Health Industry Today articles from April 2001

Health Industry Today archives from April 2001

Drug-coated stent technology poised to transform marketplace.
April 1, 2001... Manufacturers and med-surg device distributors scanning the horizon for the next big thing in health care marketing are seeing clinical results surface that may be the early indicators of a revenue tidal wave. Any number of industry...

Reprocessors expect revenue boon from impending FDA single-use regs.(medical instrument and device reprocessors)
April 1, 2001... Medical instrument and device reprocessors make up a segment of the health care industry that in the past has struggled to overcome fundamental opposition by the very people who use its instruments. But now, third-party reprocessors and...

Hill-Rom's Web site puts customer service and support first, marketing and sales second.(Brief Article)
April 1, 2001... Hill-Rom Inc.'s Web site, www.hill-rom.com, smacks first-time visitors between the eyes with this strong message: "Charting a course towards YOUR support solution. Learn, Sales Support, Service Support, Hill-Rom Worldwide, Parts Online." ...

AROUND THE INDUSTRY.(multiple topics)(Statistical Data Included)
April 1, 2001... Boston Scientific Corp. (BSC), Natick, Mass., signed an agreement to acquire Quanam Medical Corp., Santa Clara, Calif., a private company that uses novel polymer technology applied to drug-delivery stent systems for use in cardiovascular...

AORN meeting supports usual array of device, med-surg suppliers despite unusual concerns.
April 1, 2001... The Assn. of periOperative Registered Nurses held its 48th Annual AORN Congress in Dallas last month, an event remarkable for the unusual all-in-one-place access afforded to the people who contract for and use the devices and med-surg products...

HIMSS plays to near-record attendance.
April 1, 2001... Growing demand for and reliance upon information technology, especially Internet applications and the electronic transfer of data that allow device and med-surg product suppliers to communicate with their customers, helped drive attendance to...

PRODUCT STRATEGY.(multiple topics)
April 1, 2001... DePuy Orthopaedics Inc., Warsaw, Ind., received U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) clearance to market its Ultamet[TM] Metal-on-Metal 28mm and 36mm inserts in the U.S. The company says Ultamet will provide surgeons with more bearing...

New Neoforma president says Internet success rests on `strengthening resolve, aligning interests'.
April 1, 2001... In the three months since Dan Eckert became president and COO of Neoforma at the beginning of 2001, the third-party e-commerce provider has taken a number of steps to bolster its position within the Internet marketplace, among them divestiture...

Allegiance takes on Internet, supply chain project while joining Marketplace@Novation partnership.
April 1, 2001... A year ago this month, Cardinal Health Inc. announced it was in the process of spending $100 million to exploit the potential of electronic business transactions. A full 50% of that financial outlay was intended to initiate and implement...

CONTRACT NOTES.
April 1, 2001... Marconi Medical Systems, Cleveland, announced a pair of agreements covering radiology-related supplies, accessories and processors and technology management. Marconi's Health Care Product (HCP) division signed a three-year sole source...

Coronary stent market growth called sluggish, but annual revenue figures remain impressive.
April 1, 2001... As an analyst from Frost & Sullivan, Mountain View, Calif., put it, "That annual growth rate isn't much to write home about, but it's tough to get past those revenue figures." The speaker was referencing statistics from the coronary stents...

Getinge/Castle says recent acquisition strategy necessary for product, service market leverage.
April 1, 2001... The trend toward mergers and consolidation among device and med-surg product suppliers has reached inside the operating room, and Getinge/Castle says when opportunity knocked it opened the door. "Consolidation and restructuring has made...

Health care spending increased at usual rate, but HCFA projecting faster growth in future.
April 1, 2001... The Health Care Financing Administration (HCFA) said spending for all health care, including device and medsurg supply products, exceeded $1.2 trillion in 1999, an increase of 5.6% from 1998 levels but continuing the six-year trend of annual...

Employment outlook still strong in health care.
April 1, 2001... While the economy in general appears to be slowing and high tech continues to take a beating on Wall Street, health care can rest easy in the knowledge that the employment outlook for salespeople and supplier/provider executives and...

HIDA Internet site lists items slated for relief, restoration by Clinton signing of BIPA legislation.
April 1, 2001... Health Industry Distributors Assn. (HIDA) has posted on its Web site a summary description of items slated for Medicare relief and restoration by the 2000 Medicare, Medicaid and Benefits Improvement and Protection Act (BIPA) that will be of...

Health risk assessment stats offered by ERG.(Brief Article)
April 1, 2001... Manufacturers and distributors looking toward projections to chart device and med-surg supply usage would do well to look into a new health risk assessment model joint developed by Symmetry Health Data Systems Inc., Phoenix, and Integrated...

AAMI annual conference, exhibition matches equipment makers, users.(Brief Article)
April 1, 2001... Assn. for Advancement of Medical Instrumentation (AAMI) will hold its annual conference and exposition June 9-13 in Baltimore and says attendees can expect the "largest, most comprehensive event for those who manage, support and purchase health...

Device, product innovation to be featured at BIO 2001.(Brief Article)
April 1, 2001... More than 750 exhibitors are scheduled to display advanced device and product innovations in an 80,000sq.-ft, exhibition hall when BIO 2001 is held June 24-27 at the San Diego Convention Center. Called the largest event of its kind by the...

MD&M moves inland for Minneapolis show.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
April 1, 2001... Medical Design and Manufacturing (MD&M) events move once again from more traditional locales on the East and West coasts when MD&M Minneapolis is held Oct. 17-18, 2001 at the Minneapolis Convention Center. Last year, says MD&M, more than...