Hospitals and Health Systems News

DENVER, CO–(Marketwire – August 3, 2010) –  Microsoft recently published a case study demonstrating how executives at Denver Health increased performance and strategic focus using Microsoft Outlook and productivity models developed by McGhee Productivity Solutions (McGhee).

The case study describes a situation where executives at the helm of a large hospital serving 25 percent of Denver’s population found themselves spending too many hours trying to manage the influx of messages and meeting requests that flow through the medical center each day. Chief Information Officer at Denver Health, Gregory Veltri, stated, “I was working 12-hour days and spending about three and a half hours per day on just e-mail.”

McGhee provided desk-side productivity coaching to executives and their assistants to increase their strategic focus, performance, and work/life balance. The program provided proven theories and models for improving knowledge-worker efficiency, creating behavioral change, and implementing an Integrated Management System using Microsoft Outlook. Results included a more powerful partnership, reductions in non value-added tasks, and an increase in time spent on objectives. As recorded in the case study, the executives and their assistants have reclaimed time and gained control of their workday with positive shifts in overall accountability and integrity.

Veltri, who previously found it difficult to find the time to plan for departmental growth, now spends much more time planning and developing the IT strategy for his team and for Denver Health. “I can consistently assess how my team’s goals contribute to the overall strategy and make timely adjustments as necessary,” stated Veltri following the coaching.

All Denver Health participants in the McGhee coaching program have said that their ability to balance work and their personal lives has improved significantly. Executives improved planning, strategic focus, boosted their daily productivity, and are now able to spend more time on strategic tasks. When they were asked to quantify the improvement, employees and senior management reported increased satisfaction rates of up to 20 percent.

“The strategic partnership between Microsoft and McGhee goes back several decades. Our collective offerings complement each other to drive business results for enterprise clients, and we are very proud of our work with Denver Health and this acknowledgement,” said McGhee CEO, Sally McGhee.

Read the full case study at http://www.mcgheepro.com/executive-management-productivity-strategies-case-studies.aspx

McGhee Productivity Solutions, Inc. (McGhee) provides consulting services, tools, and education to increase performance and work/life balance. Based in Denver, CO, McGhee integrates its proven methods and protocols with Microsoft technology to deliver innovative action-management strategies to individuals, teams, and organizations worldwide. From the boardroom to the knowledge worker, the McGhee approach drives accountability, maximizes technology investments, and improves job satisfaction to help organizations create a true culture of productivity. McGhee is in the process of becoming a Certified Woman-Owned Business www.mcgheepro.com.

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BETHESDA, MD–(Marketwire – August 3, 2010) – GetWellNetwork, Inc. today announced that Comer Children’s Hospital at the University of Chicago is using GetWell Town™, the industry’s leading pediatric interactive patient care solution, to advance patient engagement, education and safety. GetWell Town is also helping children ease into their hospital stay with high quality entertainment features including password-protected, parent-controlled access to the Internet, Pandora, Hollywood movies, games and more. 

“GetWell Town is the perfect bedside solution to complement our vision of children and family-centered care,” said Jeffrey Finesilver, Vice President of University of Chicago Medical Center and Director of Comer Children’s Hospital. “We are very excited to provide our families and young patients with a new interactive approach to learning about their health and to access the hospital’s resources from the bedside.”

One of the first initiatives at the hospital has been to provide patients and families with direct access to services such as housekeeping, patient relations, hospital chaplain and more. Rather than calling their nurse to make service requests, patients can simply use their beside remote control and keyboard to communicate their needs via the GetWell Town system. This streamlines service requests, expedites the response, frees nurses for care tasks, and empowers young patients to feel independent and make their own choices.

GetWell Town offers exclusive KidsHealth® content with more than 170 videos of specific conditions and medical procedures — all in child-friendly language.

Comer Children’s Hospital will be enhancing patient education and influencing clinical outcomes through innovative programs such as the GetWell Town Asthma Care Plan. The GetWell Town Asthma Care Plan prepares patients and families for managing their condition at home with fewer visits to the hospital.

GetWellNetwork will also integrate with the hospital’s EpicCare Inpatient Clinical System to enable bi-directional flow of patient information. Nurses will be able to order education content specific to a child’s diagnosis, keep track of their progress and have it automatically documented into the patient’s record. This will help save nursing hours, meet regulatory compliance, and reduce the potential for human errors.

“Comer Children’s Hospital is focused on providing the optimal patient care experience for their patients and families.” said Shannon O’Neil, MSW, Director of Pediatrics, GetWellNetwork, Inc. “We are honored to be working with them in leveraging bedside technology to truly educate and engage families throughout the care process, and to help in driving key hospital initiatives.”

About GetWell Town
GetWell Town was developed in collaboration with GetWellNetwork’s National Children’s Hospital Task Force, comprised of 15 pediatric facilities across the U.S. as well as direct input from pediatric patients and their families. GetWell Town is designed to complement the kid-friendly spaces that children’s hospitals have worked hard to create and features exclusive content in partnership with KidsHealth®, part of The Nemours Foundation’s Center for Children’s Health Media.

About GetWellNetwork
GetWellNetwork, Inc. uses the bedside TV to entertain, educate and empower hospital patients and caregivers to be more actively engaged in their care. This patient-centered approach improves both satisfaction and outcomes for patients and hospitals. GetWellNetwork is the leader in interactive patient care solutions and exclusively endorsed by the American Hospital Association. More information about GetWellNetwork can be found at www.GetWellNetwork.com.

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NASHVILLE, TN–(Marketwire – August 2, 2010) – Vanguard Health Systems, a Nashville-based healthcare company, today announced that affiliates of Vanguard have acquired two acute care hospitals and associated outpatient facilities in Illinois from Resurrection Health Care. Located in the western suburbs of Chicago, the hospitals are 234-bed West Suburban Medical Center in Oak Park, Illinois and 225-bed Westlake Hospital in Melrose Park, Illinois. 

This transaction supports Vanguard’s strategy of developing urban-based health care delivery networks by expanding its presence in the western suburbs where the company has served the community through its ownership of MacNeal Hospital since 2000. By achieving scale in urban markets, Vanguard is able to further its vision of providing health and health care to the communities it serves.

“We are committed to the Chicago-area as evidenced by our decade long involvement with Berwyn and neighboring communities through our ownership of MacNeal Hospital and want to expand our service to West Suburban Medical Center and Westlake Hospital,” said Charlie Martin, Chairman and CEO of Vanguard. “We look forward to bringing the necessary capital and strategic expertise needed to sustain and build upon the great clinical care provided by the employees, nurses and physicians at these two organizations.”

About Vanguard
 Vanguard owns and operates 17 acute care hospitals with 4,594 licensed beds and complementary facilities and services in Chicago, Illinois; Phoenix, Arizona; San Antonio, Texas; and Massachusetts. Vanguard’s total revenues for its last fiscal year ended June 30, 2009, were approximately $3.2 billion. Vanguard’s strategy is to develop locally branded, comprehensive healthcare delivery networks in urban markets. Vanguard will pursue acquisitions where there are opportunities to partner with leading delivery systems in new urban markets. Upon acquiring a facility or network of facilities, Vanguard implements strategic and operational improvement initiatives including expanding services, strengthening relationships with physicians and managed care organizations, recruiting new physicians and upgrading information systems and other capital equipment. These strategies improve quality and network coverage in a cost effective and accessible manner for the communities we serve.

This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the federal securities laws, which are intended to be covered by the safe harbors created thereby. These forward-looking statements include all statements that are not historical statements of fact and those statements regarding Vanguard’s intent, belief or expectations. Do not rely on any forward-looking statements as such statements are subject to numerous factors, risks and uncertainties that could cause Vanguard’s actual outcomes, results, performance or achievements to be materially different from those projected. These factors, risks and uncertainties include, among others, Vanguard’s high degree of leverage and interest rate risk; Vanguard’s ability to incur substantially more debt; operating and financial restrictions in Vanguard’s debt agreements; Vanguard’s ability to generate cash to service its debt; potential liability related to disclosures of relationships between physicians and Vanguard’s hospitals; Vanguard’s ability to grow its business and successfully implement its business strategies; Vanguard’s ability to successfully integrate any future acquisitions; the potential that acquisitions could be costly, unsuccessful or subject Vanguard to unexpected liabilities; post-payment claims reviews by governmental agencies that could result in additional costs to Vanguard; conflicts of interest that may arise as a result of Vanguard’s control by a small number of stockholders; the highly competitive nature of the healthcare business; governmental regulation of the industry including Medicare and Medicaid reimbursement levels; changes in Federal, state or local regulation affecting the healthcare industry; the potential impact to us of the significant Federal healthcare reform enacted by Congress in March 2010 and potential additional Federal or state healthcare reform; pressures to contain costs by managed care organizations and other insurers and Vanguard’s ability to negotiate acceptable terms with these third party payers; the ability to attract and retain qualified management and personnel, including physicians and nurses; claims and legal actions relating to professional liabilities or other matters; the impacts of weakened economic conditions and volatile capital markets on Vanguard’s results of operations, financial position and cash flows; Vanguard’s failure to adequately enhance its facilities with technologically advanced equipment could adversely affect its revenues and market position; Vanguard’s exposure to the increased amounts of and collection risks associated with uninsured accounts and the co-pay and deductible portions of insured accounts; Vanguard’s ability to maintain or increase patient membership and control costs of its managed healthcare plans; the geographic concentration of Vanguard’s operations; the technological and pharmaceutical improvements that increase the cost of providing healthcare services or reduce the demand for such services; the timeliness of reimbursement payments received under government programs; the potential adverse impact of known and unknown government investigations; and those factors, risks and uncertainties detailed in Vanguard’s filings from time to time with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including, among others, Vanguard’s Annual Reports on Form 10-K and its Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q.

Although Vanguard believes that the assumptions underlying the forward-looking statements contained in this press release are reasonable, any of these assumptions could prove to be inaccurate, and, therefore, there can be no assurance that the forward-looking statements included in this press release will prove to be accurate. In light of the significant uncertainties inherent in the forward-looking statements included herein, you should not regard the inclusion of such information as a representation by Vanguard that its objectives and plans anticipated by the forward-looking statements will occur or be achieved, or if any of them do, what impact they will have on Vanguard’s results of operations and financial condition. Vanguard undertakes no obligation to publicly release any revisions to any forward-looking statements contained herein to reflect events and circumstances occurring after the date hereof or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events.

KANKAKEE, IL–(Marketwire – August 2, 2010) – Riverside Medical Center’s recent investment in a new state-of-the art Interventional Radiology (IR) system, greatly expands the advanced services it can now offer the Kankakee Illinois healthcare community. Riverside saw an opportunity to re-engineer the patient experience and improve workflow around the Kankakee County hospital and they jumped at the chance.

Riverside’s IR room underwent a complete remodel and expansion. The new room, which cost nearly $2 million, features positive air pressure making it operating room compatible. The room now uses Toshiba’s Infinix-i-x-ray system. This new imaging system has greatly impacted the quality of care and safety for the patient that this south Chicago healthcare giant can provide. Being able to control the amount of radiation administered is extremely important to the patient, radiologists and staff. This new system equips the physicians and radiologists with a comprehensive dose management package that allows for greater control, superior precision and less exposure to radiation. 

The equipment, which was once controlled in a separate room, can now be completely controlled in one area, allowing the staff to remain with the patient for added safety. In addition, Riverside Medical Center has paired the x-ray system with Toshiba’s 12″x12″ mid-sized flat panel detector. Together, they offer a wider field-of-view and provide increased visualization and optimal access, helping radiologists more quickly and accurately diagnose and treat patients.

Radiologists are now also able to view the patient’s images on a live feed and can immediately pull up a patient’s previous scans and display them on the monitors for comparison. Doctors now have immediate access to angiograms, physiological monitoring, CT and MRI scans, and many other imaging or patient specific data that can be displayed throughout the entire procedure. Clearer, sharper images and enhanced system utilization are all important features of today’s interventional radiology room.

Previously, a patient was literally moved in many different directions in order to perform the procedure. With Riverside’s advanced new technology, the unit moves to the patient. When combining the five-axis positioner with the tilting and cradling features of the table, physicians are able to obtain optimal angles for interventional procedures without re-positioning the patient. With these modern updates, Riverside is caring for patients in new and exciting ways.

To learn more about the quality services offered by Riverside Medical Center, visit www.RiversideMC.net or call (815) 933-1671.

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CARMEL, IN–(Marketwire – August 2, 2010) –  Clinical Architecture today announced that UMass Memorial Health Care, the largest healthcare system in Central and Western Massachusetts, has selected Clinical Architecture’s Symedical™ interoperability solution. UMass Memorial is using Symedical™ to re-code patient data from various locations and terminologies into a central data repository using a single terminology set. “Merging patient data from disparate sources is a significant undertaking,” said John Poikonen, PharmD, Director of Clinical Informatics at UMass Memorial Medical Center. “Symedical has proven to be a pragmatic and efficient tool that allows us to focus on accuracy.”

Providing the highest quality of care requires access to a consistently accurate representation of the patient’s clinical context. Symedical™ enables clinical applications to maintain the continuity of meaning by sharing patient information as actionable discrete data. “It is no longer enough to offer read only access to medical records stored in various places throughout the healthcare enterprise,” said Charlie Harp, Chief Executive Officer of Clinical Architecture. “We’re pleased to be working with UMass Memorial as they leverage Symedical to deliver a more meaningful and actionable information exchange.”

About Clinical Architecture

Clinical Architecture specializes in meeting the integration and interoperability needs of healthcare through niche consulting and application development. The company was formed around the extensive clinical integration experience of its staff and has consistently succeeded in addressing complex problems with effective pragmatic solutions. The company is located just north of Indianapolis in Carmel, Indiana. For additional information on Clinical Architecture, contact John Wilkinson at (317) 580-8417 or visit www.clinicalarchitecture.com. Informative discussions of interoperability topics are available at the company’s Healthcare IT Blog; www.clinicalarchitecture.com/healthcare_technology_informatics_blog/.

About UMass Memorial Health Care

UMass Memorial Health Care is Central Massachusetts’ largest not-for-profit health care delivery system, covering the complete health care continuum with UMass Memorial Medical Center, its academic medical center, member and affiliated community hospitals, freestanding primary care practices, ambulatory outpatient clinics, home health agencies, hospice programs, a rehabilitation group and mental health services. UMass Memorial is the clinical partner of the University of Massachusetts Medical School. Visit www.umassmemorial.org for additional information. Follow UMass Memorial on Twitter at http://twitter.com/umassmemorial.

IRVING, TX–(Marketwire – August 2, 2010) – VHA Inc., the national health care network, will showcase its VHA SupplyLYNX™ portal and its array of analytics offerings at the annual meeting of the Association for Healthcare Resource & Materials Management Conference on August 1-4, in Denver.

VHA SupplyLYNX offers hospitals the ability to analyze every aspect of their purchasing activities for both products and services and gives them the data they need to accelerate the pace at which hospitals can reduce spending and maximize contract savings.

“VHA SupplyLYNX enables hospitals to fully optimize data throughout the organization and delivers unparalleled insight into the hospital’s performance,” said Scott Downing, executive vice president, Supply Chain Management at VHA. “Cost reduction is a daily focus and is essential to offset anticipated cuts in Medicare reimbursement that will decrease hospital revenues and potentially stifle the bottom line.”

In addition to the recently introduced VHA SupplyLYNX Web portal, attendees can participate in demonstrations of VHA PriceLYNX™ 2.0, the industry’s leading price benchmarking service. VHA PriceLYNX provides benchmarking analysis that arms decision makers with factual information that enables the organization to view long- and short-term market trends and respond to immediate price fluctuations. Ultimately, this information better equips the purchasing team during vendor negotiations. From January 2009 through June 2010, members using VHA PriceLYNX have identified an average savings of $4 million per quarter. 

AHRMM marks the public debut of VHA PriceLYNX mobile. VHA anticipates that mobile access via devices such as smart phones will give hospital personnel the opportunity to make faster decisions when it comes to switching products or accessing lower pricing on the products they already purchase. VHA recently launched its VHA SupplyLYNX mobile platform, built in conjunction with McLean, Va.-based MicroStrategy, to provide mobile access to its suite of analytical products and services. 

“Beginning with our leadership around data standards and e-commerce in 2001, VHA has led other analytics competitors by providing accurate, timely and actionable supply chain information to members, backed by the largest data set in health care,” continued Downing. “What sets us apart is our core belief in price transparency, a data warehouse that provides superior accuracy and a categorization methodology that ensures quality reporting every time.”

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 more than 1,400 hospitals and more than 28,000+ non-acute care providers nationwide. VHA was ranked by Modern Healthcare as the 7th best place to work in health care in 2009.

GILBERT, AZ–(Marketwire – August 2, 2010) – As your boss reminds you that this is your third sick day in two months due to your “back pain excuse,” you hang up the phone frustrated. You aren’t playing hooky. You’d honestly rather be at work than flat on your back in pain. But taking painkillers makes it hard for you to function properly — and it merely masks the pain, instead of solving the problem. If only there was a solution that didn’t involve a knife and more time off work.

“When I treat patients with the one-two punch of spinal decompression and deep tissue laser therapy, they are able to return to their favorite activities, such as gardening, walking, dancing and tennis,” says Brian Self, D.C., a chiropractor with Arizona Pain & Wellness Centers. “And with 6.5 million people stuck in bed each day because of back pain, literally millions could benefit from this affordable, effective, permanent pain relief. While both procedures require multiple visits, most patients feel relief from their pain after their first few sessions.”

Spinal decompression is a revolutionary new technology that treats the symptoms of disc herniations, disc degeneration, sciatica and low back and neck pain. Patients simply lie on their backs while a specialized belt is placed comfortably around their waist. An advanced computer system is then set to focus on each patient’s specific problem area. As disc bulges or herniations are drawn in, or as the discs begin to regenerate, pressure is taken off the nerves and surrounding structures relieving the patient of pain and inflammation. In fact, Dr. Self says that the spinal decompression treatments are so gentle; he’s had patients become so relaxed, they fall asleep during it.

Most patients undergoing spinal decompression will also receive deep tissue laser therapy; because Dr. Self has found that these two treatments work best in tandem. “Our deep tissue laser works by flooding the tissues with photons, energizing the damaged cells and increasing circulation to the painful area,” he says. “This produces a cascade of healing responses in your body, reducing inflammation, thereby reducing or even eliminating your pain. There are no known side effects, it’s noninvasive and nonsurgical — and treatment simply feels like a deep, gentle warmth.”

To put an end to your neck and back pain without medications, injections or surgery, visit www.arizonapainandwellness.com

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HOUSTON, TX–(Marketwire – July 28, 2010) –  A growing demand for hand, wrist and elbow specialist Dr. David Hildreth, who once practiced exclusively at the Texas Medical Center, has prompted the growth of offices in Sugar Land and Katy. The renowned Houston orthopedic surgeon formerly of Baylor College of Medicine and The Methodist Hospital System is working to meet growing demand since joining The Richmond Bone & Joint Clinic.

Dr. Hildreth is not only available to patients in Richmond, but also now in Sugar Land and Katy. The Sugar Land office is located at 15035 SW Freeway, near Williams Trace Blvd., and the Katy office is located at 21222 Kingsland Blvd.

An original founder of the Tennis Elbow Institute of Houston and among the first Eaton-trained Dupuytren’s physicians in Houston, Dr. Hildreth has served as lead investigator in studies changing the treatment options available for many common hand, wrist and elbow conditions.

A published author who served as an associate professor at The Methodist Hospital System and Weill Medical College of Cornell University, Dr. Hildreth stays ahead of “standard of care” to bring his patients such advanced treatment options as Needle Aponeurotomy (NA) and non surgical XIAFLEX® injection therapy in the treatment of Dupuytren’s Contracture, as well as less invasive treatment for carpal and cubital tunnel syndromes, sports injuries and degenerative joint conditions.

“Practicing at a specialized orthopedic clinic such as RBJC, we have the advantage of offering the latest treatment options far more rapidly. We devote a tremendous amount of time studying the new techniques and technology within the industry to remain ahead of current ‘standards,'” said Hildreth.

“These new offices are a response to patients wanting personalized care and easier access to a higher quality of medical services in their neighborhood. We’re pleased to be able to provide them with this increased accessibility,” added Hildreth.

Featured in “Medical Advances” of Newsweek magazine and named for the fifth consecutive year among the Texas Monthly list of Super Doctors and H Texas magazine’s Top Docs, view a video of Dr. Hildreth and his staff as they provide personalized treatment and rehabilitation programs for hand, wrist and elbow patients.

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LOS GATOS, CA–(Marketwire – July 28, 2010) –  SCI Solutions^®, the premier Access Management solution provider for healthcare, today announced the release of a new version (v33) of its powerful, rules-based, enterprise scheduling solution, Schedule Maximizer®.

Schedule Maximizer (v33) features numerous updates, including enhanced scheduling functionality that incorporates insurance verification/eligibility rules affecting consumer driven health plans. The revamped Encounter Module, Multi-entity Rules and Worklist features further simplify and streamline a hospital’s pre-registration/registration processes.

Additionally, Schedule Maximizer’s reporting capabilities have been expanded to include a new report that provides the total number of patients that are scheduled for a particular date or date range. This report is a quick and efficient method to assist in Registration clerk staffing needs for a facility and/or a particular location/clinic in that facility.

According to Kristy Roesner, SCI’s SVP of Product Development, “The enhancements in Schedule Maximizer (v33) reflect SCI’s position as innovators in the Healthcare Information Technology arena.” She continued, “We are proud of this version’s updates as they represent significant enhancements that expand its overall capabilities as an insurance verification and pre-registration process improvement tool.”

SCI Solutions, through its Software as a Service (SaaS) model, provides a full complement of front-end patient access and revenue cycle tools that include comprehensive enterprise scheduling and registration, sophisticated workflow to manage a hospital’s orders, scheduling and pre-encounter revenue cycle requirements. Additionally, SCI provides customer self-service solutions that help physicians and patients interact seamlessly with your organization for all their access-related needs. SCI’s Access Management offerings fall into the following categories:

• Order Facilitator^®
• Schedule Maximizer^®
• Revenue Accelerator^®
• Consumer Portal
• Provider Portal

About SCI Solutions

SCI Solutions is transforming healthcare Access Management with web-based products and services that facilitate the efficient and secure exchange of clinical and financial information between patients, physicians and healthcare facilities. SCI provides a variety of products and self-service portals that help physicians and patients interact easily and at their convenience for many of their access-related needs. From a hospital’s clinical departments, to its financial executives, to its physicians SCI improves their effectiveness while making the patient’s service experience first class.

Founded in 1999, SCI Solutions is headquartered in Los Gatos, Calif. with additional offices in Tucson, Ariz., Pensacola, Fla. and employees throughout the United States. For more information about SCI Solutions, visit www.scisolutions.com.

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BETHESDA, MD–(Marketwire – July 28, 2010) –  GetWellNetwork, Inc., the leader in interactive patient care, today welcomed new customer Adventist Medical Center-Hanford located in Hanford, California. The hospital will implement the GetWellNetwork solution hospital-wide and go live this fall. 

Adventist Health/Central Valley Network is the first organization in the region to offer the GetWellNetwork interactive patient care system to its patients. The GetWellNetwork solution enables clinicians and hospital staff to more actively engage patients and their families in the care process by using the bedside TV to provide them with information specific to their condition, medication, treatment and discharge procedures.

“GetWellNetwork goes beyond patient entertainment to create an environment that empowers patients and their families to be truly involved in their care,” said Kristen Johnson, MHA, BSN, RN, vice president of Patient Care Services, Adventist Medical Center-Hanford. “Hospitals that have implemented the GetWellNetwork solution have raised patient satisfaction, improved patient safety and quality, and reduced hospital costs. We are excited to offer the GetWellNetwork system in our hospital.”

In the first phase, the hospital will offer patients satellite TV channels, HBO movies, 74 games, high quality Internet browsing capabilities, as well as a variety of hospital information and resources such as visiting hours, cafeteria menu, maps, chaplain services, hospital services and staff information.

In the second phase of the implementation, beginning in 2011, the hospital will look to offer additional features such as:

• Personalized information on the home screen such as the patient’s primary physician, the nurse on duty and other clinical providers, in English and Spanish;

• Patient Pathways to actively send messages to patients to complete medication teaching, answer patient satisfaction surveys, learn about discharge instructions, and more; 

• Patients may also be asked to “nominate” their favorite nurse or doctor through an electronic comment card prior to discharge; and

• The hospital expects to implement the pain management capability that prompts patients to rate their level of pain at set intervals, and program the system to turn on healing video content such as soothing nature scenes.

About GetWellNetwork
GetWellNetwork, Inc. uses the bedside TV to entertain, educate and empower hospital patients and caregivers to be more actively engaged in their care. This patient-centered approach improves both satisfaction and outcomes for patients and hospitals. GetWellNetwork is the leader in interactive patient care solutions and exclusively endorsed by the American Hospital Association. More information about GetWellNetwork can be found at www.GetWellNetwork.com.

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DUBAI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES–(Marketwire – July 28, 2010) – A survey published today by a prominent Medical Tourism consultant has revealed that 94% of medical tourism industry insiders believe their sector of the industry has yet to reach its full potential. The report, which can be viewed on-line at www.DrPrem.com, shows that confusion, a lack of information and fear about complications following surgery are the main reasons for patient reluctance to cross international borders for health services.

“The medical tourism industry is going through an exciting phase where international and intra-regional activities are taking places within this sector of the health market,” said Dr. Prem Jagyasi, architect of the survey and an experienced consultant in the healthcare travel sector. “The responses received clearly revealed that there is an overwhelming perception among industry leaders that there is so much more that can be achieved,” he added.

The findings are particularly interesting as more than 35 countries were identified as important medical tourism destinations. Of the 35 countries, India was ranked as the number one popular destination, with Thailand and Singapore positioned at second and third places respectively. The United States had a surprise ranking at number four.

“The Asian and Far Eastern countries are well-established medical tourism destinations, so the top three placing were expected,” said Dr. Jagyasi. “The United States came in at number four, which clearly indicate Medical Tourism is not all about low price affairs. The quality of healthcare services at a destination is deemed to be of utmost importance. Latin American and European countries were in the top ten, indicating that medical tourism is not dominated by one continent or geography – it’s a truly global industry” added Dr Prem Jagyasi who is also Honorary Chief Strategy Officer of Medical Tourism Association, world’s biggest non-profit organization of this particular industry, based in Florida US with representative office across the world.

The purpose of the health tourism survey, according to Dr. Jagyasi, was to gain valuable insights into aspects of medical tourism from professionals who are closely involved with the industry. Ninety-five per cent of the survey’s participants identified themselves as being either directly or indirectly involved with healthcare travel in the scope of their work and the resulting information supplied by these insiders revealed many important facts concerning this specialised sector; including its terms, trends, status, opportunities and challenges. The knowledge gleaned from the survey will be used to promote this sector of the healthcare industry and will provide important content for a soon-to-be published guidebook for consumers who are considering undertaking treatment abroad.

“One of the survey questions enquired why the respondents thought that there may be a reluctance in some consumers to participate in healthcare tourism and the main responses we received were that they may have concerns about complications, experience confusion over aspects of available services, be uninformed and find the option complicated,” said Dr. Jagyasi. “This is important information, as it clearly shows that education is a vital component in allowing us to facilitate medical tourism to reach its greatest potential. If we can allay people’s fears about foreign treatments and guide potential health tourists with information on what to expect and important advice on visa and travel issues, then we will be providing a vital service and as well as giving a welcome boost to the region’s health sector,” he added. 

Hence, Dr Prem Jagyasi has taken initiative to publish a guidebook. He has high hopes that it will become a handy reference tool for those wanting to know more about the intricacies of travelling across borders for healthcare services. The book is the latest achievement in his specialist interest in medical tourism and he has visited more than 20 countries and spoken at 30 international congresses relating to this sector of the healthcare industry. “Medical tourism can offer huge benefits in terms of quality of service and its affordability, in fact, the survey revealed that industry leaders view these as being its key drivers,” he said. “The industry is set to grow enormously over the next two decades as more and more destinations open up to patients from overseas,” he added.

The medical tourism survey was conducted on-line and contained questions that had been developed over a six month period and based on intensive research. The qualitative assessment was sent to medical tourism professionals in North America, South America, Africa, Europe, the Middle East and Gulf regions, Asia and the Far East. It found that medical tourism facilitators are in a prime position to capitalise on the promising opportunities offered by this sector of the health market; with 88% of respondents agreeing that role of facilitator – those agencies providing health-related travel services – are either important or very important in this segment.

Selected Observations from Survey Results (Download complete report from www.DrPrem.com )

• The preferred term from respondents for this particular sector of the healthcare industry is ‘Medical Tourism’, with 35% selecting this option. ‘Global Healthcare’ was the next most popular term at 22%, with ‘Health Tourism’ running a close third at 21%. “Medical Travel’ was identified by 10% of respondents as their preferred description, with ‘Healthcare Travel’ and ‘Value Medical Travel’ both at 6%.

• 35 countries in total were identified as being medical tourism destinations; which were (in alphabetical order: Argentina, Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Caribbean, China, Costa Rica, Cuba, France, Germany, Hungary, India, Israel, Japan, Jordan, Malaysia, Mexico, Morocco, New Zealand, Panama, Philippines, Poland, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Switzerland, Taiwan, Thailand, Tunisia, Turkey, UAE, UK and USA.

• India, Thailand and Singapore were ranked first, second and third as the most popular medical tourism destinations respectively. The United States was placed at number four.

• 94% of respondents agreed with a statement that medical tourism was yet to reach its full potential.

• The four most popular reasons given for why patients travel abroad to receive medical treatment were ‘Affordability (costly in home country)’ at 88%, ‘Accessibility (waiting period is high)’ at 66% ‘Better quality (care and support services are better quality than the home country) at 38% and ‘Availability (not available in home country) at 46%.

• The four most popular reasons given for patients being unwilling to avail themselves of treatment abroad were ‘Concern about complications’ at 50%, ‘Confusion’ at 46%, patients being ‘Uninformed’ at 44% and finding the option ‘Complicated’ at 39%

• The top four challenges to the medical tourism industry were identified as being ‘Accessing reliable information’ at 59%, ‘Too many newcomers jumping on the medical tourism bandwagon, not experienced or understanding of the industry’ at 54%, ‘Lack of pre and post operative care arrangements at 52% and ‘Complicated intra-country laws and legal procedures’ at 49%.

• The top three reasons identified that are essential components of a good medical tourism destination were ‘Quality standards of healthcare and wellness services’ which was marked by 51% of respondents, followed by ‘Accessibility of the destination’ at 30% and ‘Technology, facilities & specialisations available’ at 27%.

• The survey takers were asked why they thought Medical tourism was a new ‘buzzword’ (or more accurately a ‘buzz phrase’). Fifty-six per cent (56%) agreed that it was ‘Because increasing numbers are travelling for healthcare’, with almost the same percentage (55%) also agreeing that it was ‘Because medical tourism benefits a cross section, including governments insurance companies, travel/tourism, healthcare and facilitators’. Fifty-seven per cent (57%) agreed that it was ‘Because it offers value for money’ and 46% said that it was ‘Because big hospitals are promoting it’. 

• The role of facilitators in the industry was deemed by the respondents to be significant (an explanation of facilitators being that they arrange medical tourism either in part or in whole for health tourists). Sixty-one per cent (61%) said that facilitators were ‘Very important’, 27% said that they were ‘Important’, 10% regarded them as ‘Optional’ and 2% said that they were ‘Not important’.

About ExHealth:

Motivated by a creative vision and committed to an innovative mission, ExHealth offers a comprehensive array of tailor-made, media-related healthcare services, encompassing Marketing, Public Relations, Conference and Event Management, Design & Publication, Healthcare Tourism Consulting and Medical Management Consulting, all of which are located under one roof at Dubai HealthCare City. ExHealth’s key concern is to perform and execute incomparable solutions for healthcare organisations across all sectors of the industry. Aiming to achieve and surpass its customers’ stated goals, ExHealth is focused on ensuring that its clients’ business has the edge in today’s competitive market place.

About Dr Prem Jagyasi

Dr Prem Jagyasi is a successful entrepreneur and experienced strategic professional. He is a renowned chartered management, healthcare marketing and medical tourism consultant responsible for providing high-profile consultancy services to both government authorities and private healthcare organisations. Dr. Prem Jagyasi’s commitment to developing medical tourism has seen him become a leading figure in the international healthcare tourism world.

Currently, Dr Prem Jagyasi is MD & CEO of ExHealth; a Dubai Health Care City-based firm engaged in offering multi-dimensional healthcare solutions across the international domain. He also serves the Medical Tourism Association — a non-profit organization based in USA – as Honorary Chief Strategy Officer. He is also the Chief Editor of UAE’s leading health magazine, HealthFirst, which is published in association with one of the region’s leading English language daily newspapers.

Direct Download Link

http://www.drprem.com/Medical_Tourism_Research_and_Survey_Report_by_Dr_Prem_Jagyasi.pdf

DURHAM, NC–(Marketwire – July 27, 2010) –  On the heels of significant Midwest success, Third Degree Advertising is now offering its healthcare-oriented internal communications expertise on a national scale — starting with the East Coast.

“Strong brands start on the inside, and all positive outward change must first be embraced internally,” said Third Degree CEO Roy Page. Third Degree has helped healthcare organizations improve their brands by taking a unique, tailored approach to defining culture and creating opportunities for fruitful conversation between staff and doctors.

One of the key tools for introducing a brand internally is a Culture Book, outlining either a new or updated visual identity as well as the philosophical standards of the strategic branding initiative. “Culture Books can be short and sweet, or comprehensive and corporate,” said Page. 

Jackson County Memorial Hospital
Third Degree worked closely with Jackson County Memorial Hospital to develop their new strategic branding platform, which depended entirely on the buy-in of hospital employees. “This is My Hospital” was launched with an open house event to which staff, patients and community members were invited. Elements of this custom program included an employee Culture Book, a community newsletter, a redeveloped social website, and a Facebook page which helped promote JCMH’s culture both internally and to the community that JCMH serves.

Unity Health Center
Unity Health Center has a strong, community-focused brand. Third Degree developed their positioning: “It starts at the center,” to communicate how patients and employees are at the core of Unity’s commitment to greater health care in the local community. Their internal integrated marketing launch took place in a Unity town-hall style meeting where a brand video, specialty brochure and T-shirts with brand artwork were shared with all levels of staff. The Unity Culture Book, “It Starts with You” informed staff about the new brand and special programs like their teamwork-building paper puzzle pieces and “brag boxes” to recognize co-worker excellence. 

About Third Degree
Third Degree (www.thirddegreeadv.com) fosters more effective doctor-staff communication, and greater patient satisfaction. Third Degree provides strategic marketing research and planning, public relations, media planning and buying, and creative integrated marketing services for print, broadcast, and web-based applications. Based in Oklahoma City, OK and now Durham, NC, the agency works with clients in numerous industries across the U.S.

For more information contact Roy Page at [email protected] or call 1-888-871-3729.

KANKAKEE, IL–(Marketwire – July 27, 2010) –  Riverside Medical Center, a south Chicago, Illinois hospital network, is expanding its role as a teaching hospital with the creation of a residency program in Internal Medicine. Riverside also offers fellowships in Gastroenterology and Cardiology. In its inaugural year of the three-year program, the team of residents and various faculty members will work side by side treating patients at various Riverside, Illinois hospital facilities.

“Becoming a teaching hospital really elevates the level of care for the patient and the community,” said Dr. Naresh Chandan, DO, FACOI, FACP, Riverside Medical Center Director of Medical Education and Internal Medicine Program Director. “Not only does it give patients another set of eyes looking out for them, it continues to instill confidence in their care at Riverside. To teach is to learn twice.”

“A residency program at any hospital or clinic is a stage of graduate medical training where physicians, who have received their medical degree, practice under the close supervision of fully licensed physicians. Successful completion of residency training is a requirement to practice medicine independently,” Chandan continues.

Riverside’s Internal Medicine Program provides a holistic learning environment. “The program prepares residents to practice independently in general osteopathic Internal Medicine or to enter into a sub-specialty fellowship program,” said Dr. John Jurica, Riverside Medical Center vice-president of medical affairs.

In addition to an Internal Medicine residency program, Riverside also offers a sub-specialty fellowship in Cardiology and Gastroenterology. The three-year Cardiology fellowship program offers one position per year. The Cardiology Fellowship program will provide exposure to a comprehensive treatment plan, including triple bypass and other related heart center services, and will allow the graduate to practice Cardiology anywhere. The overall goal of the Gastroenterology fellowship program at Riverside is to provide the fellow with a well-balanced experience that is essential for a successful community practice.

“Riverside’s residency program is an investment in our community,” Jurica said. “When the time comes for us to be the patients, we can rest assured knowing that we are receiving the best possible care because of Riverside’s unending commitment to teaching and molding residents into world-class doctors.”

To view more on Riverside Medical Center’s world-class residency program, please visit www.RiversideMC.net/residency.

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BRENTWOOD, MO–(Marketwire – July 26, 2010) –  Scrubs & Beyond, a leading retailer of print and solid scrub tops, jackets, pants, lab coats, shoes and accessories, revealed its fall catalog this week. The highly anticipated fall catalog is set to reach customers across the United States during the week of July 25, 2010 and will offer customers old favorites in addition to new items in a variety of colors, styles and price points. 

Scrubs & Beyond is very excited to be introducing their exclusive S&B solids, starting at just $9.99 each, and S&B print scrubs, starting at $14.99 each. There has never been a better time to stock up for fall. These scrubs are made from soft cotton poplin in both unisex and women’s sizing. Extra details in construction for just the right fit every time, it’s easy for busy medical professionals to mix and match favorite fall colors.

This fall animal print scrubs are one of many must-have items. Customers will find a veritable color safari with fun animal prints from Baby Phat, Cherokee, Los Angeles Rose, Cherokee Flexibles, and Koi. Animal-print seeking fashionistas can also take a walk on the wild side in some great styles in animal-print footwear from Alegria, Nurse Mates and Dansko. Customers will see new offerings from favorite brands such as Koi, Landau, Cherokee, Peaches, Barco, Skechers, Urbane, Scrub Zone, Do No Harm and more. 

Customers have been heard and the call to “Just Give it to Me in Black & White” is here for fall in full force. Scrubs & Beyond’s exclusive black and white scrubs will be a favorite for even the most discriminating Scrubinistas. Koi continues to provide outstanding assortments of styles and prints to mix and match with their essential solid basics and has some great offerings in black and white too! 

As the cooler weather leads into fall, Scrubs & Beyond is ready with value-priced holiday prints to get you in the mood for the season. With so many fashion forward scrubs available for fall, now is the perfect time for medical professionals to shop with Scrubs & Beyond and get exclusive looks that can’t be found anywhere else.

To request the Fall 2010 catalog, or to find a list of all Scrubs & Beyond store locations visit www.ScrubsAndBeyond.com, or call direct at 1-888-255-2668. 

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CHICAGO, IL–(Marketwire – July 26, 2010) –  Typenex Medical, LLC, a leader in transfusion recipient verification solutions, has launched their latest barcoded blood band innovation, the FlexiBlood Recipient Verification System.

The FlexiBlood Recipient Verification System was developed using feedback from blood bankers and nurses to ensure that the product improved on the legacy “band and form” recipient verification systems available today. FlexiBlood uses GS1-128 linear barcodes and can accommodate pre-printed patient information labels to reduce transcription errors at the bedside and in the blood bank. It also boasts a barcoded specimen tube sticker that stays attached to the band during application to help promote the accurate labeling of the pre-transfusion specimen at the patient bedside.

“Blood bankers asked for a solution that leverages barcodes to reduce transcription errors and provides a way to help clinical staff label specimens accurately to avoid wrong blood in tube errors,” said Scott Leece, General Manager of Typenex Medical. “Nurses wanted a solution that is easy to use, comfortable for patients, and that supports them throughout the specimen collection and blood administration processes. FlexiBlood was designed to meet all of these requirements.” 

FlexiBlood has additional features that differentiate it from other offerings, such as the ability to be easily reapplied if removed during the patient stay using the Typenex R3 Attachment System and directions for use on every FlexiBlood form. “Based on clinical feedback and the many features of FlexiBlood, we are confident that it is a better solution than Ident-A™ Blood or Securlink®,” stated Leece.

The FlexiBlood Recipient Verification System has two standard forms and six standard insert band colors. For more information on FlexiBlood, please call (866) TYPENEX or visit http://www.typenex.com/. 

About Typenex Medical
Typenex Medical enables hospitals to achieve safer transfusion practices via our suite of recipient verification solutions. These solutions — our Original Alphanumeric Bands, our Next Generation Barcode Bands, and our FlexiBlood Recipient Verification System–provide independent, unique identifiers in various embodiments to help hospitals provide control over their transfusion processes and reduce the costly and dangerous errors associated with blood transfusions. Typenex also improves safety in the laboratory via our TypeSafe™ Segment Sampling Device, which is used to safely pierce blood segments for cross-matching.

Ident-A™ and Securlink® are trademarks of Precision Dynamics Corporation.

MONMOUTH JUNCTION, NJ–(Marketwire – July 26, 2010) –  CytoSorbents Corporation (OTCBB: CTSO), a critical care focused company using blood purification to treat life-threatening illnesses, announced that it is exhibiting at two leading military healthcare conferences in August. The first is the 13^th Annual Force Health Protection Conference (FHP) at the Phoenix Convention Center in Phoenix, Arizona, where CytoSorbents will exhibit in Booth #507 from August 10-11, 2010 (http://phc.amedd.army.mil/fhpc/). The FHP conference is expected to gather more than 2,000 healthcare medical providers, policymakers and vendors from around the world, focused on the latest research, services and products for disease prevention and treatment, safety and homeland security for both military and public health purposes.

The second is the Advanced Technology Applications for Combat Casualty Care (ATACCC) Conference to be held at the Tradewinds Beach Resort, in St. Pete Beach, Florida. CytoSorbents will be exhibiting from August 16-19, 2010 in Booth #19. ATACCC is the Department of Defenses’ premier scientific meeting that addresses critical advances in trauma medicine and the unique medical needs of the warfighter (https://www.ataccc.org/). At both venues, the Company will be showcasing its blood purification technology with a hands-on demonstration of how the device works, how it is easily administered, and how it could be applied in a number of clinical situations facing critically wounded military personnel.

Dr. Phillip Chan, Chief Executive Officer and President, commented, “Members of our military forces put their lives on the line every day, not only in Iraq and Afghanistan, but all over the world. The injuries they sustain in protecting our freedom include penetrating wound injuries, infection and sepsis, and blast, trauma, crush and burn injuries that are extremely complex and severe. Standard of care therapy remains predominantly supportive, and does not address the cytokine storm and subsequent severe inflammation that can lead to multi-organ failure and death in these patients.” 

Dr. Chan continued, “We believe that our flagship product CytoSorb™, a powerful cytokine removal technology currently in human clinical trials, is the key to changing the current treatment paradigm of ‘supportive care and watchful waiting’ to one of ‘active treatment,’ potentially saving more lives. In addition, blood purification using CytoSorb or other resins under development, may solve many other vexing problems facing the military and the DOD, such as how to treat soldiers or civilians exposed to chemical or biologic warfare. Exhibiting at these major conferences continues our efforts to build funding support for our technologies within the military and the DOD and to expand the number of clinical applications for our products.”

About CytoSorbents and CytoSorb™

CytoSorbents Corporation is a critical care focused therapeutic device company in clinical trials to treat severe sepsis, the end result of “overwhelming infection,” with a novel blood purification device called CytoSorb™. Severe sepsis afflicts more than 1 million people in the United States and an estimated 18 million people worldwide each year, killing one in every three patients despite the best treatment. In the United States, more die from severe sepsis than from either heart attacks, strokes or any single form of cancer. Severe sepsis is typically triggered by bacterial infections like pneumonia, or viral infections like influenza. However, it is the body’s abnormal immune response to the trigger that leads to severe inflammation and the unregulated, massive production of cytokines, often called “cytokine storm,” that then causes multi-organ failure and often death. CytoSorb™ is a cartridge containing highly porous polymer beads that are designed to filter cytokines and treat potentially fatal cytokine storm. As blood is pumped repeatedly through the CytoSorb™ cartridge using standard dialysis equipment, the beads bind and remove cytokines and other toxins from blood. The treated blood is then returned to the patient. The Company is currently conducting its European Sepsis Trial – a multi-center, randomized, controlled clinical trial using CytoSorb™ to treat up to 100 patients with severe sepsis in the setting of respiratory failure. Pending a successful trial, the Company will seek CE Mark approval and commercialization of CytoSorb™ in the European Union and then commence clinical trials in the U.S. for approval. Importantly, cytokine reduction via CytoSorb™ has broad applicability to a number of other critical care diseases where cytokine storm plays a detrimental role, including burn and smoke inhalation injury, trauma, acute respiratory distress syndrome, advanced influenza, acute pancreatitis and others. CytoSorb™ is one of a number of different resins designed for various medical applications, including improved dialysis, the potential treatment of inflammatory and autoimmune disorders, rhabdomyolysis in trauma, removal of chemotherapy during treatment of cancer with high dose regional chemotherapy, drug detoxification and others. Additional information is available for download on the Company’s website: www.cytosorbents.com

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release includes forward-looking statements intended to qualify for the safe harbor from liability established by the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements in this press release are not promises or guarantees and are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause our actual results to differ materially from those anticipated. These statements are based on management’s current expectations and assumptions and are naturally subject to uncertainty and changes in circumstances. We caution you not to place undue reliance upon any such forward-looking statements. Actual results may differ materially from those expressed or implied by the statements herein. CytoSorbents Corporation and CytoSorbents, Inc believe that its primary risk factors include, but are not limited to: obtaining government approvals including required FDA and CE Mark approvals; ability to successfully develop commercial operations; dependence on key personnel; acceptance of the Company’s medical devices in the marketplace; the outcome of pending and potential litigation; compliance with governmental regulations; reliance on research and testing facilities of various universities and institutions; the ability to obtain adequate financing in the future when needed; product liability risks; limited manufacturing experience; limited marketing, sales and distribution experience; market acceptance of the Company’s products; competition; unexpected changes in technologies and technological advances; and other factors detailed in the Company’s Form 10-K filed with the SEC on April 9, 2010, which is available at http://www.sec.gov.

ROCKVILLE, MD and SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA–(Marketwire – July 26, 2010) –  Seegene today announced SeePrep™ and SeeCycler™, new clinical instrumentation optimized for Seegene’s multiplex real-time detection tests. SeePrep performs automated magnetic bead nucleic acid extraction, and SeeCycler is an automated detection system for processing samples in real-time. With the addition of these equipment Seegene is now able to provide a complete molecular diagnostic workflow optimized for its multiplex tests, including nucleic acid extraction, amplification, real-time PCR testing and data analysis. The complete system will be on display at the 2010 Annual Meeting and Clinical Lab Expo of the American Association for Clinical Chemistry (AACC), booth #1800.

“Seegene multiplex real-time PCR products are defining a new era of powerful assays that can rapidly and accurately diagnose a pathogenic infection and genetic mutation. These tests arm medical professionals with the information they need for better and more cost-effective patient care,” said Jong-Yoon Chun, Chief Executive Officer of Seegene. “SeePrep and SeeCycler are the cutting edge in test sample prep and processing, and are a perfect complement to our multiplex testing format. Used together as a complete system, clinicians will benefit from a comprehensive system which simplifies and speeds up the entire test process.”

Seegene is pioneering a new category of multiplex PCR technology that enables the simultaneous detection of viruses and bacteria in a single reaction. Seegene currently has a wide range of assay panels for multiple pathogen screening. The assays primarily target viral and bacterial infections and include panels for viral respiratory infections, sexually transmitted diseases, herpes, diarrhea, HPV, viral meningitis and sepsis.

SeePrep is an automated nucleic acid extraction machine utilizing magnetic bead technology. The hallmark of the instrument is the ability to utilize specimens that are very difficult to extract by any other instrument.

SeeCycler uses patented block dissipation technology for accurate and fast heating and cooling rates, required for better efficiency in DNA amplification, resulting in fast reaction time. It has a capacity of 96 wells and covers and with 6 channels, 5 different analyses can be detected in one sample.

About Seegene

Seegene, Inc. is the leading biotechnology company developing, manufacturing and marketing innovative molecular diagnostic products and services. It holds proprietary technologies of both PCR and Real-time PCR named ACP™, DPO™, and READ™, which sets a standard in high-throughput and simultaneous multi-pathogen detection called “multiplex PCR.” The novel multiplex Real-time PCR technology, READ™, overcomes the limitations of conventional Real-time PCR, providing dramatic improvement in sensitivity and specificity. Seegene holds three novel Molecular diagnostic platforms: Seeplex® system adapting DPO™ Technology, Anyplex® and Magicplex® system which are Real-time PCR detection platform adapting DPO™ and READ™ Technology. Seegene’s products detect multi-pathogens with great reliability and throughput, ultimately providing the most economical basis for saving time, labor and cost. Seegene’s mission is to maintain leadership in molecular diagnostics for infectious diseases, genetics, pharmacogenetics, and oncology using innovative proprietary technologies.

For more information please visit www.seegene.com or call +301-762-9066.

INDIANAPOLIS, IN–(Marketwire – July 23, 2010) –  Health Systems International (HSI), a global provider of outsourced medical cost management solutions, has just received the spotlight in the Indianapolis Business Journal’s Fastest Growing Indianapolis-Area Private Companies — coming in at number 3. View the article at http://www.us-hsi.com/files/Fastest%20Growing%20HSI_July%202010.pdf. This is the second year in a row HSI has received this honor. In 2009, the company appeared on the list at number 9. 

Russell W. Sherlock, Chief Executive Officer of HSI, said, “Our strong sales team and our service results help us to continue to grow even in tough economic times. Healthcare continues to get more complex, and HSI works consultatively with clients to find out how each one can carve dollars out of the healthcare bill. Everyone’s program is unique, and we offer niche services and solutions to fit many markets.”

HSI solutions include cost containment technology and business services customized to meet specific industry needs in the PPO, Maritime, Workers’ Compensation, Property and Casualty, HMO, Health Insurance Carrier, TPA, Self-funded, Reinsurer, and International Health Payor Markets.

About HSI
Headquartered in Indianapolis, Indiana, HSI is a leading provider of outsourced medical cost management solutions. HSI is backed by Great Point Partners, LLC, a private investment firm with over $900 million of equity capital under management. Since 1987, HSI has utilized proprietary technology, experienced staff medical discount services to relieve clients’ administrative burdens and achieve the lowest possible cost of medical care. Visit www.us-hsi.com for more information.

IRVINE, CA–(Marketwire – July 22, 2010) – For marketing, sales and research professionals who need to understand the complex relationship of physician-to-hospital affiliations, SK&A, A Cegedim Company, today announced the release of an enhancement to its Office-Based Physician database that links practicing physicians to hospitals. SK&A has identified 1,143,420 hospital affiliations for the 680,000 physicians in its industry-leading database. Ninety percent of doctors are affiliated with at least one hospital. The average physician is affiliated with 1.7 hospitals.

SK&A enhanced its database of affiliations by surveying more than 235,000 U.S. medical offices over a six-month period to determine the unique connection between physicians and the hospitals within their sphere of practice or specialty. The survey was conducted by SK&A’s Research Center in Irvine, Calif., as part of its daily telephone verification of medical site information.

“Understanding the distinct and multifaceted relationship between physicians and hospitals is absolutely essential to succeed in today’s competitive marketplace,” said Dave Escalante, SK&A’s Vice President of Data and Information Solutions. “SK&A clients, across 12 major U.S. industries, need this important affiliation information to better plan and execute their sales, marketing and market-research programs. High-quality affiliation data enables more effective selling to physicians, supports enhanced targeting and segmentation, and provides more insight into the complex relationships that influence and drive market behaviors,” continued Escalante.

Through this latest delivery, SK&A has expanded its comprehensive, fully telephone-verified database of affiliation information in healthcare. For example, SK&A has identified 320,197 physicians who are affiliated with group practices. Affiliation coverage includes the ability to accurately identify the sites and personnel within:

• Integrated health systems and networks
• Hospital systems and networks, defined by ownership or affiliation
• Group practice networks
• Affiliated nursing homes
• Affiliated healthcare providers, professionals, administrators, executives and office personnel to health systems, hospitals, group practices, and nursing homes.

All of the affiliation information managed by SK&A, including the newly enhanced
physician-to-hospital affiliations and the baseline reference database, is available in Cegedim Dendrite’s OneKey service.

SK&A clients utilize affiliation information to:

• Deliver more accurate online directories of physicians for patient searches
• Understand the influence health systems and hospitals have on their network (e.g. EHR adoption and pharmaceutical sales rep access to physicians in medical offices)
• Enhance coordinated marketing and sales-resource planning and execution
• Accurately define markets and their overall potential.

About SK&A, A Cegedim Company
SK&A is a leading provider of healthcare information solutions and research. SK&A, as part of Cegedim’s global OneKey® offering, researches and maintains contact and profiling information for over two million healthcare practitioners, including 900,000-plus prescribers. SK&A also offers the only 100-percent telephone-verified database of email addresses of U.S. prescribers and professionals working at active healthcare sites. SK&A’s customers include many of America’s most recognized healthcare, life sciences and pharmaceutical companies. Please visit www.skainfo.com for more information or www.skalivecounts.com for counts and ordering. SK&A is part of the France-based Cegedim S.A. Group.

About Cegedim
Founded in 1969, Cegedim is a global technology and services company specializing in the healthcare field. Cegedim supplies services, technological tools, specialized software, data flow management services and databases. Its offerings are targeted notably at healthcare industries, life sciences companies, healthcare professionals and insurance companies. The world leader in life sciences CRM, Cegedim is also one of the leading suppliers of strategic healthcare industry data. Cegedim employs 8,600 people in more than 80 countries and generated revenue of €874 million in 2009.
Cegedim SA is listed in Paris (EURONEXT: CGM).
To learn more, please visit www.cegedim.com.

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