August 8, 2008 - The National Medical Association (NMA) released a white paper during their 2008 Annual Convention and Scientific Assembly that outlines directives for elevating sudden cardiac arrest (SCA) to a national health priority and bringing it to the forefront of the policy discussion.

August 8, 2008 - Nuance Communications Inc. today said its healthcare division has crossed the 70,000 license threshold with its Dragon Medical speech recognition solution designed exclusively for use by healthcare providers to create electronic medical records.

With 70,000 users, Dragon Medical said is its being used by more than 10 percent of all physicians in the U.S.

August 8, 2008 - Midmark Diagnostics Group (MDG), the industry leader in integrated digital diagnostic devices for ambulatory care, said this week its IQmark digital diagnostics products now interface directly with and are certified for use with the Allscripts Electronic Health Record (EHR) solution.

MDG and Allscripts partnered to offer what the companies say is the most robust interface possible between MDG’s IQmark’s Digital ECG, Digital Spirometer, EZ Holter and Advanced Holter and Allscripts to optimize connectivity and workflow for healthcare providers.

August 8, 2008 - On July 31, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) issued its final decision to reimburse the CardioWest temporary total artificial heart (TAH-t) through the highest paying diagnostic related group codes, MS-DRG 001 and 002.

The thresholds for new technology add-on payments for MS-DRGs 001 and 002 are $345,031 and $178,142 respectively and are retroactive to May 1, 2008. CMS also finalized a new technology add-on payment for the CardioWest artificial heart of up to $53,000, starting Oct. 1, 2008.

August 7, 2008 - Datascope Corp. today said it completed the sale of assets of its vascular closure business, including all assets related to its VasoSeal, On-Site, and X-Site devices and its collagen operation, to St. Jude Medical Inc.

Datascope will receive $21 million in cash at closing, and $3 million upon the expiration of an 18-month indemnification period. The carrying value of the assets and other direct expenses related to the sale was approximately $23.7 million.

August 7, 2008 - KLS Martin LP, a medical device company specializing in craniomaxillofacial and sternal fixation, yesterday announced the implantation of the Sternal Talon in the 500th patient.

August 7, 2008 - Terumo Heart Inc. yesterday said the first U.S. implant of the DuraHeart Left Ventricular Assist System (LVAS) took place July 30 at the University of Michigan Cardiovascular Center in Ann Arbor.

The surgery was performed by Francis Pagani, M.D., Ph.D. national co-principal investigator for the DuraHeart U.S. Pivotal Trial. DuraHeart is the world’s first, third generation left ventricular assist system combining a centrifugal pump with a magnetically levitated impeller to enter clinical trials in the U.S.

August 7, 2008 - Cardiologists at the Bluhm Cardiovascular Institute of Northwestern Memorial Hospital recently became Chicago's first researchers using a new wireless pressure sensor technology that allows them to track the pulmonary artery pressure of patients remotely.
The CardioMEMS Wireless Pressure Monitoring System is a pressure sensor that is permanently implanted into the heart and works with an electronic monitoring system that wirelessly measures patient's pulmonary artery pressure.

August 7, 2008 - St. Jude Medical Inc. today said it received regulatory approval, in addition to reimbursement approval, from the Japanese Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare (MHLW), for the Durata defibrillation lead, the company’s next-generation high-voltage lead.

August 6, 2008 - The first U.S. implant of Terumo Heart Inc.’s DuraHeart Left Ventricular Assist System (LVAS) took place on July 30 at the University of Michigan Cardiovascular Center in Ann Arbor.

National Co-Principal Investigator for the DuraHeart U.S. Pivotal Trial, Francis Pagani, M.D., Ph.D., performed the surgery. DuraHeart is reportedly the world's first third-generation LVAS combining a centrifugal pump with a magnetically levitated impeller to enter clinical trials in the U.S.

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