systems could realize 8-14 percent in supply cost savings. To assist providers with better supply expense management, SIH has developed a service which will recruit supply chain and materials management professionals for providers with the specific characteristics, skills set, and knowledge to match current and future needs of the organization.
HIMSS and Modern Healthcare honor 2004
CEO IT Achievement award recipients
The Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS) and Modern Healthcare magazine honored the three recipients of the prestigious 2004 CEO IT Achievement Award at an awards banquet on June 14, 2004 during the HIMSS Summer Conference 2004. The winners of the award are: G. Richard Hastings, president and CEO of Saint Luke's Health System in Kansas City, MO.; Judith Pelham, president and CEO of Trinity Health in Novi, MI; and Leonard Schaeffer, chairman and CEO of Wellpoint Health Networks in Thousand Oaks, CA. Hastings, Pelham and Schaeffer were chosen as the CEOs who most effectively demonstrated leadership in and commitment to using information technology to advance their healthcare organization's strategic goals. For more information about the HIMSS Summer Conference, visit www.himss.org/summerconference.
Monday, June 14, 2004
In this Issue:
China announces sale of SARS blood test
Petaluma Valley Hospital ED nurse
manager wins in
Carstens 2004 National Nurses Week giveaway
Spectrum Surgical Instruments announces plastic instruments
Nellcor and Puritan Bennett launch educational website
Consorta selects Cintas as preferred uniform
provider
Texas Health Resources signs multimillion-dollar
contract to expand Misys Radiology enterprise-wide
China announces sale of SARS blood test
China says it has approved the sale of a blood test for severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS). The test can detect antigens for the virus that causes SARS one to 10 days after exposure. The news is announced by the official Xinhua News Agency, citing an official of the State Food and Drug Administration (SFDA). The test “is very sensitive and safe, as well as less expensive and easy to use,” Xinhua said. It didn't say who developed the test or whether it might be sold outside China. China has been aggressively researching tests and a possible vaccine for SARS. The world's first human test of a vaccine began last month in Beijing with four volunteers.
Wendi Thomas, RN, Nurse Manager of the Emergency Department at Petaluma Valley Hospital, Petaluma, CA, will enjoy some well-deserved pampering as the randomly chosen grand prize winner of Carstens, Inc.’s weekend getaway to Colorado’s Vail Cascade Resort & Spa. Carstens, Inc., a provider of medical charting systems, conducted the online giveaway during 2004 National Nurses Week to recognize and honor the country’s nurses for their commitment and dedication. In addition to the grand prize, 50 other nurses were randomly chosen to receive gift baskets filled with bubble bath and bath salts, shower gel, candles, and other at-home pampering products. Thomas, who lives in Petaluma with her husband, a local police officer, and her two daughters, ages 5 and 8, has been an Emergency Department nurse for more than 10 years. Since 2000, she has been Nurse Manager at the 82-bed Petaluma Valley Hospital, which is part of the St. Joseph Health System-Sonoma County and located approximately 40 miles north of San Francisco. “This past year I took on an additional department at the hospital for a 14-month interim position. I have never worked so hard, so this was truly an appreciated reward,” said Thomas.
Spectrum Surgical Instruments announces plastic instruments
To help reduce costs in the healthcare sector, Spectrum Surgical Instruments, Corp. introduces reusable instruments made from high-grade sterilizable plastic. These instruments are autoclavable and are extremely resistant to chemicals, and ultrasonic waves. The patterns available include: sponge forceps, towel forceps, stitch scissors, tweezers, tube clamps, and kocher forceps. Radiopaque instruments are available for certain patterns. Plastic instruments are warranted to be defect free for 50 sterilization cycles.
Nellcor and Puritan Bennett launch educational website
Nellcor and Puritan Bennett have launched the Center for Clinical Excellence (www.ccexcellence.org), an accredited, educational website where nurses and respiratory therapists can earn free continuing education credits from the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) and the American Association of Respiratory Care (AARC). These courses offer a convenient way for busy individuals to pace themselves, offering a wealth of materials to be applied in a clinical setting. Planned courses include Monitoring Tissue Hypoperfusion Through Sublingual Capnography (PslCO2), Identifying Patients at Risk for Obstructive Sleep Apnea, and Ventilator-associated Pneumonia. For more information, please visit www.ccexcellence.org <http://www.ccexcellence.org> or contact Kara Nadeau at 978.468.8944.
Consorta selects Cintas as preferred uniform provider
Consorta, Inc. has announced an agreement with Cintas Corporation, Cincinnati, OH, a provider of corporate identity uniform apparel. The agreement covers an assortment of healthcare apparel, from soft suiting to workwear. Through the agreement, Consorta’s membership will receive competitive pricing on Cintas apparel.
Texas Health Resources signs multimillion-dollar
contract to expand Misys Radiology enterprise-wide
Misys Healthcare Systems announces that Texas Health Resources (THR) has signed a multimillion-dollar agreement to extend the Misys Radiology information system (RIS) across inpatient and ambulatory settings to streamline access to medical imaging reports and diagnostic data enterprise-wide. Currently installed in three acute care facilities, Misys Radiology will be deployed to nine additional hospitals and configured to serve 12 hospitals on a single database built on Intersystems' Caché.
Friday, June 11, 2004
In this Issue:
Workers exposed to live anthrax
HIMSS survey: cost pressures and patient safety rank high
60% of RNs say ICUs don't have
protocol
for oral care to reduce VAP risk
Spinal repair robot receives FDA
approval
Olympus and Arthrex to combine new technologies for
arthroscopy
Workers exposed to live anthrax
At least six researchers working on an anthrax vaccine at Children's Hospital Oakland Research Institute were exposed to the dangerous live agent, possibly due to a shipping mix-up, said officials. The workers, including a lead researcher, two lab technicians and an animal handler, handled the live anthrax bacterium. Several other researchers were also present. None has shown signs of illness, and seven are now on the antibiotic Cipro as a precautionary measure. State officials said the incident poses no risk to any other staff, the surrounding community or Children's Hospital, which is about one mile from the research facility. The state Department of Health Services is investigating. The institute's researchers believed they were working with a dead sample of the anthrax bacterium, but were inadvertently shipped live anthrax by their supplier, Southern Research Institute of Frederick, MD, hospital officials said. Children's Hospital Oakland Research Institute is not authorized to handle live anthrax. The agent was shipped via FedEx about three months ago, and researchers began injecting what they thought was dead anthrax into mice May 28. Over that weekend, 10 mice died in separate cages.
HIMSS survey: cost pressures and patient safety rank high
Patient safety concerns remain, and will continue to be, a top priority and business issue for CEOs and other senior executives of information technology (IT) vendor organizations who responded to the 15th Annual HIMSS Leadership Survey, sponsored by Superior Consultant Company, Inc. This finding is consistent with the federal government's increased focus on making electronic medical records (EMRs) nationally available during the next 10 years. Other findings reported in the survey include: emphasis will decrease on IT implementation for HIPAA Compliance as deadlines pass; clinical applications for information technology selected as the most important applications in the next two years; easy and efficient access to information and data security rank as the most important technologies now in use; adoption of speech recognition technology is expected to increase; use of biometric technology for data security is predicted to increase; IT outsourcing continues with no expected revenue reduction for vendors; demonstrable ROI is the primary barrier to the vendor/client relationship; vendors identified three key staffing needs for healthcare organizations: systems integration, process/workflow design and clinical champions. Complete survey results are available at www.himss.org/leadershipsurvey.
CDC Director Julie L. Gerberding, MD, MPH presented the Keynote Address Monday, June 7 at the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology (APIC) annual meeting in Phoenix, AZ. She spoke about the need to recognize “small world networks” in which weak ties (people moving between communities) become a link that connects highly clustered communities. She gave the examples of the Hong Kong traveler who spread SARS throughout the world, and a pet shop in the American Midwest where the spread of monkeypox began. Gerberding then urged infection control professionals to be a strong link for learning…to promote health, prevent disease and improve preparedness to meet health challenges; to serve as knowledge managers, early warning leaders, expert spokespersons, global health ambassadors and patient advocates. She explained that the current health priorities of the CDC are focused on a move towards prevention and preparedness. To that end, and to promote faster response times, the CDC is now implementing interim guidelines based on real time knowledge that are not governed by a lengthy approval process.
60% of RNs say ICUs don't have protocol for oral care to reduce VAP risk
In a recent opinion poll conducted by Sage Products Inc., 60 percent of the 261 critical care nurses who responded said their intensive care unit does not have a comprehensive oral care protocol to help reduce risk factors for ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP). The poll was conducted at the American Association of Critical-Care Nurse's National Teaching Institute & Critical Care Exposition May 18 -19. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, VAP increases the likelihood of a patient's death from 20 percent to 50 percent. The estimated incidence of VAP in intensive care units ranges from 10 percent to 65 percent. Research reported in Clinical Investigations in Critical Care says that VAP can increase costs by more than $40,000 per patient compared to patients without VAP. It increases a patient's length of stay up to 16 days. A comprehensive oral care program of brushing, swabbing and suctioning bacteria from the mouth of the critical care patient, helps to reduce the risk factors for ventilator-associated pneumonia. The CDC recently recommended guidelines designed to reduce the incidence of pneumonia and other severe, acute lower respiratory tract infections in acute-care hospitals and in other health care settings. These guidelines include recommendations for an oral hygiene program. 77 percent of responding critical care nurses were aware of the CDC's new guidelines; 97 percent said that oral care can be improved in their ICU. The nurses also mentioned that performing oral care is one more task in their already overloaded day.
Spinal repair robot receives FDA approval
A miniature robot that helps point surgeons to exactly the right place for spinal repairs has been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, reports Reuters News Service. Called the SpineAssist, the robot was made at the Technion-Israel Institute of Technology and manufactured by its inventor Moshe Shoham's company, called Mazor Surgical Technologies. According to Reuters, the soft-drink-can-sized device is attached to a patient's body, guiding and positioning tools and implants so that surrounding nerves are not damaged. Shoham explained that the SpineAssist “neither replaces the surgeon nor performs any operations. After examining and approving the recommendation, the surgeon inserts surgical instruments through the arm of the robot, thereby minimizing the danger of damaging vital organs.” The $100,000 device will be tested at the Cleveland Clinic Foundation in Cleveland, OH, and Sheba Medical Center in Tel Hashomer, Israel. The institute said that more than 500,000 spine operations are performed annually in the United States alone; and cited analyst reports that predict the spinal industry will triple its growth over the next eight years, reaching annual sales of $7 billion.
Olympus and Arthrex to combine new technologies for arthroscopy
Olympus announced it has entered into a long-term contract with Arthrex, Inc., a provider of medical devices for the minimally invasive orthopedic specialty market. Under the terms of the contract, Arthrex will utilize Olympus’ digital imaging platform, digital documentation systems and integration systems to complement Arthrex’s orthopedic procedure-specific products and capital equipment lines. Olympus’ VISERA™ digital imaging platform, which features autoclavable camera heads, and Olympus’ TrueViewII ™ autoclavable arthroscopes, which are designed with distortion-free, 115º panoramic fields of view to capture more imaging information, will complement Arthrex’s existing line of arthroscopic products. These include Arthrex’s Continuous Wave III digital fluid management pump with optional 2-piece Reduce Tubing system, the OPES™ orthopedic electrosurgical ablation system, and the Adapteur™ Power System II with autoclavable and limited reusable shaver blades. Olympus’ VISERA, known for its reliability, durability and advanced functionality, is an important component of Arthrex’s C3 Comprehensive Cost Containment Programs, which are customized to optimize a facility’s quality of care, equipment performance and utility, service experience and operating room efficiency, while reducing per-procedure costs.
Thursday, June 10, 2004
In this Issue:
Healthcare
spending rises at slower rate,
but still faster than economy
FDA approves first blood test for Anthrax
Novation offers interactive, online room configuration planning tool
Study shows
filtration protects patients from Legionella
and other pathogens in hospital water
ZOLL announces sole
source contract with
Universal Health Services, Inc.
Healthcare
spending rises at slower rate,
but still faster than economy
America’s healthcare spending for hospitals, drugs and doctors grew at a slower rate last year. But at 7.4%, it still grew about twice as fast as the overall economy, outpacing wage growth, reported USA Today. The study of 2003 spending was released by the non-partisan Center for Studying Health System Change. The study details how much is spent to provide healthcare to U.S. residents with private insurance, which is often provided by employers. Spending growth slowed last year for several reasons: Patients used doctors, hospitals and drugs less, possibly reflecting a rise in the amount insured workers pay in deductibles and co-payments. The study also found a slowdown in price increases for drugs. Among other findings: the total amount spent on healthcare rose 7.4% in 2003, a slower rate than the increase of 9.5% in 2002; average health insurance premium increases for employers in 2004 was 12%, down from 15% in 2003, the first slowing of premium increases since 1996; hospital prices last year increased 8%, the biggest one-year jump in a decade; spending for patients in hospitals rose less than the year before, but outpatient care grew 11%, making it the fastest-growing spending category. Hospital care overall accounted for 53% of the increase in health spending. Even with the slower growth rate, Wall Street analysts and benefit consultants expect insurance premiums will continue to rise at a double-digit pace, well above the underlying inflation, USA Today reported.
FDA approves first blood test for Anthrax
Immunetics, Inc. announced the approval by the Food and Drug Administration of its test for anthrax infection. The approval represents a significant step forward in the public health community's ability to diagnose anthrax. The Immunetics test is the first for anthrax approved by the FDA for direct use on patient blood specimens. The test was shown to detect 100% of the anthrax patients tested in clinical trials, with less than a 1% chance of false positive results. Test results were shown to be positive for individuals with either inhalational or cutaneous anthrax, both of which were contracted by patients in the October 2001 attacks. In addition, the test detects anthrax-specific antibodies in a variety of animals which have been used as models for human infection.
Novation offers interactive, online room configuration planning tool
In response to soaring renovation costs and the growing pace of hospital expansion projects nationwide, Novation is offering a new online tool to improve planning for capital projects. Using Novation’s Web-based Standard Room Configuration tool, hospital planners can view hospital rooms that provide a suggested design and include information about each piece of equipment in the room, such as: anesthesia machines, blood pressure cuffs, operating room tables, monitors, IV pumps, and electro surgical equipment. All items have point-and-click links that enable users to print off information about the equipment and provide information about the associated Novation contracts, which can be used for convenient construction and cost planning. The hospital rooms currently available in Novation’s Standard Room Configuration tool include a bariatric patient room, cardiovascular operating room, cardiac catheterization lab, and a neurosurgical operating room. Novation will add planning pages in 2004 for a retail food service space, a food preparation area, a kitchen, an endoscopic suite, a room in an intensive care unit, and an emergency department room. The Novation Standard Room Configuration tool is available to VHA and UHC members via Novation’s industry-leading e-commerce and information exchange, Marketplace@Novation.
Study shows
filtration protects patients from Legionella
and other pathogens in hospital water
A study presented at the Association for Professionals in Infection Control & Epidemiology (APIC) Annual Conference, by Janet Stout, Ph.D., Director of Special Pathogens Laboratory, Veterans Administration (VA) Pittsburgh Healthcare System, found that the 0.2-micron Pall-Aquasafe(TM) Water Filter completely eliminated Legionella pneumophilia and Mycobacterium spp and achieved a greater than 99 percent reduction in heterotrophic bacteria in the water samples. Microorganisms such as Legionella, Pseudomonas, and fungi, such as Aspergillus, can contaminate faucets, taps and showers in hospitals and can be dangerous to patients with compromised immune systems from conditions such as cancer, HIV/AIDS, transplantation and burns as well as for the elderly and newborns. Mortality for hospital-acquired Legionniares' disease and Pseudomonas aeruginosa bacteremia is close to 40 percent. Dr. Stout's research focuses on the prevention of these infections by elimination of potential pathogens from hospital water systems. In a recent study, Dr. Stout evaluated one potential preventive method, point-of-use filtration. The study was conducted on the potable water supply of a hospital building that was colonized with Legionella pneumophila. In the U.S., current guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) suggest that no Legionella should be present in hospital units housing transplant patients. In Europe, where they are aggressively managing the problem of nosocomial infections, several countries have already issued directives that 0.2-micron point-of-use water filters are to be used wherever there are immune compromised patients.
ZOLL announces sole
source contract with
Universal Health Services, Inc.
ZOLL Medical Corporation, a manufacturer of resuscitation devices and software solutions, today announced a three-year, sole source contract with Universal Health Services, Inc. (UHS). This contract authorizes ZOLL's direct sales force to sell its complete line of defibrillators to all UHS facilities. UHS consists of behavioral health hospitals, acute care and ambulatory facilities, and radiation centers. The ZOLL AED Plus allows rescuers to see and hear how well they are performing the rate and depth of chest compressions during CPR. This real-time feedback mechanism means the AED Plus can help assess and treat nearly every sudden cardiac arrest victim, making it a Full-Rescue AED.
Wednesday, June 9, 2004
In this Issue:
One in four children screened found at high risk of developing diabetes
U.S. Army Nurse Corps announces new incentives for Army Reserve Nurses
Consorta and Neoforma enter into new agreement
HIMSS signs agreement to acquire Dorenfest Database™
3M Health Care and MedMined, Inc. form an alliance
One in four children screened found
at high risk of developing diabetes
According to a joint pilot program administered by Pfizer Health Solutions, CVS Health Connection and the Washington D.C. Public School System, one in four children screened for risk factors associated with type 2 diabetes are at high risk of developing the disease. The announcement came as the companies and school system announced the phase one results of Stepping Up to the Plate, a pilot program designed to help reduce the risk factors associated with type 2 diabetes in children, who live in urban centers. Children aged 10 through 18 were screened for risk factors associated with type 2 diabetes at 17 sites within Washington, D.C, including 15 D.C. public schools. The Stepping Up to the Plate phase one results found that 25 percent of children screened were at risk for type 2 diabetes, due to their BMI at or above the 85th percentile plus at least two additional risk factors associated with type 2 diabetes; a family history of diabetes, belonging to a specific minority group, or having signs of insulin resistance or conditions associated with insulin resistance. Stepping Up to the Plate researchers also found that 52 percent of children screened exceeded body mass index guidelines set by the American Diabetes Association. Additionally, the data shows 57 percent of students screened watched more than three hours of television per school day, and 31 percent of those watched five hours or more. Researchers are hoping that the Stepping Up to the Plate program may provide an important tool in helping to reduce type 2 diabetes in children.
U.S. Army Nurse Corps announces new
incentives for Army Reserve Nurses
The U.S. Army Nurse Corps announced new pay incentives for Army Reserve psychiatric, medical, surgical, critical care and perioperative nurses and nurse anesthetists. "These financial incentives are designed to attract highly skilled nurses with the training and qualifications to maintain the readiness of our force and care for our Soldiers and their families at home and abroad," says Col. Ann Richardson, Chief, Army Nurse Corps Division, U.S. Army Recruiting Command. New benefits available for medical, surgical, psychiatric and perioperative Army Reserve nurses include: Healthcare Professionals Loan Repayment Program (HLPR); Healthcare Professionals Bonus Program (HPB) which provides an annual bonus of $5,000 for a maximum of three years to qualified nurses upon choosing a one, two or three-year commitment in the Army Reserve; and Specialized Training Assistance Program (STRAP) which will provide a monthly stipend of $1,185 to qualified nursing students pursuing a graduate degree in critical care or nursing anesthesia. Recipients incur a two-year obligation for every year they receive the stipend. For more information visit http://healthcare.goarmy.com
Consorta and Neoforma enter into new agreement
Consorta, Inc., a group purchasing and resource management company, and Neoforma, Inc., a provider of supply chain management solutions, have expanded their relationship to include a new data management agreement that supports and enhances the core strategic services Consorta provides to its members. They entered into the agreement after Neoforma improved the accuracy of vendor and product information in Consorta’s Contract Catalog as part of an initial data cleansing project that was announced in February 2004 and that has since been completed. With an accurate foundation now in place, Consorta will use Neoforma’s Data Management Solution™ (DMS) to further cleanse and then classify, enrich, and maintain the catalog as part of its strategic Global Catalog Initiative. The Global Catalog Initiative is designed to improve both access to the Contract Catalog and procurement and contract utilization analytics to better identify opportunities that lead to greater cost reductions.
HIMSS signs agreement to acquire Dorenfest Database™
The Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS) announced that it has signed an asset purchase agreement to acquire THE DORENFEST IHDS+ DATABASE™ and related business assets from Sheldon I. Dorenfest & Associates, Ltd., a Chicago-based provider of health information technology (H.I.T.), consulting, and (IT) market data. The database profiles the IT efforts of large healthcare providers and is used by many H.I.T. companies as the foundation of their sales and marketing information systems. HIMSS plans to utilize this acquisition as the foundation for its new subsidiary that will offer market research-based services to provide accurate and timely data to healthcare organizations for their business and IT decision making.
3M Health Care and MedMined, Inc. form an alliance
3M Health Care held a news briefing on Monday at the Association for Professionals in Infection Control & Epidemiology (APIC 2004) Conference in Phoenix, AZ, announcing their new initiatives. One initiative includes an alliance with MedMined, Inc., a provider of technology-based services for infection control. The companies are marketing a new service to aid hospitals in the battle against health care-associated infections. The new services will be geared toward reducing infections that surface in operating rooms, which the CDC says accounts for 14 percent of such infections. 3M also announced its new respirator compliance services and it’s single-use pre-operative skin prep applicator.
Tuesday, June 8, 2004
In this Issue:
Drugs found to help in prostate and brain cancers
Agreement provides members exclusive Aloetouch gloves
PA Nurses testify before Senate Judiciary
Committee in support of restricted overtime
Norton Healthcare selects MedAssets for revenue management solutions
Henry Ford Hospital Creates Operating Room of the Future
Drugs found to help in prostate and brain cancers
In a study released Monday, the drug Taxotere was shown to extend the lives of prostate cancer patients after hormonal therapy fails. A second study showed that adding chemotherapy to radiation treatment prolonged survival for people with a type of brain cancer that usually kills within months. The studies were announced at the American Society of Clinical Oncology. Taxotere, from Aventis, had previously been approved for breast and lung cancer. With the new results, the Food and Drug Administration approved it last month for prostate cancer. The brain cancer trial, led by Dr. Roger Stupp of the University Hospital of Lausanne, Switzerland, involved 573 patients in Europe, Canada and Australia who had glioblastoma multiforme, the most common and most aggressive of brain tumors, which is usually treated by surgery followed by radiation therapy.
Agreement provides members exclusive Aloetouch gloves
HealthTrust Purchasing Group (HPG, Nashville, TN) has awarded Medline Industries, Inc. a contract for its exam and surgeon's gloves, including Medline's Aloetouch gloves. Medline now has 26 contracts for medical and surgical supplies with HPG. Medline will provide its diverse line of exam gloves as part of the agreement, including its exclusive Aloetouch® line, Accutouch(TM) powder-free nitrile gloves, sterile exam gloves and vinyl synthetic exam gloves. The agreement also includes Medline's Aloetouch surgeon's gloves. Aloetouch surgical gloves also are powder-free and contain low amounts of protein to reduce the risk of latex sensitization.
PA Nurses testify before Senate Judiciary
Committee in support of restricted overtime
The Pennsylvania State
(PA) Nurses Association opposes the routine use of mandatory overtime for
staffing health care facilities. Mandatory overtime is not accepted by the PA
Nurses as an appropriate method of staffing and believes facilities are
responsible for having the appropriate numbers of nurses to care for patients in
their charge and affirms that nurses who refuse mandatory overtime are not
abandoning patients. PA Nurses are in support of Senate Bill 722 which declares
the Commonwealth has a substantial interest in assuring that the delivery of
health care services to patients in health care facilities is adequate and safe,
placing certain limitations on mandatory overtime, with exceptions during times
of emergency. “I see mandatory overtime as a form of emotional blackmail. You
are told you cannot leave because leaving is patient abandonment, and for that
you will lose your job”, said Cyndi Owen-Manns, RN, member of the PA State
Nurses Association. PA Nurses encourages nurses and patients within the
Commonwealth to contact their local legislators in favor of passing SB722. Visit
www.panurses.org and click on Legislative Alert for more information.
Norton Healthcare selects MedAssets
for revenue management solutions
MedAssets Net Revenue Systems has announced that it will provide revenue management solutions focused on pre-bill charge capturing and auditing and charge master management for Norton Healthcare, a five-hospital system in Louisville, KY. Under the terms of the agreement, MedAssets Net Revenue Systems will implement BPI.Net for charge master management and monitoring as well as CCA.Net, a pre-bill monitoring system that is designed to ensure accuracy in hospital charges. These solutions are expected to increase billing compliance by maintaining charge data integrity for its acute care facilities.
The systems combine proprietary information technology with consulting services to improve existing IT assets and workflow processes that help hospitals increase cash flow and reduce bad debt. Norton Healthcare maintains ongoing initiatives that focus on the quality of its data within its patient accounting systems, clinical systems and supply management process.
Henry Ford Hospital Creates Operating Room of the Future
Henry Ford Hospital, Detroit, MI, has designed and built a new operating room with 3-dimensional technology that takes modern robotic surgery to new levels. The benefit of everyone seeing in 3-D is that the whole surgery team is synchronized because everybody has the ability to see the same thing, increasing surgical precision. Using this unique technology, surgical teams are now performing robotic surgery for prostate cancer with enhanced efficiency. The room includes two 60-inch by 80-inch flat projection screens, advanced lighting, and a data monitoring and intercom system, and the entire surgical team works in 3-D wearing special polarized glasses. Images from the operating room can be sent, in 3-D, anywhere in the world to help train other surgeons. The main difference between this new setup and traditional robotic surgery is that in the traditional method only the surgeon, who sat at a remote console controlling tiny instruments, had a magnified view. Currently, the operating room is being used to perform robot-assisted prostatectomy using the Da Vinci(TM) computer-enhanced, minimally invasive surgery system. For more information, visit http://henryfordhealth.org.
Monday, June 7, 2004
In this Issue:
Survey says pneumonia risk not being addressed by
ICUs
Vanguard Medical introduces
environmental initiatives
US advisers back new ultrasound
fibroid therapy
Study uses Metrx technology to
evaluate
rupture risk in aortic aneurysm patients
CDC Issues anthrax detection guidelines
Survey says pneumonia risk not being addressed by ICUs
In a recent opinion poll conducted by Sage Products Inc., 60 percent of the 261 critical care nurses who responded said their intensive care unit does not have a comprehensive oral care protocol to help reduce risk factors for ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP). The poll was conducted at the American Association of Critical-Care Nurse's National Teaching Institute(TM)& Critical Care Exposition May 18-19. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, VAP increases the likelihood of a patient's death from 20 percent to 50 percent. Research reported in Clinical Investigations in Critical Care says that VAP can increase costs by more than $40,000 per patient compared to patients without VAP. It increases a patient's length of stay up to 16 days. A comprehensive oral care program of brushing, swabbing and suctioning bacteria from the mouth of the critical care patient, helps to reduce the risk factors for ventilator-associated pneumonia. The CDC recently recommended guidelines designed to reduce the incidence of pneumonia and other severe, acute lower respiratory tract infections in acute-care hospitals and in other healthcare settings. These guidelines include recommendations for an oral hygiene program. An overwhelming 97 percent of the poll respondents said that oral care can be improved in their ICU. The nurses cited that their hospitals need to establish an oral care procedure, including pediatric guidelines.
Vanguard Medical introduces environmental initiatives
Chuck Masek, chief executive officer of Vanguard Medical Concepts Inc., has announced a new strategic direction for the Lakeland, FL-based medical device reprocessing company; based on providing quality healthcare and caring for the environment. The company has introduced its Vanguard Advantage program, which helps hospital customers reduce their medical waste and related disposal costs in three ways: by reprocessing devices, reusing collection containers and recycling metals and plastics. Vanguard collects the devices from participating hospitals using 17-gallon recycling containers instead of the traditional red disposable sharps containers. The recycling containers are 510(k) cleared and comply with U.S. Department of Transportation regulations. Vanguard Advantage is one of several environmental initiatives resulting from the company's role as a “Champion” in the national Hospitals for a Healthy Environment (H2E) program, an initiative to improve the environmental performance of the healthcare industry. The goal of this joint program of the American Hospital Association, American Nurses Association, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and Health Care Without Harm is to reduce medical waste 30 percent by 2005 and 50 percent by 2010.
US advisers back new ultrasound fibroid therapy
An advisory panel to the FDA on Thursday urged approval of a new treatment using ultrasound to break up fibrous clumps in the uterus, an alternative to hysterectomies and other surgical treatments. The ExAblate 2000 treatment is a product of InSightec, a unit of Tel-Aviv, Israel-based Elbit Medical Imaging. The final decision on approval will be made by the Food and Drug Administration.
Study uses Metrx technology to evaluate
rupture risk in aortic aneurysm patients
New imaging and measurement technology may help vascular surgeons predict the risk of potentially fatal ruptures in patients with abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAA). Medical Metrx Solutions is providing their technology for use in a multiple center clinical study to evaluate the rupture risk of AAAs. The multicenter study builds on the work of Mark Fillinger, M.D., and others in this field. Dr Fillinger, a vascular surgeon at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center, and his research team have shown that a sophisticated evaluation of AAA wall stress is superior to the standard method that uses aneurysm diameter to evaluate the aneurysm's risk of rupture. The aneurysm wall stress is obtained through a process that starts with a three-dimensional reconstruction of a patient's aneurysm based on computed tomographic (CT or CAT scan) imaging. The 3-D reconstruction is further analyzed using finite element analysis software, based in part on the patient's blood pressure. Metrx has optimized three-dimensional reconstruction and finite element analysis technology to rapidly and reproducibly generate patient-specific stress maps that illustrate aortic aneurysm wall stress. The goal of the study is to establish better prediction rules for rupture risk of aortic aneurysms in the chest and abdomen. Ultimately, this multi-center study may lead to the commercial availability of the first validated tool for assessing the risk of aortic rupture.
CDC Issues anthrax detection guidelines
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention published guidelines for responding to the detection of aerosolized anthrax by Autonomous Detection Systems in the workplace. It said every employer that deploys an ADS, which are under development, should create detailed plans for responding to a positive signal and coordinating responses with community partners. The guidelines can be found at http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr.
Friday, June 4, 2004
In this Issue:
Improvement in cancer survival rates
Experts predict slow rise in
U.S.
healthcare costs
Aetna to test weight loss program
Arkansas report shows 40% of students overweight
or at risk
Another former HealthSouth employee receives probation
Improvement in cancer survival rates
The latest “Annual Report to the Nation on the Status of Cancer” says that Americans' risk of getting and dying from cancer continues to decline and survival rates for many cancers continue to improve. First issued in 1998, the report by the American Cancer Society, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Cancer Institute, and North American Association of Central Cancer Registries provides updated information on U.S. cancer rates and trends. This year's report highlights trends in cancer survival by comparing five-year survival rates of cancer patients diagnosed in 1975-1979 and 1995-2000, and finds survival improved for most of the top 15 cancers in men and women, and the top 10 in children. However, the overall risk of death from cancer was higher for racial and ethnic minorities than for non-Hispanic white patients. The authors said reaching all segments of the population with high-quality prevention, early detection and treatment services could reduce cancer incidence and mortality even further. For more on the report, visit http://www.nih.gov/news/pr/jun2004/nci-03.htm.
Experts predict slow rise in U.S. healthcare costs
Healthcare cost increases are abating and growth could slow to single-digit percentages for the first time in five years, according to a survey of Fortune 500 companies by Hewitt Associates. After years of double-digit increases in the cost of healthcare, HMOs are proposing an average premium increase of 13.7 percent for 2005 over this year's levels, according to the report released on Thursday. But once negotiations between employers and HMOs and cost sharing with employees is taken into account, the actual price jump is likely to be in the single digits, the poll's director and analysts said. While still roughly three times above the rate of inflation, the rise is several percentage points below the rate of growth of premium hikes in recent years. Experts expect the rise in medical costs to slow to 9 percent to 10 percent this year, to be roughly matched by premiums, reports Reuters News Service. Moderation in the rate of increase in health-care premiums could compress HMO profit margins.
Aetna to test weight loss program
Joining the growing number of health insurers who are subsidizing weight loss programs and incentives, Aetna Inc. said it would test a program that pays for weight-loss counseling and other measures. Cigna Corp. and WellPoint Health Networks Inc. have recently added discounts on nutrition programs, health club memberships and offered other incentives. In Aetna's program, patients who enroll will receive discounts on weight-loss programs as well as pedometers to encourage walking, said company officials. People enrolled in Aetna's weight-management program will be put in touch with a nurse to coordinate counseling and other services. Each patient's own physician also can become involved.
Arkansas report shows 40% of students overweight or at risk
Arkansas
is requiring that its 450,000 students from kindergarten to 12th grade have
their height and weight measured to determine their body mass index (BMI), a
formula that also considers age and gender. According to the Arkansas survey for
the 2003-04 school year, the largest assessment ever of public school students,
40% of students in Arkansas are overweight or at risk of becoming so. Currently,
the U.S. government estimates that 30% of the nation's kids are overweight or on
their way to becoming overweight. Among findings reported at the Time/ABC News
summit on obesity in Williamsburg, VA, is that African-American and Hispanic
students are more likely to be overweight or at risk of becoming so than white
children. Arkansas has begun mailing health reports to families of all its
450,000 public school children, informing parents of their children's weights
and offering lifestyle tips.
Another former
HealthSouth employee receives probation
For the fourth time this week a
judge on Thursday refused to
give jail time to a former HealthSouth Corp. executive. Catherine Fowler, 37, a
former HealthSouth vice president of treasury and cash manager, was sentenced to
two years probation and a $5,000 fine for her role in an accounting scandal. She
had pleaded guilty to conspiracy to deceive auditors and maintain false books
and records at HealthSouth. The government has accused HealthSouth and several
of its officers of deliberately inflating earnings and assets by $2.7 billion
over several years.
Thursday, June 3, 2004
In this Issue:
McVay sentenced to home detention, probation
NY Attorney General sues
GlaxoSmithKline on Paxil
Study finds high noise levels in
hospitals
US FDA panel backs J&J artificial spinal disc
Questions remain about impact of undocumented
aliens on hospitals’ uncompensated care costs
Consorta awards Medline national agreement
for surgical procedure trays
McVay sentenced to home detention, probation
Malcolm McVay, a former HealthSouth Corp. chief financial officer, on Wednesday was sentenced to six months home detention and five years probation for his part in the company’s multibillion-dollar accounting scandal. Ignoring prosecutors' requests for jail time for the highest-ranking former HealthSouth officer yet to come up for sentencing, Judge U.W. Clemon also fined McVay $10,000 and ordered him to forfeit $50,000.
NY Attorney General sues GlaxoSmithKline on Paxil
New York Attorney General Eliot Spitzer said Wednesday he filed suit against British pharmaceuticals company GlaxoSmithKline Plc, claiming fraud over its antidepressant drug Paxil. The lawsuit alleges that starting in 1998, GlaxoSmithKline engaged in a concerted effort to withhold negative information concerning Paxil and misrepresented data concerning its safety and efficacy in children and adolescents.
Study finds high noise levels in hospitals
As reported by ABC News, Cheryl Cmiel and other nurses from St. Mary's Hospital, a Mayo Clinic-affiliated facility in Rochester, MN, spent the night in the hospital testing the facility’s decibel levels. Using a motorcycle which measures 95 decibels as a point of comparison, the team found that the portable X-ray machine measured 98 decibels; the hallway intercom registered at 70 decibels. The loudest hospital sound was the 7 a.m. nursing shift change which reached 113 decibels, as loud as a jackhammer. Experts say excessive hospital noise slows down the body's healing process. ABC News cited Susan Mazer, who advises hospitals, such as Shady Grove Hospital in Rockville, MD, on how to reduce noise levels. Shady Grove made construction changes included adding quieter flooring, quieter nurses stations, plus adding “the care channel”, a closed circuit television developed by Mazer that combines soothing imagery with instrumental music. At the Mayo Clinic, the nursing team has received positive feedback from patients since they began taking steps to reduce the noise levels, said ABC News. The clinic eliminated overhead paging overnight and put monitor alarm levels at the lower volumes.
US FDA panel backs J&J artificial spinal disc
A U.S. advisory panel urged regulators to approve, with conditions, Johnson & Johnson's artificial spinal disc for treating severe back pain. The panel unanimously supported the disc, called Charite. The Food and Drug Administration will consider the recommendation.
Questions remain about impact of undocumented
aliens on hospitals’ uncompensated care costs
Hospitals generally do not collect information on their patients’ immigration status, and as a result, an accurate assessment of undocumented aliens’ impact on hospitals’ uncompensated care costs, those not paid by patients or by insurance, remains elusive. GAO attempted to examine the relationship between uncompensated care and undocumented aliens by surveying hospitals, but because of a low response rate to key survey questions and challenges in estimating the proportion of hospital care provided to undocumented aliens, GAO could not determine the effect of undocumented aliens on hospitals’ uncompensated care costs. Federal funding has been available from several sources to help hospitals cover the costs of care for undocumented aliens. GAO recommends that the Secretary of Health and Human Services, in establishing a payment process under recently enacted legislation, develop appropriate internal controls to ensure payments are made only for unreimbursed emergency services for undocumented or certain other aliens. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services concurred with GAO’s recommendation. Homeland Security also agreed with the report’s findings. View the full report at www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-04-472.
Consorta awards Medline national agreement
for surgical procedure trays
Consorta, Inc. and Medline Industries, Inc. have signed a two-year agreement in which Medline will provide surgical procedure trays at significant savings to Consorta’s membership. The two-year contract is valued at approximately $40 million and is available to the more than 2,000 facilities in Consorta’s membership. The agreement features Medline’s surgical specialty packs for use in general surgery, cardiovascular surgery, orthopedic procedures, and numerous other procedures. Medline is also offering facilities continuing education programs free of charge to their medical staff.
Wednesday, June 2, 2004
In this Issue:
Former HealthSouth executive receives probation
US healthcare providers expect to grow IT budgets
by over 10%
"All-in-one" blood glucose monitor
and
insulin pump gains FDA clearance
PA State Nurses Association
responds to
research on the characteristics of RNs
TheraDocR enables automated real-time notification
of notifiable diseases in Nebraska
Shriners Hospitals sign exclusive agreement with
Amerinet, Inc.
Former
HealthSouth executive receives probation
Former
HealthSouth Corp. executive, Kenneth Livesay was sentenced to five years
probation for his part in the Birmingham, AL-based company’s multibillion-dollar
accounting scandal. Judge U.W. Clemon sentenced Livesay, who had been an
assistant controller and chief information officer at HealthSouth, in exchange
for cooperation with law enforcement officials investigating the scandal. In
addition to probation, Livesay will spend six months under electronic monitoring
and pay a $10,000 fine and forfeit $750,000 in ill-gotten gains for his part in
overstating HealthSouth earnings and assets. Livesay pleaded guilty to criminal
fraud and wire fraud. Former Chief Financial Officer Malcolm McVay is scheduled
to be sentenced on Wednesday. The highest ranking HealthSouth official to come
up for sentencing, McVay is one of five former CFOs who pleaded guilty in the
scandal. In all, 15 former HealthSouth executives have pleaded guilty to various
criminal fraud charges in the scandal. As part of their plea deals, the former
executives are available to testify against company founder and former Chief
Executive Richard Scrushy, who has pleaded not guilty to 85 criminal counts and
is awaiting trial. Prosecutors had asked that all sentencing be put off until
after the Scrushy trial so that the level and value of cooperation could be
taken into consideration in determining punishment. But federal judges have
denied those requests, reports Reuters News Service.
US healthcare providers expect to grow IT budgets by over 10%
Healthcare, a sector that has experienced single digit growth for many years in terms of investment in IT is now catching up to other industries, according to a new report series based on interviews with more than 100 US healthcare IT decision makers by independent market analysts Datamonitor. The two-report series, ‘2004 IT strategy in US healthcare providers’ and ‘2004 IT infrastructure trends in US healthcare providers’ reveals that the majority of healthcare providers (66%) expect to grow their IT budgets by over 10% between 2004-2006. According to Datamonitor, technologies that facilitate higher quality of both patient care and enablement of clinical staff will be significant areas of imminent IT investment. Across the board, provider IT investments are currently focused on leveraging existing IT assets to maximize ROI and reduce supply-chain costs. Also, the survey has established that high US mid-tier (500-999 bed) healthcare institutions are the most advanced and aggressive in terms of new technology investment. Low mid-tier providers are focusing their IT efforts on integrating clinical information into a single, enterprise-wide information repository. Remote access for clinicians, in- and out-patient systems integration and PACS (picture archiving and communications systems) are key issues specific to high mid-tier providers. Among high-end providers, information system implementations such as CPOE (computerized physician order entry), EMR (Electronic medical records), lab, radiology and pharmacy, are top priority issues.
"All-in-one" blood glucose monitor and
insulin pump gains FDA clearance
Smiths Medical MD, Inc., makers of the Deltec Cozmo® Insulin Pump, announces that they have received 510(k) clearance for the CoZmonitor™ blood glucose module. The CoZmonitor™ blood glucose module is attached to the back of the Deltec Cozmo® insulin pump to create an “all-in-one” insulin pump and blood glucose monitoring system. The insulin pump keypad and screen are used for all blood glucose testing functions and results. Smiths Medical MD, Inc, partnered with Abbott Diabetes Care to create the CoZmonitor™ blood glucose module, which utilizes FreeStyle Flash™ technology and FreeStyle™ test strips. To support FDA 510(k) clearance, a CoZmonitor™ blood glucose module usability study was conducted with 57 children and adults. All 57 participants were able to successfully use the blood glucose module without any additional training.
PA State Nurses Association responds to
research on the characteristics of RNs
PA Nurses believes the Commonwealth has made great strides toward increasing awareness and desire among its residents to join the nursing profession. However, according to the PA Legislative Budget and Finance Committee’s April 2004 research, a large amount of individuals seeking to join the profession have been turned away from nursing programs due to lack of faculty and being over capacity. According to the research report, 27.6 percent of RNs under the age of 35 plan to leave nursing within the next 10 years, with 57.2 percent of those expressing dissatisfaction with their jobs. This means a large amount of nurses will be exiting, or whose dissatisfaction may lead to exiting the nursing profession in a very short timeframe. These numbers combined with the estimated 39% increase in the elderly population with increased needs, The PA Nurses Association predicts a severe nursing shortage and recommends the need to generate programs that improve the quality of the profession and job retention. They also encourage continued focus on building effective and efficient solutions for the nursing industry through a collaborative effort supported by research and action.
TheraDocR
enables automated real-time notification
of notifiable diseases in Nebraska
In a move to accelerate and improve the quality and delivery of notifiable disease reports to a public health department, TheraDoc, Inc., the Nebraska Health and Human Services System (NHHS), and Great Plains Regional Medical Center (GPRMC) in North Platte, Nebraska have collaborated to utilize the real-time surveillance capabilities of TheraDoc's system technology. Through this collaboration, GPRMC is helping Nebraska document occurrences of notifiable diseases by electronically transmitting pertinent laboratory data to the Department of Health and Human Services via TheraDoc's "Public Health Network Assistant" (PHNA) solution as they occur. In January 2003, GPRMC contracted with TheraDoc to implement its clinical decision-support system to enhance the hospital's infection control, quality of care and patient safety initiatives. Linked with GPRMC's multiple information systems, the knowledge-based technology continually surveys patient population data to detect instances of naturally occurring infectious diseases, chemical exposures, and the targeted introduction of biological agents. The system was proven successful within the first three months of implementation at GPRMC. Since that time, TheraDoc has worked closely with Nebraska state epidemiologist, Tom Safranek, M.D. and his team to enable the automated, electronic transmission of GPRMC's laboratory data to the Nebraska Health and Human Services system.
Shriners Hospitals sign exclusive agreement with Amerinet, Inc.
Amerinet Inc. has renewed a two-year exclusive agreement with Shriners Hospitals for children. The renewal extends a previous six-year agreement. Shriners Hospitals, headquartered in Tampa, FL, has been providing quality healthcare to children since 1922. The national account agreement renewal provides Shriners Hospitals across the country with significant cost savings through Amerinet's comprehensive contract portfolio. “The success that we have now seen with our partnership with Shriners has been through the assessment and the implementation of product standardization in five key areas,” said Brent Christianson, Amerinet national account manager. “The key areas include film, gloves, surgical packs and gowns, laboratory and office supplies, and the initiatives have resulted in more than $500,000 in cost savings after one full year of implementation.”
Tuesday, June 1, 2004
In this Issue:
Aetna drops Abbott lawsuit
Crucell says Ebola vaccine effective on monkeys
CDC issues updated flu
prevention
and control recommendations
Mölnlycke Health Care awarded contract with
MedAssets
for Safetac soft silicone line of wound care dressings
Novacaps delivery system makes
difficult
combination drugs possible
Consorta establishes agreement for
non-narcotic
post-surgical pain relief
Bush promotes electronic
health records
during visit to Nashville hospital
Aetna on Thursday dropped a class-action lawsuit filed Tuesday in U.S. District Court in San Francisco against Abbott Laboratories over the drug company's recent 400% price increase for its antiretroviral drug Norvir.
Crucell says
Ebola vaccine effective on monkeys
Dutch biotechnology firm
Crucell said that a single dose of its Ebola vaccine has successfully protected
monkeys from the deadly disease in trial tests. Crucell, which used its PER.C6
gene technology to develop the vaccine, said in a statement the monkey
experiments were performed over the last six months by the Vaccine Research
Center (VRC) of the U.S. National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID).
PER.C6 gene technology uses human cells as a platform to produce drugs,
including vaccines, to battle HIV and cancer.
CDC
issues updated flu prevention
and control recommendations
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices released revised recommendations for the prevention and control of flu. The new recommendations update 2003 ACIP recommendations for the use of the influenza vaccine, including dosage and administration instructions, potential adverse reactions, and populations who should not be vaccinated, as well as the use of antiviral medications. Among its recommendations, ACIP says health care facilities should offer free, on-site influenza vaccinations to all employees, including night and weekend staff, beginning in October of each year, with special priority given to workers who care for at-risk patients. ACIP also recommends that acute care hospitals strongly encourage patients who are age 50 or older or have high-risk conditions to receive a flu vaccine before they are discharged. The revised recommendations are available at http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/mmwr_rr.html.
Mölnlycke Health Care has been awarded a 3-year contract by MedAssets HSCA of St. Louis, MO for their Tendra® wound management products which feature Safetac technology effective May 1, 2004. The products will be placed into a new dressing category termed “Soft Silicone Dressings”. Safetac is a patented soft silicone adhesive technology designed for wound management dressings. The products include Mepitel®, soft silicone wound contact layer, Mepilex®, soft silicone foam dressing, Mepilex Border, soft silicone adhesive bordered foam dressing, Mepilex Lite, Soft silicone thin foam dressing, Mepilex Transfer, soft silicone exudates transfer dressing and Mepiform®, a thin flexible self-adherent dressing for scar management. The products can be used on numerous wound types; including skin tears, venous leg ulcers, burns, radiation therapy skin reactions, cancer wounds and scar management. In addition Safetac technology has proven helpful with the dermatological condition Epidermolysis Bullosa (EB).
Innercap Technologies, Tampa, FL, announces its multi-phase, multi-compartment capsule drug delivery system. The Novacaps™ delivery system accommodates otherwise incompatible pharmaceutical agents, solid or liquid, in a single-dosage, combination product, such as the single dose delivery of multiple HIV/AIDS drugs called for by the FDA. With the Innercap delivery system, therapeutic entities that have never been combined before can be administered together, via an oral or a suppository capsule, in the most advantageous pharmacokinetic profile, utilizing different physical phases. This approach maximizes bioavailability and, at the same time, addresses patient-compliance problems that can accompany multi-drug regimens. The Novacaps™ delivery system can be used for all therapeutic classes such as immunologic, cardiovascular, neurologic, psychiatric, oncologic, and pain management.
Consorta establishes agreement for non-narcotic
post-surgical pain relief
Consorta, a leading group purchasing and resource management organization for the health care industry, has awarded a contract for surgical site pain relief products to I-Flow Corporation, Lake Forest, CA. The multi-year agreement provides Consorta’s membership with the ability to offer patients a narcotic-free post-surgical pain relief option. Studies have shown that ON-Q PainBuster relieves pain after surgery while reducing or eliminating the need for narcotics, which can result in shorter hospital stays and cost savings.
Bush promotes electronic health records
during visit to Nashville hospital
President Bush on May 27 discussed his plan for accelerating health information technology during a visit to Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville, TN. Also speaking at the event was David Brailer, M.D., who was appointed the nation's first health information technology coordinator. “The reason we're here is because this hospital knows how to use information technology for the benefit of patients and families,” said Bush.