Health Industry Today articles from October 1999

Health Industry Today archives from October 1999

Market Memo : Healtheon pushing on-line world of e-applications, transactions.
October 1, 1999... In the awakening world of e-commerce, nothing has snapped the synapses of the health care community like Healtheon. Following a series of moves and acquisitions accomplished as quickly as a point-and-click, the company has moved in a scant...

Becton Dickinson facelift unveils new direction, new logo for 'BD'.
October 1, 1999... Familiar Becton Dickinson and Company, Franklin Lakes, N.J., is hoping a new identity will make it worthy of a second glance as the company heads into its second hundred years looking squarely into the face of the new millennium. The...

Boston Scientific Web site typical corporate brochure site is a good start towards e-commerce >By Donald E. L. Johnson.
October 1, 1999... One of the nice things about the Internet is that it lets you see what companies like yours, including your competitors, are doing with their Web sites. This not only gives you access to competitive information, but also allows easy...

Varian receives FDA clearance for linear accelerator accessory.(Brief Article)(Product Announcement)
October 1, 1999... Varian Medical Systems, Inc., Palo Alto, Calif., has received 510(k) clearance from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for a new accessory to the Clinac[umlaut] linear accelerators. Varian's RPM[ordinal indicator, feminine]...

CyberKnife, effective in Japan, given U.S. OK for marketing.
October 1, 1999... The CyberKnife[umlaut] Stereotactic Radiosurgery/Radiotherapy System manufactured by Accuray, Sunnyvale, Calif., has received FDA clearance for marketing. The CyberKnife is a non-invasive treatment of tumors and certain other conditions...

Rescue thrombus system launche following Parisian introduction.(Brief Article)(Product Announcement)
October 1, 1999... Boston Scientific/Scimed, Minneapolis, has shipped to European customers the Rescue[ordinal indicator, feminine] Thrombus Management System it launched at the Endovascular Therapy Course (ETC) held in Paris. The system, not yet approved for...

New imaging systems introduced by Toshiba.(Product Announcement)
October 1, 1999... Toshiba America Medical Systems, Tustin, Calif., has introduced a pair of imaging systems. The JustVision diagnostic ultrasound system is designed for hospitals, clinics and physician offices and is being marketing as a compact, mobile unit...

New stethoscope allows physicians to see what they've been hearing.
October 1, 1999... A stethoscope that can show physicians what previously they've only been hearing is being marketed by Medline Industries, Inc., Mundelein, Ill. The CADIscope[umlaut] combines two highly-used medical devices an electronic stethoscope and...

Cemax-Icon to support parent Kodak's new 1200 Distributed Medical Imager.(Brief Article)
October 1, 1999... Cemax-Icon, Fremont, Calif., and its parent company, Eastman Kodak, Rochester, N.Y., have announced that Cemax-Icon will support Kodak's new 1200 Distributed Medical Imager that became available in the United States in September. The...

Smith & Nephew marketing power focused on arthroscopic systems.(DYONICS[umlaut] high performance arthroscopic shaver system)
October 1, 1999... Smith & Nephew, Boston, has launched its DYONICS[umlaut] high performance arthroscopic shaver system that the company says will enable surgeons performing arthroscopic procedures such as Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) reconstruction to more...

Hand-held breast biopsy device receives U.S. marketing clearance.(Ethicon Endo-Surgery Inc)
October 1, 1999... The Mammotome[umlaut] Hand Held, a minimally-invasive breast biopsy device that helps doctors diagnose if breast abnormalities are cancerous, has received marketing clearance form the FDA, says Ethicon Endo-Surgery, Inc., Cincinnati, a Johnson...

Spinal fixation system gets OK for initial marketing in Japan.(Spinal Concepts, Inc)
October 1, 1999... Spinal Concepts, Inc., Austin, Texas, has received clearance by the Japanese Ministry of Health and Welfare for their BacFix ti thoracolumbar spinal fixation system that provides temporary stability of the thoracic, thoracolumbar or...

Sulzer Medica offers metal-on-metal technology; Metasul comes complete with lifetime guarantee.
October 1, 1999... Anyone predisposed to believe there are no guarantees has yet to deal with Sulzer Medica. With the recent FDA clearance of its new Metasul[umlaut] product, Sulzer Medica is the first company to approach the U.S. market with metal-on-metal...

The wave of the future is right around the corner, materials managers, vendors told at AHRMM fete.(Association for Healthcare Resource and Materials Management)
October 1, 1999... E-commerce and the ramifications it poses for both manufacturers and materials managers was the talk of the convention floor at the August meeting of the Assn. for Healthcare Resource and Materials Management (AHRMM) held at the Moscone Center...

Medibuy.com says change is good as blasts from e-commerce alter the horizons of med-surg.
October 1, 1999... Medibuy.com conducted its first Internet business in January, 1999, after going online as a Web site in November, 1998. The company that emerged as a leader in the electronic sale and marketing of medical devices and med-surg supplies followed...

Contract Notes.
October 1, 1999... The Medical Group of McKessonHBOC , Minneapolis, has extended its contract to supply Apria Healthcare Group Inc. with disposable medical supplies to all branches nationally. Based in Costa Mesa, Calif., Apria is the nation's largest...

OEC's better C-arm attracting giant attention;.(OEC Medical Systems to merge with GE Medical)
October 1, 1999... GE Medical beating path to device maker's door Building a better mousetrap will send the world beating a path to your door. Building a better C-arm will send corporate giants looking to gobble up your company. In May, 1999, OEC...

ECRI's Health Devices Sourcebook offers updates.
October 1, 1999... For thousands of materials managers, purchasing and device and med-surg professionals, the Health Devices Sourcebook (HDS) is the first place to look for medical device and supplier information. ECRI, Plymouth Meeting, Pa., will make the 22nd...

Natl. Directory of Physicians Organizations offers personnel, demographic, market info.
October 1, 1999... More than 2,650 physician organizations, ranging from independent practice associations, physician-hospital organizations, practice management companies and management service organizations, are profiled in the new edition of The National...

M&A activity in health care services leveled off during 2nd quarter 1999.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
October 1, 1999... Irving Levin Associates, Inc., New Canaan, Conn., reports that the health care merger and acquisition (M&A) market for the second quarter of 1999 was down 5%, at 190, from the previous quarter's 200. Compared to the second quarter of 1998,...

U.S. healthcare spending to double over next 10 years.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
October 1, 1999... A report generated by a projection team of the U.S. government says that national expenditures for health (NEH) will approach $2.2 trillion by 2008, almost doubling current output. The report was produced by the National Health...

Medicare managed care enrollment growing despite market withdrawals.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
October 1, 1999... The number of plans serving Medicare beneficiaries, and enrollment in Medicare+Choice plans, continued to grow in the first half of 1999 despite a number of managed care withdrawals and an additional amount of withdrawals expected from certain...

Interest growing, hits going up for drkoop.com, says PC Data.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
October 1, 1999... drkoop.com, Inc., a consumer health care network led by Dr. C. Everett Koop, former U.S. Surgeon General, has announced that PC Data ranks drkoop.com the No. 1 dedicated health care Web site. It recorded an increase in unique users from...

Boston Scientific's new radiation treatment showing promise in race with J&J, Novoste.
October 1, 1999... Boston Scientific's one-time burst of radiation could spark the Natick, Mass., company back into the big time in a new area of coronary treatment that has shown promise for rivals Johnson & Johnson and Novoste Corp. The new technology...

trade show calendartrade show notes Show biz.
October 1, 1999... Editor's Note: If a trade show or expo you are or were involved with increased (or decreased) the number of participants, exhibitors or floor space, let HIT know. We're also interested in your reactions to today's trade shows. Contact...

Early call for abstracts issued.
October 1, 1999... by pacing and electrophysiology society Abstracts are now being accepted for the North American Society of Pacing and Electrophysiology (NASPE) 21st annual scientific sessions. The meeting will be held at the Washington Convention Center...

Medica 99 expecting more than 2,600 exhibitors.
October 1, 1999... Medica 99, International Trade Fair and Congress World Forum for Physicians' Practices and Hospitals, will take place Nov. 17-20 at the fairgrounds in Dusseldorf, Germany. More than 2,600 exhibitors from 54 countries will display their...

Branding, positioning, competitive strategies to be featured at HealthCareAmerica meet.
October 1, 1999... The second National Executive Conference on Branding, Positioning and Competitive Strategy for the Healthcare Industries sponsored by HealthCareAmerica will be held Dec. 9-10, 1999, in Washington, D.C. The conference theme is "Building the...

Start-up symposium plots strategy to bring companies to marketplace.
October 1, 1999... The 1999 Start-Up Symposium to be held Nov. 15-17, 1999, at Dana Point, Calif., is being billed as bringing provocative thinkers in the health care and financial industry together to detail the tactics and technologies that will propel a new...