Hospitals and Health Systems News

IRVING, TX–(Marketwire – September 21, 2010) – VHA Inc., the national health care network, has created a new offering to support members’ efforts to improve patient flow within their organizations. Health care organizations are concerned about efficiently moving patients around and through their facilities because delays and bottlenecks cost money, resources and impact patients’ satisfaction. The Joint Commission expects hospitals to identify barriers to patient flow and to implement solutions that will improve patient flow.

VHA works collectively with hospitals’ multi-disciplinary teams to identify and implement strategies that simplify and improve patient flow using analytics, national benchmarks, a cultural assessment and onsite observations and interviews. Armed with a thorough appraisal gleaned from a wide array of benchmarks for procedure times, length of stay, mortality, complications, co-morbidities and readmission rates, the VHA team pinpoints specific improvement opportunities and creates a plan of action tailored to an organization’s needs.

“Health care organizations searching for a quick fix to patient flow problems have typically focused on their emergency department,” said Nik Fincher, vice president of Purchased Services Sales and Capital for VHA. “While many patient flow inefficiencies are more apparent in the ER, exhibited by diversions, temporarily keeping patients in hallways, patients leaving without being seen, etc., organizations that have developed successful solutions recognize that patient flow is a complex issue that requires a comprehensive, enterprise-wide approach. VHA’s team of experts and portfolio of suppliers offer effective, results-oriented solutions to patient flow problems.”

VHA supports member efforts to streamline operations and enhance workflow by helping members improve patient arrival and transport logistics, patient tracking during their stay, room cleaning, turn time for operating rooms and patient rooms and discharge procedures.

VHA member Sharon (Pa.) Regional Health System engaged VHA supplier Sodexo for various support services and has since added other services including patient transport management.

“We’ve definitely seen increased patient satisfaction with the implementation of our central transport department,” says Sam Kudelko Jr., senior director of Support Services for Sharon Regional. “Patients arrive for their appointments on time, which prevents the snowball effect that happens when one patient runs late. The number of transports handled by nursing has decreased dramatically, allowing nurses to concentrate on patient care — translating into improved quality of care.”

As part of this services solution, VHA provides hospitals and non-acute care facilities with savings opportunities on a broad range of value-added services that help streamline operations, improve staff efficiency, reduce overall costs and assist with HIPAA compliance. For more information on VHA’s Patient Flow Collaborative please visit https://www.vha.com/Solutions/Contracting/Pages/PurchasedServicesOverview.aspx

About VHA — VHA Inc., based in Irving, Texas, is a national network of not-for-profit health care organizations that work together to drive maximum savings in the supply chain arena, set new levels of clinical performance and identify and implement best practices to improve operational efficiency and clinical outcomes. In 2009, VHA delivered record savings and value of $1.47 billion to members. Formed in 1977, through its 16 regional offices, VHA serves 1,400 hospitals and more than 30,000 non-acute care providers nationwide. VHA was ranked by Modern Healthcare as the 7th best place to work in health care in 2009.

BOHEMIA, NY–(Marketwire – September 21, 2010) –  Vycor Medical, Inc. (OTCBB: VYCO) (www.vycormedical.com), a medical device company that designs, develops and markets next generation neurosurgery retraction devices, today announced the appointment of a National Sales Director. Tom Bridges is a veteran sales and marketing executive with over 28 years of experience in the medical device industry. He has a proven track record of success in various markets such as cardiovascular surgery and critical care (American Edwards), neurosurgery (Image-Guided Neurologics, which was acquired by Medtronic, and StarFix), minimally invasive surgery (Unisurge and Innerdyne, which was acquired by US Surgical) and critical blood products (Haemonetics).

“We are delighted that Tom has joined us at Vycor,” commented Kenneth T. Coviello, Vycor Medical, Inc.’s CEO. “He brings tremendous experience in sales of devices critical to surgeons in the operating room, but also his own clinical experience as a US Naval Hospital Corpsman, which have provided him with the ability to build strong relationships with key physicians. Tom has also played a key role in new product development and introduction throughout his career and will continue to contribute in this way.”

ViewSite^™ Brain Access System (VBAS) medical device continues to gain US and international distribution with the addition of several new partners to its worldwide distributor network. In the US: Day Surgical, covering states in the northwest; Focus Group, covering Ohio, Michigan and Kentucky; and Novus Group, covering states in the southwest. Internationally: Xycorp, Inc. in Canada, PO Medica in Scandinavia and Aurora BioScience in Australia. Vycor’s distribution partnerships now cover approximately 70% of the US population and internationally its partnerships also encompass the Benelux, Spain, Italy, Greece, China, Hong Kong, Taiwan and South Korea. Vycor and its partner for China, Devon Medical, Inc., have recently completed the filing with China’s State Food and Drug Administration (SFDA) for the sale of VBAS in China.

“We are very excited with the growing recognition of our ViewSite retractor among highly respected distributors and surgeons,” notes Kenneth T. Coviello, Vycor Medical, Inc.’s CEO.

A paper recently issued by the Department of Neurosurgery, University of Illinois at Chicago, reported that the use of VBAS during brain surgery “provides a unique means of deep visualization and even force distribution of the retracted brain tissue… allowing one to achieve safe access to deep intracerebral lesions and decrease the rate of retraction-related complications.” The paper also states that “although the retractors were originally designed for the removal of deep subcortical tumors they may be used to access and evacuate intracerebral hematomas.” A leading university teaching hospital has also submitted for publication an evaluation paper outlining its clinical experience with VBAS. Vycor anticipates that this will be published shortly.

VBAS was designed to offer better deep brain access by causing less tissue trauma and allows for excellent binocular visualization of the surgical target and surrounding tissue — objectives among neurosurgeons world-wide. Citing the critical need for such an advance, Coviello continues, “Most are shocked to learn that brain retraction technology has not significantly changed in over 50 years. Where other forms of diagnostic and operative procedures have evolved by leaps and bounds, this crucial instrument has remained virtually unchanged. It’s common knowledge among brain surgeons that existing ‘ribbon’ or ‘blade’ retractors can cause brain tissue damage and/or potentially prolonged patient recovery. Given the estimated 600,000 brain surgeries conducted annually worldwide, this is a very significant and sizeable problem that our VBAS is now directly — and aggressively — addressing through a solution that Vycor believes is also fiscally sound.”

About Vycor Medical, Inc.
With corporate headquarters in Bohemia, NY, Vycor Medical, Inc. (OTCBB: VYCO) is a medical device company committed to making brain, spinal and other surgical procedures safer and more effective. The company’s flagship, Patent Pending ViewSite™ Surgical Access Systems represent an exciting new breed of retraction technology that holds the potential for speedier, safer and more economical brain, spinal and other surgeries and a quicker patient discharge. Vycor’s innovative medical instruments are designed to optimize neurosurgical site access, reduce patient risk, accelerate recovery, and add tangible value to the professional medical community. Vycor is ISO 13485:2003 compliant, has FDA 510(K) clearance for brain and spine surgeries, and CE marketing and HPB licensing in Canada. 

For the latest information on the company, including media and other coverage, and to learn more, please go online at www.VycorMedical.com.

Safe Harbor Statement
Information in this document constitute forward-looking statements or statements which may be deemed or construed to be forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. The words “forecast,” “anticipate,” “estimate,” “project,” “intend,” “expect,” “should,” “believe,” and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements involve, and are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which could cause Vycor Medical’s actual results, performance (financial or operating) or achievements to differ from the future results, performance (financial or operating) or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. The risks, uncertainties and other factors are more fully discussed in Vycor Medical’s filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. All forward-looking statements attributable to Vycor Medical herein are expressly qualified in their entirety by the abovementioned cautionary statement. Vycor Medical disclaims any obligation to update forward-looking statements contained in this estimate, except as may be required by law.

SAN FRANCISCO, CA–(Marketwire – September 21, 2010) –  Pebble Project National Conference — AeroScout, the leading provider of Unified Asset Visibility for the healthcare industry, today announced that Laguna Honda Hospital & Rehabilitation Center has deployed AeroScout’s Patient Safety, Staff Safety and Asset Tracking solutions at its state-of-the-art skilled nursing facility set to open later this year. The AeroScout solutions are part of Laguna Honda’s initiative to create the safest possible environment, while providing its residents with an open lifestyle that fosters community and independence. At a conference today hosted by the Center for Health Design on the latest advances and best practices in healthcare design, Laguna Honda will showcase its new facility, including its AeroScout Wi-Fi RTLS implementation, as a model for leading organizations from around the country to learn from and emulate.

Operated by the San Francisco Department of Public Health, Laguna Honda Hospital & Rehabilitation Center provides skilled nursing and rehabilitation services to a diverse, safety net population. Located on a 62-acre campus, it is one of the largest acute care skilled nursing facilities in the United States and represents extensive commitments by the city to therapeutic care for seniors and adults with disabilities.

In 2003, the city broke ground on the construction of a complete replacement of the main Laguna Honda facility. The vision for the new 500,000 square-foot facility was to provide housing and community-style living, with the highest level of independence, for Laguna Honda’s hundreds of residents by constructing the most technologically advanced, efficient, flexible, humane and natural facility in the world. In planning the project, Laguna Honda incorporated many advanced concepts derived from evidence-based design, recognizing the significant benefits it would have on the health and quality of life of residents.

Assisted by AeroScout’s Professional Services team, Laguna Honda implemented AeroScout’s Patient Safety solution at the new facility, including three residential buildings, to provide an additional level of safety for residents with cognitive impairments, such as Alzheimer’s. The potential for people with advanced dementia to put themselves in harm’s way make AeroScout’s RTLS solutions a particularly important part of Laguna Honda’s quality of care.

“Our goal is to provide the safest and most therapeutic environment, while encouraging independence and freedom of movement across the 62-acre campus,” said Larry Funk, Associate Administrator at Laguna Honda. “AeroScout impressed our selection committee with its unparalleled experience in the healthcare market and was the overwhelming choice of the participants. In addition, the intuitiveness of their many applications made it the unanimous choice among our clinician panel.”

With the consent of residents and their families, people who need an additional level of safety will wear AeroScout Wi-Fi Wristband Tags, which allow caregivers to determine their location quickly. In three residential buildings, the AeroScout solution is integrated with the Access Control systems, and it also triggers voice commands if residents approach certain exit points. The verbal messages remind residents in their native language not to leave their household or neighborhood by themselves. If a resident continues alone beyond these points, appropriate caregivers receive alerts via VoIP phones, pagers and AeroScout’s Instant Notifier application, which delivers pop-up windows on workstations.

In addition to displaying the location of the resident, the AeroScout solution shows a photo to help caregivers identify the person in need of assistance. The AeroScout solution leverages Laguna Honda’s Cisco Unified Wireless Network, and because the system is linked to the City of San Francisco’s network infrastructure, Laguna Honda has future plans to locate residents who need help anywhere in the city where network coverage is available, such as at bus and train stations.

Laguna Honda has also implemented AeroScout’s Staff Safety solution to help provide the safest possible environment at the new facility. The solution includes 1,400 Wi-Fi Badge Tags with call buttons, which are worn by caregivers. When a button is pressed, the solution routes notifications or emergency alerts to the appropriate team members.

Laguna Honda is currently deploying an additional AeroScout application to help with operational goals of improving the efficiency of asset management, increasing equipment utilization and ensuring that clinicians have the medical equipment they need when and where it is needed. AeroScout’s Healthcare Asset Tracking solution will help Laguna Honda staff monitor and optimize 3,000 pieces of critical equipment, including specialized beds, EKG machines, crash carts, diagnostic units and portable x-ray machines.

“Laguna Honda created a remarkable design achievement that will not only benefit its residents and community, but also sets the standard for patient safety and care that benefits the entire healthcare industry,” said Gabi Daniely, Vice President of Marketing and Product Strategy at AeroScout. “Laguna Honda has incorporated AeroScout’s Patient Safety solution into its business processes and integrated with its information systems, resulting in a seamless solution. We are proud to be part of this nationally-acclaimed project and to help this important organization in our local area meet its goals.”

About Laguna Honda Hospital & Rehabilitation Center
Laguna Honda is an acute care skilled nursing and rehabilitation center owned and operated by the San Francisco Department of Public Health. It provides personalized, culturally competent services to a diverse safety net population of 780 residents. Among its innovative programs are:

• An award-winning restorative care program

• The San Francisco Bay Area’s only HIV/AIDS skilled nursing program

• Monolingual care in Chinese and Spanish

• A safe and comfortable environment for people with Alzheimer’s and other dementias

• Rehabilitative services that include physical therapy, occupational therapy, speech therapy, and audiology

• Programming for adults with developmental disabilities

• An in-house hospice

• Care that combines medical and social support for people coping with the effects of stroke, traumatic brain injury and multiple sclerosis

About AeroScout
AeroScout is the market leader in Unified Asset Visibility solutions. Customers improve operational efficiency using AeroScout products that leverage standard Wi-Fi networks to track and manage the location, condition and status of mobile assets and people. AeroScout’s global customer base consists of leading hospital, manufacturing and logistics organizations, including many of the Fortune 500. The company invented the first Wi-Fi-based Active RFID tag, and today is widely recognized as leading the market in number of deployments and tags shipped. Headquartered in Redwood City, California, AeroScout has offices in Europe, the Middle East, Asia, Australia and Latin America. For more information, please visit www.aeroscout.com.

AeroScout is a registered trademark of AeroScout, Inc. Information is subject to change without notice.

NEW YORK, NY–(Marketwire – September 21, 2010) – Allied Healthcare International Inc. (NASDAQ: AHCI), a leading provider of flexible healthcare staffing services in the United Kingdom, announced today that Sandy Young, the Company’s Chief Executive Officer, will be presenting at the Jefferies 2010 Global SpecPharma and European Healthcare Conference to be held October 5-6, 2010 at the Waldorf Hilton in London.

Allied’s presentation is scheduled for Wednesday, October 6, at 4:30 p.m. UK Time.

The presentation will be webcast live and will be available on the Investors section of Allied’s website at www.alliedhealthcare.com. For those who are not available to listen to the live broadcast, the presentation will be archived.

About Allied Healthcare International Inc.
Allied Healthcare International Inc. is a leading provider of flexible healthcare staffing services in the United Kingdom. Allied operates a community-based network of approximately 115 branches with the capacity to provide carers (known as home health aides in the U.S.), nurses, and specialized medical personnel to locations covering approximately 90% of the U.K. population. Allied meets the needs of private patients, community care, nursing and care homes, and hospitals. For more news and information please visit: www.alliedhealthcare.com.

WINCHESTER, CA–(Marketwire – September 20, 2010) –  Thousands of American men and women have been called to duty, bound for Afghanistan and Iraq since the global War on Terror began, with many having since returned home injured or disabled. For them, the road to recovery can be a long and arduous one. Simple daily activities once accomplished with ease now require planning and effort. Recreational pursuits once enjoyed are now distant memories of a time without disability.

But for some recently injured veterans, sports and activities they once thought were beyond their grasp are now within reach thanks to the Department of Veterans Affairs’ (VA) cutting edge use of adaptive sports medicine and rehabilitation in its third annual National Veterans Summer Sports Clinic.

The Clinic will be held September 19-25 in San Diego, and is aimed at introducing newly injured veterans to adaptive sports. Events include adaptive kayaking, sailing, track & field, cycling and surfing. What makes this rehabilitative event even more successful is that VA includes in the participation of the veterans’ sporting activities spouses or significant others, children and in some cases care givers.

VA is teaming up with founding sponsors Help Hospitalized Veterans (HHV) and the Veterans Canteen Service (VCS) to provide this exciting event along with many other national and community sponsors. The event is hosted by the VA San Diego Health Care System. “VA’s unique approach in ‘treating the whole family’ by including them in Summer Sports Clinic activities demonstrates to the veterans that they can indeed have an active and rewarding leisure lifestyle which their families can enjoy with them. HHV’s mission is to provide products and services that have a therapeutic and rehabilitative benefit to our nation’s hospitalized veterans. Miracles happen here and we are proud to be part of it,” said Mike Lynch, HHV President and CEO.

HHV provides free therapeutic arts & crafts kits to VA and military hospitals worldwide, with over 25 million kits donated since HHV’s inception. For more information about HHV’s programs & services for veteran patients visit www.hhv.org or call 888-567-VETS.

Documents and/or Photos available for this release:

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To view supporting documents and/or photos, go to www.enr-corp.com/pressroom and enter Release ID: 271023

TORONTO–(Marketwire – September 20, 2010) –  Patient Prompt, a leader in patient communication technology since 2004, has just completed an in-depth analysis of over a six year period to determine the effectiveness of traditional appointment reminder systems and how advancements in patient communication technology can play an important role in improving patients’ lives and reducing costs for healthcare practices.

Patient Prompt™ analyzed millions of reminder calls on behalf of a variety of group and specialty practices. As a result, new “Best Practice Protocols” were developed. These reminder protocols are specifically tailored to produce the optimum results for the practice.

The result has been a 97% success rate in appointment confirmations with fewer hang ups, reduced patient cancellations, and increased revenue for the practice. Patient Prompt™ “Best Practice Protocols” can play an important role in providing more effective Preventative Care Programs, as well as Patient Compliance Programs.

Patient Prompt™ first revolutionized patient communication in 2004 by introducing its patented “Seamless Two Way Technology™” designed to integrate directly with existing practice scheduling systems to provide real time appointment confirmations. Two years later Patient Prompt™ introduced “Smart Calling Technology™” to reduce the number attempts necessary to reach and confirm patient appointments. 

“Since our inception, our goal has been to provide health care practices with the most effective patient communication tool in the industry. This comprehensive analysis reinforces our belief that traditional automated appointment reminder applications just don’t work. Patient Prompt™ is the culmination of years of research and development. As a long time supporter of the MGMA, we look forward to discussing our findings with its members at the upcoming annual convention in New Orleans in October,” said Jeremy Greven — President & CEO, Patient Prompt™ / Prompt Alert Inc.

About Patient Prompt:

Patient Prompt™ is a product of Prompt Alert Inc. a privately owned technology solution provider specializing in patient communication in the healthcare sector. Established in 2004, Prompt Alert Inc. introduced its highly successful patient communication tool, Patient Prompt™ to service enterprise level practices seeking a customized, flexible, and fully scalable automated patient communication tool. Since its launch, Patient Prompt™ has been the fastest growing patient communication tool in North America, servicing a wide variety of group practices and specialties such as, Cardiology, Gastroenterology, Endoscopy, Orthopedics, Nephrology, and Oncology.

For further information regarding Patient Prompt visit:

www.patientprompt.com or call toll free 1.800.417.9486

BIRMINGHAM, UNITED KINGDOM–(Marketwire – Sept. 20, 2010) – If you think hair loss is a condition which only affects men when they hit their 50s, think again, as more than a third of 25 to 35-year-old females suffer from the devastating condition.

There are a number of reasons why premature hair loss is now increasingly common in women, including crash dieting, low iron levels, hormone changes post-pregnancy and certain medications.

Genes also play a part, with the likelihood of bald patches increasing if a woman’s mother also has thin hair and for many, it can have a profound effect.

Leading psychologist Dr Linda Papadopoulos said: “In our culture, hair is bound up in notions of womanhood and sexual attractiveness. Plus, we live in such an appearance-driven society that our looks often become one of the largest factors contributing to our self-esteem”

We all naturally lose between 50 to 100 strands of hair a day, but how can you know when you are losing too much?

The simplest way to judge excess shedding is if you see more hairs than usual falling on a daily basis – over a period of at least a month. Often a change of diet can restore hair back to its former glory, but don’t despair, if eating well still doesn’t help, there are a number of cutting edge treatments available at The Hospital Group.

The Hospital Group carry out more hair transplant procedures than anyone else in the UK, using the very latest Follicular Unit Techniques and non-surgical therapies. 

Leading hair transplant surgeon, Dr Peter Williams from The Hospital Group said: “For both women and men the loss of hair can be a very emotional experience but The Hospital Group can provide expert advice with experienced hair transplant surgeons.

“Hair transplants are becoming increasingly popular and the techniques used have advanced substantially. At The Hospital Group only state-of-the-art techniques are used to achieve the best possible results and men and women are now keen to benefit from the amazing results of hair restoration that are on offer.”

Providing expert advice and assistance, The Hospital Group carries out more hair transplantations than any other clinic in the UK, recognising that hair restoration is an art just as much as a surgical procedure.

Since The Hospital Group was established in 1992, it has grown from a small pharmaceutical company to one of the UK’s foremost weight loss surgery and cosmetic surgery providers.

For further information of The Hospital Group’s range of surgical procedures, surgery-seekers should visit the website www.thehospitalgroup.org or call our patient care coordinators on 0845 762 6727.

POMONA, CA–(Marketwire – September 17, 2010) –  Renowned author Ray Bradbury will make a special appearance at Western University of Health Sciences on Friday, Oct. 8, 2010 as part of Pomona’s “Fahrenheit 451” Big Read.

Ray Bradbury and Sam Weller, his authorized biographer, will appear at WesternU’s Health Education Center, 701 E. Second St., Pomona, Calif., from 6 to 9 p.m. Oct. 8 to discuss “The Bradbury Chronicles” and the newly released “Listen to the Echoes: The Ray Bradbury Interviews.”

“An Evening with Ray Bradbury and Sam Weller” will feature an interactive program with the two men, and is a rare opportunity to meet one of America’s most celebrated authors. A reception will be held at 6 p.m., with a book signing following the program.

Bradbury will sign copies of “Fahrenheit 451,” and Weller will sign copies of “The Bradbury Chronicles” and “Listen to the Echoes: The Ray Bradbury Interviews.” No other books, CDs, DVDs or memorabilia of any kind, please.

This event, which is open to the public, serves as the kick-off for Pomona’s “Fahrenheit 451” Big Read. Everyone in the community is invited to read the novel “Fahrenheit 451” and share in the numerous discussions, film screenings, art exhibits and other events scheduled throughout October and November. Event details and updates are available on the Pomona Public Library web page (www.pomonalibrary.org) and here (http://www.neabigread.org/communities/?community_id=2024), or call the Pomona Public Library at 909-620-2043.

The goal of the Big Read is to restore reading to the center of American culture and highlight the importance of literature in daily life. The Big Read, a program of the National Endowment for the Arts, aims to directly address the decline of reading for pleasure by providing citizens with an opportunity to read and discuss a single book within their community.

WesternU’s Harriet K. and Philip Pumerantz Library, 287 E. Third St., Pomona, will feature a special display of controversial medical books and some consumer health books that have been banned, as well as “Fahrenheit 451” and other fiction. The “Banned Books Display” will remind students and visitors not to take freedom for granted. The display runs Sept. 25 to Oct. 31, 2010.

DALLAS, TX–(Marketwire – September 17, 2010) –  RxAir™ Industries, LLC (RxAir™), a leading manufacturer of patented air purification and isolation systems and accessories for medical and hospitality facilities nationwide, announced today that Global Protection will be showcasing RxAir’s products at the Disaster Planning for California Hospitals Conference in Sacramento, CA, September 21^st – 23^rd, 2010 at the Sacramento Convention Center and Hyatt Regency in Booths 62 & 63 http://www.calhospital.org/disasterplanning. The conference is organized by the California Hospital Association (CHA) http://www.calhospital.org/, which collaborates with its members to provide strong and effective representation and advocacy to advance the interests of California hospitals, patients and communities.

Global Protection is a proud distributor of RxAir’s products. Global Protection’s sales force will be available at the conference to discuss the features and benefits as well as answer questions about RxAir’s products. To set up a private one-on-one meeting to learn more about how RxAir’s products can benefit your hospital, please contact Jack Denker, Dir. of Sales for Global Protection, at [email protected].

About RxAir™ Industries, LLC
RxAir Industries, LLC (RxAir™) is a leading manufacturer of patented air purification systems and accessories for medical and hospitality facilities nationwide. The Company’s patented technologies originated more than 15 years ago through a partnership with Baylor Biomedical Services in Dallas, TX. RxAir™ air purification systems utilize HEPA filtration technologies enabling the filtration of air at high levels of efficiency, exceeding 99.97%, comply with NIOSH & CDC recommendations and are certified to UL electrical safety standards. RxAir™ air purification systems are manufactured in the USA. For more information about RxAir™ air purification systems and accessories please visit http://www.rxair.com.

About Global Protection
Global Protection offers Preparedness products which include: Protective Suits, Gas Masks, Air Purification and a variety of equipment used for protection against Domestic Emergencies. US government agencies, Police and Fire First responders, HealthCare companies, and individuals rely on Global to provide the leading products to protect against potential pandemics, chemical warfare agents, biological warfare, and terrorist threats such as Anthrax, Smallpox, and Nerve Gas. For more information please visit http://www.globalprotectionllc.com.

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POCATELLO, ID–(Marketwire – September 16, 2010) –  TetriDyn Solutions, Inc. (OTCBB: TDYS), announced today that it has delivered a proven virtualization solution targeted specifically for hospital environments like Harms Memorial Hospital in American Falls, Idaho. The virtualization solution is built using the industry’s leading platforms for its customers to achieve energy savings, faster application and service delivery, full IT management automation, and higher levels of business continuity.

Virtualization improves the efficiency of IT resources by eliminating “one physical server to one application paradigm” by running multiple virtual machines on each physical machine. A typical datacenter’s budget spends two-thirds of the budget maintaining existing infrastructure needs. Using virtual machines, virtualization delivers more efficiency and better response to the dynamic needs of an organization. Servers, applications, and desktops can be virtualized in minutes, deploying when and wherever they are needed.

The design for the Harm’s virtual environment was developed after an initial assessment of the existing infrastructure was developed as a baseline. After securing grant resources from the State of Idaho specifically identified for improving business and revenue flow for critical access hospitals, TetriDyn and Harms began designing Harms’ new high-efficiency virtual environment. Susan Barger, Director of Development at Harms, stated, “TetriDyn Solutions provided us with the technical information enabling us to win a grant that solidified our infrastructure in preparation for the inevitable EMR implementation.”

TetriDyn’s IT Services department guided Harms by providing education and experience through the design, securing the best purchase prices, and implementing the right virtualization technology for their environment. The results were dramatic. Infrastructure servers are now fully leveraged by increasing their utilization. Servers were consolidated, reducing points of failure, all while achieving more energy-efficiency for a greener environment.

TetriDyn adheres closely to following the system engineering lifecycle for producing successful technology implementations. The end goals of which are to ensure that the customer’s needs or requirements are met and the project risk is substantially reduced.

About TetriDyn Solutions, Inc.
TetriDyn Solutions, Inc. (OTCBB: TDYS) specializes in providing business information technology (IT) solutions to its customers. TetriDyn Solutions optimizes business and IT processes by utilizing systems engineering methodologies, strategic planning, and system integration to add efficiencies and value to its customers’ business processes and to help its customers identify critical success factors in their business. For more information about the company, visit www.tetridyn.com.

RIVERSIDE, CA–(Marketwire – September 16, 2010) –  ONRAD, Inc., a leading radiology services provider, announces support for the National Rural Health Association (NRHA) by exhibiting at the Critical Access Hospital and Rural Health Clinic Conference in Kansas City, MO. 

Visit ONRAD at booth #221 to learn about the company’s complete teleradiology solution for critical access facilities, which can include standard teleradiology services, subspecialty teleradiology interpretations, professional radiology staffing, and technology consulting.

As a national radiology services provider, ONRAD’s team understands the challenges associated with staffing radiologists in rural locations. “ONRAD’s technology allows the radiology group to provide services to any location,” said Dr. Alix Vincent, Vice President of Medical Affairs at ONRAD. “We are even able to offer subspecialty expertise in the most difficult to staff areas including MSK and mammography.” 

“It is important that all patients have access to quality radiology services, regardless of where they are located, and ONRAD will continue to offer turnkey solutions to critical access hospitals at the most competitive prices,” said Dr. Vincent of the company’s dedication to working with rural facilities across the U.S.

About ONRAD: ONRAD is a full service physician-owned radiology provider offering customized radiology services including teleradiology solutions, professional radiology staffing, subspecialty teleradiology interpretations, and technology consulting. As a partner, ONRAD helps its customers be more competitive in their local markets by complementing and expanding the radiology services already in place, or providing a comprehensive solution.

About NRHA: The National Rural Health Association (NRHA) is a national nonprofit membership organization with more than 20,000 members. The association’s mission is to provide leadership on rural health issues. NRHA membership consists of a diverse collection of individuals and organizations, all of whom share the common bond of an interest in rural health.

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NORTHFIELD, IL–(Marketwire – September 16, 2010) – 50 million Americans live in rural areas, and accessing healthcare when they need it can be challenging and costly. Complicating matters is that individuals living in these areas have a higher prevalence of chronic health conditions, such as heart failure and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).

To combat this challenge, Pharos Innovations, the provider of unique IVR and Web-based remote patient monitoring/behavior change technology, has partnered with South Jersey Healthcare (SJH)-a leading regional healthcare provider in southern New Jersey that serves a largely rural and hard to reach population — to improve access to care and care quality for patients with heart failure. Pharos and SJH today announced that, due to the program’s success, they are expanding the Tel-Assurance program to include the monitoring and management of patients with COPD.

Through the current heart failure program, SJH reduced hospital admissions by 60% for enrolled patients, reduced healthcare costs for the enrolled population by $1,203 per patient and achieved an 83% patient satisfaction rate — proving that a technology-leveraged chronic care management program can penetrate diverse geographies, including low socioeconomic groups, to improve access to care and quality of life and reduce healthcare costs.

“We have seen first-hand the impact that regular monitoring and management through Tel-Assurance can have on patients with heart failure, especially those who live in rural areas, and on improving outcomes and organizational performance,” said Dr. Steve Linn, Chief Medical Officer, South Jersey Healthcare. “We are expanding our partnership to afford our patients with COPD the same benefits and see an even greater reduction in avoidable hospital readmissions.

“One of the great values of Tel-Assurance is that it consistently and sustainably reduces average length of stays and readmissions; improves care access and quality and improves patient and care manager satisfaction for a multitude of chronic and costly conditions across various geographies and demographics,” said Randall E. Williams, CEO, Pharos Innovations. “We designed Tel-Assurance to reach even the most challenging populations and easily scale.”

About South Jersey Healthcare
SJH is a nonprofit, integrated health care system, providing access to a continuum of health services. SJH provides hospital services, numerous community health clinics, home health services, and specialty services, which serve the medical and health care needs of Southern New Jersey residents.

About Pharos Innovations
Pharos Innovations is actively involved in transforming the U.S. healthcare delivery system. Pharos offers IVR and Web-based behavior change services and tools that enable payers and providers to cost-effectively and efficiently manage their chronic care population.

Pharos’ main offering, Tel-Assurance, engages, motivates and drives improved self-care. Through Tel-Assurance, participants self-report their health status daily through the phone or Web. This unique approach actively engages individuals with chronic conditions in their healthcare and provides care managers/nurses with real-time information to intervene before symptoms escalate. Tel-Assurance has been proven an effective way to reduce avoidable, all-cause hospital admissions and readmissions and reduce overall healthcare costs among diverse populations.

The Pharos’ solution is strongly validated to show measured clinical improvement and financial impact, is the recipient of the prestigious American Heart Association National Outcomes award and was selected for the first ever National Institutes of Health (NIH) sponsored evaluation of remote monitoring interventions. For more information visit www.pharosinnovations.com or join in on the discussion at our blog, www.thecollaborativeforum.com.

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WAYNE, PA–(Marketwire – September 16, 2010) –  Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute (CLSI) recently published a document, “Methods for Antimicrobial Dilution and Disk Susceptibility Testing of Infrequently Isolated or Fastidious Bacteria; Approved Guideline — Second Edition” (M45-A2). This document provides guidance to clinical or public health microbiology laboratories for standardized susceptibility testing of infrequently isolated or fastidious bacteria that are not presently included in CLSI documents “Performance Standards for Antimicrobial Disk Susceptibility Tests” (M02) or “Methods for Dilution Antimicrobial Susceptibility Tests for Bacteria That Grow Aerobically“ (M07).

Franklin R. Cockerill, III, MD, Mayo Clinic College of Medicine, and chairholder of the Subcommittee on Antimicrobial Susceptibility Testing, says, “This important document compiles a number of guidelines for antimicrobial testing of fastidious or rarely encountered bacteria that cause human disease. Because no other document like this has existed, it fills a significant void in laboratory practice that has existed for many years.”

James H. Jorgensen, PhD, The University of Texas Health Science Center, and chairholder of the working group that developed the guideline, explains, “This second edition of the guideline includes several organisms and groups previously included in the main CLSI M100 supplement tables published each year. In the future, those less common or fastidious organisms will be found only in M45. This document provides the microbiologist with expert advice regarding when and how to test organisms that may only be recovered from certain patients or on an infrequent basis. This update allows us to include the revised cephalosporin interpretive breakpoints from the Enterobacteriaceae from M100 for testing and reporting with Aeromonas and Vibrio species.”

The tabular information in the document presents the most current information for drug selection, interpretation, and quality control for the infrequently isolated or fastidious bacterial pathogens included in the guideline.

CLSI is a volunteer-driven, membership-supported, nonprofit organization dedicated to developing standards and guidelines for the health care and medical testing community through a consensus process that balances the perspectives of industry, government, and the health care professions. For additional information, visit the CLSI website at www.clsi.org or call 610.688.0100.

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UTICA, NY–(Marketwire – September 15, 2010) –  CONMED Corporation (NASDAQ: CNMD), a medical technology company specializing in medical devices for surgical and patient monitoring markets, announced today that the Company will participate in the UBS Global Life Sciences Conference, on Monday, September 20, 2010 at 2:00 PM Eastern time. The event will be held in New York at the Grand Hyatt Hotel.

Mr. Joseph J. Corasanti, President and Chief Executive Officer of CONMED, will discuss the Company’s business. The live webcast of CONMED’s presentation will be available at www.conmed.com in the Investor Relations – Events Calendar section of the website and will be available for replay through September 30, 2010.

CONMED Profile

CONMED is a medical technology company with an emphasis on surgical devices and equipment for minimally invasive procedures and patient monitoring. The Company’s products serve the clinical areas of sports medicine-arthroscopy, powered surgical instruments, electrosurgery, cardiac monitoring disposables, endosurgery and endoscopic technologies. Surgeons and physicians in a variety of specialties including orthopedics, general surgery, gynecology, neurosurgery, and gastroenterology use the Company’s medical devices. Headquartered in Utica, New York, the Company’s 3,300 employees distribute its products worldwide from several manufacturing locations.

Forward Looking Information

Certain statements made in the presentation may constitute forward-looking statements. The forward-looking statements are made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and relate to the Company’s performance on a going-forward basis. They will be based upon management’s expectations and involve risks and uncertainties which could cause actual results, performance or trends, to differ materially from those expressed in the forward-looking statements therein or in previous disclosures. The Company believes that all forward-looking statements made by it have a reasonable basis, but there can be no assurance that management’s expectations, beliefs or projections as expressed in the forward-looking statements will actually occur or prove to be correct. In addition to general industry and economic conditions, factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those discussed in the forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to: (i) the failure of any one or more of management’s assumptions to prove to be correct; (ii) the risks relating to forward-looking statements discussed in the Company’s filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2009 and Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q; (iii) cyclical purchasing patterns from customers, end-users and dealers; (iv) timely release of new products, and acceptance of such new products by the market; (v) the introduction of new products by competitors and other competitive responses; (vi) the possibility that any new acquisition (and its integration) or other transaction may require the Company to reconsider its financial assumptions and goals/targets; (vii) increasing costs for raw material, transportation, or litigation; and/or (viii) the Company’s ability to devise and execute strategies to respond to market conditions.

CAMBRIDGE, MA–(Marketwire – September 15, 2010) –  BestNursingDegree.com, a comprehensive online resource for nursing education, today announced the recipients of the 2010 “Back to School” Nursing Scholarships.

Scholarships of $2,500 each were awarded to one current registered nurse enrolling in an RN to BSN program, and one aspiring registered nurse enrolling in a second degree nursing program. The winners, chosen from a pool of over 600 applicants, are Adelpha Abrahamson Larkin of San Carlos, California, and Sheryll Brown of Tallahassee, Florida. Recipients were selected on the basis of a number of factors, including academic achievements and extracurricular activities. “We are pleased to congratulate Adelpha and Sheryll on winning the scholarships,” said Joseph Deal, the founder of BestNursingDegree.com. “We had a large pool of well-qualified applicants, and we wish all of them the best of luck in their studies.”

The scholarship was created in response to the ongoing nursing shortage and is an effort to enable more students to pursue nursing education. The program was administered by Scholarship America, the nation’s premier administrator of private scholarships. The application process for the next round of the “Back to School” Nursing Scholarships will begin in March 2011.

About BestNursingDegree.com:

BestNursingDegree.com strives to be the most comprehensive nursing education resource on the Web. Its directory includes more than 7,700 on-campus and online nursing degree programs from more than 2,300 schools across the United States. The website also features expert articles, interviews and career information. For more information, please visit www.bestnursingdegree.com.

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ALISO VIEJO, CA–(Marketwire – September 15, 2010) –  ExtendCredit.com, an online provider of customer financing plans for small and mid-sized businesses, today announced a new program designed to help Veterinarians and Animal Hospitals looking for an alternative to conventional third-party financing offer their own extended payment terms to pet owners. ExtendCredit.com is seeking to enroll veterinarians and animal hospitals in ExtendCredit.com’s Pet Healthcare Payment Plan program while also educating pet owners to ask their pet’s doctor or local animal hospital to offer affordable payment plans for pet healthcare.

Veterinarians and animal hospital administrators can sign up for the new program at www.extendcredit.com/petcare-credit.html or by calling (888) 364-2808.

“We recognize that pets are part of the family, and like any family member, pets sometimes need an emergency medical procedure to relieve suffering from a very treatable illness or injury,” said Joe Simrell, Co-President, ExtendCredit.com. “But unlike other family members, pets aren’t covered by the family’s medical insurance and pet insurance typically does not cover enough of the bill. In today’s tough economy, pet owners face hard choices about how they intend to pay for an emergency surgical procedure for their pet. Using a veterinarian or animal hospital that offers our payment plan program, they can get authorized for the procedure and pay for it without breaking their budget.”

According to Simrell, most pet owners have no plan for dealing with a serious health issue for their pet or pets. Those that do, and use conventional third party financing or have a pet insurance plan, find that those options are often inadequate for their needs. He notes conventional third party financing approval rates have dropped off as the credit markets have tightened. Only a small number of those who apply for these programs today are eligible and most have to have a high credit score to qualify. And even then, only certain procedures are covered. With ExtendCredit.com’s Pet Healthcare Payment Plan program, extended payment terms are mutually agreed upon between the veterinarian/animal hospital and the pet owner and ExtendCredit.com handles everything from there.

When there’s a pet health emergency, usually from a pet that’s been struck by a car, most animal hospitals charge $100 to $300 for an examination fee. A surgical procedure can range $500 to $5,000 depending on the ailment. There’s an old expression: “can’t afford the Vet, can’t afford the pet.” For pet owners suddenly faced with an unexpected veterinarian bill, ExtendCredit.com’s advice is to ask about financing plans up front. And to encourage their Veterinarian and Animal Hospital to use ExtendCredit.com’s automated payment plan service.

While pet owners consider their pets part of the family, in the eyes of the law, a pet is property. But unlike having a watch or TV set repaired, Veterinarians and Animal Hospitals release pets to their owners when they are well enough to go home. It’s then very difficult to make sure a pet owner pays the cost of the pet’s care. With ExtendCredit.com payment plans, the pet owner gets a payment they can afford, while veterinarians and animal hospitals can earn additional revenue through modest finance charges.

Click here to watch a short video about the program, or to sign up for the program, Veterinarians and Animal Hospital administrators can go to www.extendcredit.com/petcare-credit.html or call (888) 364-2808.

About ExtendCredit.com
Based in Southern California, ExtendCredit.com is a fully automated, online service that makes it easy for small and mid-sized businesses to create and manage their own payment plans for professional services and products.

ExtendCredit.com puts the business in control of their customer financing making it an effective, affordable, easy-to-use alternative to the high cost and complexity of bank and credit card lending in today’s tightened credit market. Businesses control the terms offered and who gets approved, while ExtendCredit.com provides all the tools needed to be successful, stay in control, and fully comply with lending laws.

ExtendCredit.com is used by businesses throughout the United States, most notably in the healthcare, animal care, services, and retail industries. ExtendCredit.com is a division of BillWise, Inc., and is headquartered in Aliso Viejo, California. More information is available at www.extendcredit.com.

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LONDON, ENGLAND–(Marketwire – Sept. 15, 2010) – George Michael’s accident highlights the possible dangers of driving with cannabinoids in the blood. Under UK law this in itself is not an offence, however, if the driver is impaired due to the cannabinoids, then this creates an offence.

The UK has recently approved the use of a cannabinoid spray for the treatment of spasticity in patients with Multiple Sclerosis. 

The Summary of Product Characteristics of this compound, which is the information that the regulatory authority approves to give to doctors, states in relation to Sativex and driving that ‘Sativex may produce undesirable effects such as dizziness and somnolence which may impair judgement and performance of skilled tasks. Patients should not drive, operate machinery or engage in any hazardous activity if they are experiencing any significant CNS effects such as dizziness or somnolence. Patients should be aware that Sativex has been known to cause a few cases of loss of consciousness’.

The Patient Information Leaflet which patients are given says that ‘You must not drive or use machinery when you first start to take Sativex and until you are established on a stable daily dose. Sativex may cause you to feel sleepy or dizzy, which may impair your judgment and performance of skilled tasks. It has also rarely been reported to cause a brief loss of consciousness. Once you are more used to taking Sativex and your dose is stable, you should still not drive or use machinery if Sativex causes effects such as sleepiness or dizziness that could impair your ability to perform these tasks. If you are not sure, do not drive or operate machines’.

Dr Malcolm VandenBurg who has given many medico legal opinions involving patients who have been prosecuted for driving with active and inactive cannabinoids in the system has given many opinions for the defence where patients have been prosecuted when their blood only contains inactive cannabinoids and there has been no evidence of impairment states that “thus patients are not told not to drive and the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) seem content with this warning. That is like telling people who have drank alcohol that they are safe to drive unless they themselves feel impaired. How can that be right? 

The argument put forward is that the spray produces such a low concentration and clinical evidence suggests patients are unlikely to be effected, however, plasma levels in some patients reach concentrations which may impair driving skills and it is possible that they will not be aware of this.

The manufactures and MHRA also took into account the research evidence which did not show in many patients substantial impairment. However, some will be impaired. To leave it up to the patient is absurd.” 

Dr Malcolm VandenBurg wonders about the difference between legal Sativex and illegal smoking because as in the UK it is illegal to drive under the influence of substances such as illegal cannabis, it is interesting to know what position the courts will take if patients have accidents while their blood or urine shows they have cannabis in the body related to the prescription medicine.

If they are impaired, it is likely they could be prosecuted. It is interesting to postulate, but not useful as to what view the court will take.

“How can it be legal to drive when impaired after smoking cannabis and not be illegal to drive after using prescription cannabis? The manufacturers and MHRA have created this paradox. They should have warned patients not to drive.” 

Dr Malcolm VandenBurg points out that the product licence holders and the MHRA obviously accept that Sativex may be psychoactive but wonders why these same warnings are not given in the Summary of Product Characteristics and the Patient Information Leaflet, they are clearly different. How can doctors be told something different from patients.

“Despite the obvious psychoactivity of Sativex, the manufacturers and MHRA argue that they have taken the warning from other psychoactive medications such as the benzodiazepines where it is left up to the patient. However, although the warning to doctors is similar, the warning to patients is far more complicated. They thus acknowledge there is some danger. However, this could also be argued to be inadequate and our roads would certainly be safer if there was zero tolerance to both cannabis and benzodiazepines.”

IRVING, TX–(Marketwire – September 14, 2010) – Boston-based Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, one of the East Coast’s most prestigious academic medical centers and a major teaching affiliate of Harvard Medical School, has joined VHA Inc., the national health care network. In joining VHA, BIDMC links with a large and growing network of hospitals and health systems across the country that work together to improve quality, increase efficiencies and control costs.

“Supply costs are the second biggest expense category in our budget. We’re seeking to aggressively manage costs as part of our commitment to provide the best health care possible in a responsible, cost-effective manner,” said Eric Buehrens, executive vice president and chief operating officer at BIDMC. “We are constantly looking to achieve and sustain supply chain excellence.” 

“VHA’s network includes some of the best health care organizations in the nation, so we’re excited to have Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center join,” said Curt Nonomaque, VHA’s president and CEO. “We have a demonstrated track record of helping health care organizations drive clinical and operational improvements and connect with other members to create mutual benefits. We look forward to doing the same for Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center.”

BIDMC began its search for a new health care group purchasing organization in 2009 as the organization considered ways to drive efficiency in response to toughening economic realities and the pending demands of health care reform, said Robert Cherry, vice president of Support Services. He noted that BIDMC spends about $300 million annually on supplies, but expects VHA membership will enable BIDMC to identify and achieve significant savings over the next 18 months on commodity products, pharmaceuticals, their top spend categories overall and endomechanical devices. 

About VHA

VHA Inc., based in Irving, Texas, is a national network of not-for-profit health care organizations that work together to drive maximum savings in the supply chain arena, set new levels of clinical performance and identify and implement best practices to improve operational efficiency and clinical outcomes. Formed in 1977, through its 16 regional offices, VHA serves 1,400 hospitals and more than 30,000 non-acute care providers nationwide. VHA was ranked by Modern Healthcare as the 7th best place to work in health care in 2009.

WASHINGTON, DC–(Marketwire – September 14, 2010) –  ECG Management Consultants, Inc., one of the nation’s premier healthcare management consulting firms, announces the return of Mr. Franklin D. Campbell, Principal, to the company’s Academic Healthcare Division. Mr. Campbell’s return to the firm further expands the breadth and depth of expertise and geographic reach within ECG’s Academic Healthcare Division.

Commenting on the hire, Mr. Stephen F. Messenger, Managing Partner and head of ECG’s Eastern Healthcare practice, said, “It is great to be welcoming back such a talented ECG alum. Frank adds a considerable capability and experience to an already strong team of professionals devoted to the needs of our academic healthcare clients.”

Based in the Washington, D.C., office, Mr. Campbell will focus on academic healthcare/integrated system strategy, finances, and operations. As a proven academic healthcare executive and consultant, his experience includes specific expertise in strategic/business planning, governance and organizational design, financial analysis, and physician/hospital/medical school alignment strategies.

Since departing ECG in 2007, Mr. Campbell most recently served as director within the health industries practice of another national consulting firm focusing exclusively in services to academic medical centers and their component organizations: schools of medicine, teaching hospitals, faculty practice organizations, research organizations, and other academic entities, such as schools of allied or public health. Prior to this, Mr. Campbell served for two years as the senior executive with strategic responsibility for the Temple University Health System and Temple University School of Medicine. During Mr. Campbell’s initial tenure with ECG, he spent 10 years consulting to academic medical centers throughout the United States.

Mr. Campbell holds a master of health administration degree from Washington University School of Medicine and Olin Graduate School of Business and a master of business administration degree, with a concentration in Production and Operations Management, from the University of New Mexico, Robert O. Anderson Graduate School of Management. He completed his bachelor of arts degree at Boston College.

About ECG Management Consultants, Inc.
ECG offers a broad range of strategic, financial, operational, and technology-related consulting services to healthcare providers. As a leader in the industry, ECG provides specialized expertise in developing and implementing innovative and customized solutions that effectively address hospital/physician relationships, strategic and business planning, specialty program development, information technology, and the complexities of the academic healthcare enterprise. ECG has offices in Boston, San Diego, Seattle, St. Louis, and Washington, D.C. For more information, visit www.ecgmc.com.

SKOKIE, IL–(Marketwire – September 14, 2010) –  Sg2, a future-focused health care information company, today announced a multiyear contract with Unity Health System for the EDGE^® Growth System.

Proactively planning for the needs of its patients is critical for Unity to succeed both clinically and operationally — particularly in the reform era. The EDGE Growth System is a combination of local, disease-based forecasts, value-based patient segmentation, monthly data reports, Sg2 expert-led intelligence and ongoing support and guidance. The EDGE System will help Unity identify and achieve smart growth — growth that is clinically appropriate, economically favorable, and sustainable across the full continuum of care.

An integral part of Unity’s strategy is delivering quality care to the appropriate patient in the appropriate setting. It will accomplish this with help from Sg2’s 10-year Impact of Change^® disease-based localized forecast, which projects patient volume by MS-DRG, disease, patient type and service area for both inpatient and outpatient settings — an industry first.

“In today’s economy, local forecasting trends are essential to bottom-line success. As a community hospital, being fiscally responsible is more important than ever and the Sg2 EDGE Growth System will help us determine our smart growth path for the future,” says Wendy Wilts, vice president of strategic planning and business development at Unity Health System. “Our ultimate goal is to provide progressive and sustainable health care to the Rochester community, and the EDGE Growth System will allow us to identify and assess clinically appropriate and financially sound opportunities.”

Unity will also utilize the Sg2 Growth Index™, a score that examines how existing patient mix influences the ability to achieve future growth while meeting or exceeding the needs of the community. This will enable Unity to evaluate its capacity to capture smart growth opportunities at the enterprise, service line and disease levels.

Sg2 Chairman and CEO Michael Sachs says: “The EDGE system will help Unity Health System anticipate patient demand and uncover optimal market opportunities that span all care sites over the next 10 years. With a clinically meaningful view across the care continuum, Unity will be able to identify and achieve smart growth, which is critical in today’s trying economy.”

As an Sg2 EDGE System client, the Rochester, NY-based system has access to a portfolio of resources, including Sg2 University courses, Web seminars, on-site leadership discussions, clinical and strategic publications, expert opinions and networking opportunities. These offerings provide relevant information and thought leadership to support ongoing business initiatives.

About Sg2
Sg2 is a health care information company that provides expert-led, future-focused systems for growth and clinical performance. Our advanced analytics, business intelligence, education and publications deliver measurable value across the full continuum of health care services. Sg2 works with more than 1,000 hospitals and health care organizations in the US and around the globe. For more information, visit www.sg2.com.

About Unity Health System
At Unity Health System you’ll find the friendliest and most compassionate people dedicated to providing the best possible health care experience. We have over 70 locations in Rochester and Monroe County, including Unity Hospital in the town of Greece and the Unity St Mary’s Campus in Rochester. Key programs include our Joint Replacement Center, Family Birth Place, Spine Center, Diabetes Center, Chemical Dependency, and Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation, plus the area’s most comprehensive range of services for older adults. ACM Medical Laboratory is the world’s fifth largest provider of clinical trials testing, with locations in western New York and York, England, as well as lab partnerships across the globe. Our shared commitment to delivering health care the way it should be is reflected in our 98% overall patient satisfaction rating.