LONDON–(Marketwire – September 2, 2010) –  Genome Research Group (GRG) (PINKSHEETS: KKUR) recently announced its intended merger with ChromoCure, Inc. and consolidation of the operations and technologies of both groups. Genome Research Group personnel have assumed all executive and board duties and have no current or planned operations in the USA.

The company intends to open permanent offices in the United Kingdom as well as establish the first of several planned research labs and testing partners.

To date, the Company has not been able to secure its previously anticipated investment capital due to the declining USA economy and capital markets. The Company believes it has now secured satisfactory capital commitments and will proceed with its business plan accordingly.

The Company’s objectives are:

1. Recapitalize the company’s stock structure and change the company’s trading symbol to trade under “Genome Research Group.”

2. Establish business offices and permanent address in the United Kingdom with the most likely location being London.

3. Structure the company’s operations as decentralized management with multiple operational hubs and team members around the world.

4. Secure initial research lab space for the Company’s ongoing research and development for both its cancer imaging systems as well as its therapeutic protocols and animal modeling experiments.

5. Appoint industry leaders to the Company’s Board of Advisors.

6. Partner with cancer labs and pathology labs within the European Union. The Company does not believe the USA healthcare market will be an open market inviting of innovation or new ideas. The Company has no immediate plans to seek partnerships within the USA due to healthcare over-regulation and control by the US government.

7. Complete and deploy company branding, image, and professional design of marketing and educational materials.

8. File updated financial information with appropriate legal opinion letter to achieve “Current” reporting status. The Company has no immediate intent to become a “SEC Reporting” company due to the massive expense and liability of that status.

The Company intends to release updates from time to time as these actions are completed.

About Genome Research Group
Genome Research Group develops and provides proprietary cancer detection systems and related therapeutic technologies. The Company’s proprietary cancer detection system locates and measures unique genomic characteristic found in 100% of all cancers and never found in normal cells. The Company’s proprietary Therapeutic Modeling Protocols provide statistical modeling and prediction tools for the measurement and monitoring of cancer progression and remission. GRG owns proprietary techniques for non-toxic and non-invasive cancer therapy utilizing hypothermic modulation and resonance.

Safe-Harbor Statement
This release may contain forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Statements contained in this release that are not historical facts may be deemed to be forward-looking statements. Investors are cautioned that forward-looking statements are inherently uncertain. Actual performance and results may differ materially from that projected or suggested herein due to certain risks and uncertainties including, without limitation, ability to obtain financing and regulatory and shareholder approvals for anticipated actions.

DALLAS, TX–(Marketwire – September 2, 2010) –  Metiscan, Inc. (PINKSHEETS: MTIZ) announced today shareholder points of interest discussed during the Company’s nationwide teleconference yesterday. Mr. Bryan A. Scott, President & CEO, and Mr. Brian Hart, COO of Metiscan, provided deeper insight into its subsidiaries’ markets, products, and near term objectives, as well as Metiscan’s pursuit in listing on the OTCBB.

During the Teleconference, Mr. Scott detailed Metiscan’s corporate structure as the parent company of a portfolio of enterprises with operations in healthcare, healthcare IT, mobile technology and employment services. Metiscan manages all aspects of its subsidiaries and is currently pursuing growing its subsidiary Taptopia through technologies that are unique to its products and through acquisitions that complement its subsidiaries’ operations. Metiscan’s four subsidiaries are FirstView EHR, Inc., Taptopia, Inc., Schuylkill Open MRI, Inc. and Shoreline Employment Services, Inc. Mr. Scott further discussed Metiscan’s recent filing of its registration statement and its goal to meet the OTC Market requirements to qualify for the OTCBB market tier.

Mr. Scott also mentioned how Taptopia was founded in July 2009 with the vision of applying new technologies to the $80 Billion convention, trade show and meeting industry that revolutionize the way show managers and event organizers do business. Mr. Scott stated that, “the industry is greatly in need of technologies, more specifically software technologies, that aid exhibitors and attendees to realize more value from their events, as well as aid show managers with tools that help increase attendance and reduce costs.” He also summarized that Taptopia’s goal is to create and roll out new patent protect software technologies, which Taptopia has in its pipeline.

Bryan Hart, COO of Metiscan, mentioned that the Company is trending in a positive manner. Mr. Hart explained how Metiscan realized approximately $2.5M in revenues for year-end 2009, a 144% increase from year-end 2008. During 2010, the Company’s revenues have continued to increase over the last two quarters. Mr. Hart stated, “This quarter alone we experienced a 47% increase in our revenues, or $165,439 from the same period in 2009.” Mr. Hart also mentioned that during the first half of 2010 Metiscan experienced a 16% increase in its revenues, a $194,111 gain. The Company’s overall revenues as of June 30, 2010 were $1,413,490.

Mr. Hart stressed the importance of how digital medical information, specifically the electronic healthcare record systems FirstView administers and Schuylkill Open MRI recently implemented, saves the medical industry time and money. He stated that, “Metiscan strongly believes that storing medical information digitally, and being able to distribute it electronically, is a great cost savings by itself.” Mr. Hart also mentioned that last year $19 billion in the stimulus package targeted physicians to use electronic health record systems because EHR technology cuts costs, eliminates paperwork and helps doctors deliver high quality, coordinated care to patients. Mr. Hart explained that this will benefit Metiscan both for its imaging center as it relates to the benefit of the operational efficiencies EHR provides, and for FirstView as it relates to the professional Healthcare IT services it provides.

Mr. Hart explained how Metiscan demonstrated positive income from operations during the first half of 2010 totaling $184,464. Mr. Hart mentioned that Metiscan has constantly been focused on increasing operational efficiencies in all of its subsidiaries. Mr. Hart gave the example of how Schuylkill Open MRI moved towards more economical service contracts for maintaining all of its MRI equipment in its diagnostic imaging center and recently implemented a new EHR system. With FirstView, Mr. Hart said it reduced costs related to operating its data center and the amount of personnel needed for its billing and collection activities. He summarized his discussion on Metiscan’s subsidiaries, pointing out that Shoreline, its employment services division, has focused on economies of scale as it relates to personnel resources and benefits.

In closing, Mr. Scott stated, “We are very excited about our business activities here at Metiscan. We have great expectations for our company and our team believes in its future. We have been successful in building a company that is displaying both financial growth and innovation in new products and technologies.”

A recording of Metiscan’s nationwide teleconference will be available on the Company’s website at: www.metiscan.com within the next few days.

About Metiscan, Inc.

Metiscan, Inc. (Metiscan) (PINKSHEETS: MTIZ) is the parent company of a portfolio of enterprises with operations in healthcare, healthcare IT, mobile technology and employment services. Metiscan manages all aspects of its subsidiaries and is currently pursuing acquisitions that complement its subsidiaries’ operations. Metiscan’s subsidiaries include FirstView EHR, Inc., Taptopia, Inc., Schuylkill Open MRI, Inc., Shoreline Employment Services, Inc. For more information visit www.metiscan.com

Safe Harbor Statement: Certain of the statements made in this press release constitute forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 27E of the Securities Act of 1934. Such forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other unknown factors that could cause Metiscan’s actual results to be materially different from the historical results or from any future results expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Statements contained in this release that are not historical facts may be deemed to be forward-looking statements. In addition to statements that explicitly describe such risks and uncertainties, readers are urged to consider statements labeled with the terms “believes,” “belief,” “intends,” “anticipates” or “plans” to be uncertain and forward-looking. The Company does not intend to update any of the forward-looking statements after the date of this release to conform these statements to actual results or to changes in its expectations, except as may be required by law.

REDWOOD CITY, CA–(Marketwire – September 1, 2010) – AeroScout, the leading provider of Unified Asset Visibility for the healthcare industry, today announced continued strong growth in its healthcare business, extending its global lead in the healthcare market. 2009 was a record year for AeroScout healthcare revenue, and subsequent to that, the first half of 2010 represented the strongest two quarters in the company’s history for AeroScout’s Healthcare Real-Time Location System (RTLS). In those two quarters, AeroScout received more than 200 orders for its healthcare solutions, which provide real-time visibility into the location, status and condition of assets, patients and staff, from healthcare organizations around the world. One of the main reasons for the rapid adoption is that, with AeroScout’s Wi-Fi RFID solutions, organizations are able to leverage their existing, standard Wi-Fi infrastructures instead of deploying and maintaining separate proprietary networks. 

“In addition to its comprehensive set of Healthcare RTLS solutions and integration capabilities, AeroScout offers hospitals the opportunity to save money while reducing risk and complexity by using their Wi-Fi networks instead of proprietary networks,” said Gregg Malkary, Managing Director of Spyglass. “This means its clients don’t need to purchase, wire and maintain an overlay network, and it has led to rapid growth for AeroScout and Wi-Fi RFID over the past few years.”

Complementing the Wi-Fi advantages, other factors that have contributed to AeroScout’s increasing market leadership include its track record with top hospitals and healthcare systems around the world, its robust suite of solutions, and the ease with which AeroScout solutions integrate with other healthcare information systems, hospital equipment and business processes.

AeroScout has completed implementations at hundreds of healthcare organizations, covering every major region of the world — North America, Australia, Europe, Asia, the Middle East and Latin America. The experience gained over the years from these customers and deployments has continued to increase AeroScout’s healthcare expertise and customer base. Examples of global healthcare customers include:

• Adventist Health System, Winter Park, Florida, USA
• Macquarie University Hospital, Sydney, Australia
• GZA Hospital Group, Antwerp, Belgium
• Akita University Hospital, Akita, Japan
• Hospital Israelita Albert Einstein, São Paulo, Brazil

AeroScout’s comprehensive solutions allow customers to work with a single, proven provider and implement one platform for all current and future asset, patient and staff visibility needs. This includes enterprise-wide asset and people tracking, room-level location, bay-level (sub-room) resolution, optional chokepoint detection, condition monitoring and passive RFID applications.

Focusing on the needs of its global healthcare customers, AeroScout is continuously expanding and enhancing its robust set of healthcare applications, which includes Asset Management, Condition Monitoring, Patient Flow and Patient & Staff Safety. For example, the company recently enhanced its Patient Flow and Patient & Staff Safety solutions by designing and producing the world’s smallest Wi-Fi Tag for patients and staff. AeroScout also supplemented its Condition Monitoring offerings with Humidity Monitoring Solutions, which include Wi-Fi Tags and end-user software.

AeroScout’s range of integrations with healthcare information systems is the broadest in the RTLS market. AeroScout offers integrations with nurse call systems, maintenance management systems, infusion pumps, security and building automation systems, VoIP communication devices and more. For example, AeroScout now integrates with the Rauland-Borg Responder 5 Nurse Call system to enable improved clinician efficiency and workflow. AeroScout also provides MobileView for VoIP Phones, which delivers AeroScout’s end-user software on VoIP communication devices to enhance staff productivity, mobility and communication.

“To serve our multiplying healthcare customer base, we continue to develop and enhance solutions to drive additional value for our clients,” said Yuval Bar-Gil, CEO of AeroScout. “Hospital and healthcare organizations across the globe are using AeroScout’s Wi-Fi-based solutions to reduce capital and operational expenses, increase staff efficiency, facilitate regulatory compliance and improve patient care.”

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. Wi-Fi is a trademark of the Wi-Fi Alliance. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. Information is subject to change without notice.

CENTERVILLE, MA–(Marketwire – September 1, 2010) –  UV Flu Technologies, Inc. (OTCBB: UVFT) (the “Company”) announced today that the improved features added to its UV-400 air purifier have been generating a surprising amount of interest from distributors.

The Company recently began coating the inside of its patented UV-400 cartridge with a thin layer of the photo-catalyst Titanium Dioxide (TiO2). Combined with the germicidal UV lamps contained within the cartridge, and moisture in the air, the hydroxyl radicals produced by the TiO2 accelerate the breakdown of molecular bonds present as odors or in the case of Volatile Organic Compounds (“VOC”). These compounds are converted into harmless water vapor and carbon dioxide, which results in significantly reducing the concentration and effects of odors and VOC’s.

“Volatile Organic Compounds, such as acetone, formaldehyde, benzene, as well as hundreds of other compounds, are surprisingly common in offices or households, and can be harmful in even small concentrations to people with respiratory problems, especially children and the elderly,” stated Jack Lennon, President of UV Flu Technologies. “Carpets, building materials, cleaning supplies, paints and varnishes, vinyl floors and furniture, air fresheners, copiers and printers, pesticides, secondhand smoke, wood burning stoves, nail polish remover and hair products; are all just a small sample of the products emitting VOC’s, many of which cause allergic reactions, as well as many of them containing known carcinogens. The UV-400 product has undergone laboratory tests which show the concentration of VOC’s are reduced significantly with each pass, which is repeated several times per hour in a typical room.”

“Many of our customers are very excited about this feature,” commented Bill Fegley, President of Puravair, a major distributor of UV Flu products. “The reduction of the concentration of these compounds and odors is considered very important to a wide array of our customer base, such as salons, health clubs, funeral homes, restaurants and athletic facilities. This feature, combined with the UV-400’s proven ability to kill bacteria, make it a compelling purchase for any location that commonly finds these types of airborne contaminants present in the course of their day-to-day operations.”

Further details regarding the Company’s business, financial reports and agreements are filed as part of the Company’s continuous public disclosure as a reporting issuer under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission’s (“SEC”) EDGAR database.

About UV Flu Technologies, Inc. (OTCBB: UVFT)
UV Flu Technologies is an innovative developer, manufacturer and distributor of bio technology products initially targeting the rapidly growing Indoor Air Quality (“IAQ”) industry sector. The Company manufactures the VIRATECH UV-400, which utilizes high-intensity germicidal ultraviolet radiation (UV-C) inside a killing chamber that goes beyond filtration to destroy harmful airborne bacteria at rates exceeding 99.2% on a first-pass basis. The FDA has issued a coveted Class II medical listing that enables UV Flu Technologies to market the product as a medical device.

Notice Regarding Forward-Looking Statements
This news release contains “forward-looking statements” as that term is defined in Section 27A of the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. Statements in this press release which are not purely historical are forward-looking statements and include any statements regarding beliefs, plans, expectations or intentions regarding the future. Such forward-looking statements include, among other things, the development, costs and results of new business opportunities. Actual results could differ from those projected in any forward-looking statements due to numerous factors. Such factors include, among others, the inherent uncertainties associated with new projects and development stage companies. These forward-looking statements are made as of the date of this news release, and we assume no obligation to update the forward-looking statements, or to update the reasons why actual results could differ from those projected in the forward-looking statements. Although we believe that any beliefs, plans, expectations and intentions contained in this press release are reasonable, there can be no assurance that any such beliefs, plans, expectations or intentions will prove to be accurate. Investors should consult all of the information set forth herein and should also refer to the risk factors disclosure outlined in our annual report on Form 10-K for the most recent fiscal year, our quarterly reports on Form 10-Q and other periodic reports filed from time-to-time with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD

UV Flu Technologies, Inc.
—————————–
John J. Lennon, President & CEO

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DALLAS, TX–(Marketwire – September 1, 2010) –  Metiscan, Inc. (PINKSHEETS: MTIZ) is pleased to announce that the Company will be hosting a Nationwide Teleconference today, Wednesday, September 1, 2010 at 4:15 PM (Eastern Daylight Time) to update the financial community on points of interest that affect Metiscan and its shareholders. The Company will be discussing its recent operational accomplishments that have transpired over the previous six months as well as providing insight into objectives Metiscan has outlined for the near term.

If you would like to participate in the Nationwide Teleconference with Metiscan at 4:15 PM EDT today, please dial 1-800-871-9060, pass code 943301958#.

“This teleconference is very timely for Metiscan; we have accomplished many goals during the last six months that we want to share with the investment community and we look forward to discussing what’s next for the Company in a public forum,” stated Bryan A. Scott, CEO & President of Metiscan, Inc.

The Nationwide Teleconference will be hosted and moderated by Marc Jablon, CEO of Big Apple Consulting USA. The featured speakers for Metiscan, Inc. will be Bryan A. Scott, President, CEO & Director, and Brian Hart, COO.

About Metiscan, Inc.
Metiscan, Inc. (Metiscan), (PINKSHEETS: MTIZ), is the parent company of a portfolio of enterprises with operations in healthcare, healthcare IT, mobile technology and employment services. Metiscan manages all aspects of its subsidiaries and is currently pursuing acquisitions that complement its subsidiaries’ operations. Metiscan’s subsidiaries include FirstView EHR, Inc., Taptopia, Inc., Schuylkill Open MRI, Inc., Shoreline Employment Services, Inc. For more information visit www.metiscan.com.

Safe Harbor Statement: Certain of the statements made in this press release constitute forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 27E of the Securities Act of 1934. Such forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other unknown factors that could cause Metiscan’s actual results to be materially different from the historical results or from any future results expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Statements contained in this release that are not historical facts may be deemed to be forward-looking statements. In addition to statements that explicitly describe such risks and uncertainties, readers are urged to consider statements labeled with the terms “believes,” “belief,” “intends,” “anticipates” or “plans” to be uncertain and forward-looking. The Company does not intend to update any of the forward-looking statements after the date of this release to conform these statements to actual results or to changes in its expectations, except as may be required by law.

FOOTHILL RANCH, CA–(Marketwire – September 1, 2010) –  Össur, a global leader in non-invasive orthopaedics, today announced a new strategic alliance with Hely & Weber, a supplier of innovative, high-quality braces and supports. Founded in 1992, founders John Hely and Jim Weber have a combined 76 years of experience in the orthopedic and sports medicine industry. The Hely & Weber line includes renowned products such as the Titan Wrist Brace, Shields Patella Stabilizer, Knapp Hinged Knee, and 24 patented soft bracing products which have a long history of successful clinical performance.

Beginning September 1, Össur will participate in an agreement to distribute Hely & Weber’s line of soft goods through Össur’s Group Purchasing Organization (GPO) contracts. Hely & Weber’s line will also be available through three of Össur’s representatives: Team Makena (So.CA), Synergy Orthopedics (East PA, NJ), and Dashe Orthopedic Supplies (TX, AR, OK).

“We welcome the opportunity to provide Hely & Weber’s high-quality products to our customers,” said Mahesh Mansukhani, Össur Americas president. “The addition of Hely & Weber products to our line expands our ability to provide innovative products that drive successful patient outcomes for our customers.”

John Hely, CEO of Hely & Weber, commented, “We are excited about the opportunity to work with Össur to strengthen our market presence. Össur is a leading company that is well positioned to continue its success in the non-invasive orthopaedic area.”

About Össur

Össur (NASDAQ/OMX: OSSR) is a global leader in non-invasive orthopaedics that help people live a life without limitations. Its business is focused on improving people’s mobility through the delivery of innovative technologies within the fields of braces, supports, prosthetic limbs and compression therapies. A recognized “Technology Pioneer,” Össur invests significantly in research and product development; its award-winning designs ensuring a consistently strong position in the market. Successful patient and clinical outcomes are further empowered via Össur’s educational programs and business solutions. Headquartered in Iceland, Össur has major operations in the Americas, Europe and Asia, with additional distributors worldwide. Össur Americas’ headquarters are based in Orange County, CA.

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LOS ANGELES, CA–(Marketwire – September 1, 2010) –  MMRGlobal, Inc. (OTCBB: MMRF) (www.mmrglobal.com) expands its advertising of Personal Health Records products and services (www.mymedicalrecords.com) on national television tonight, September 1, 2010, at 6 pm EDT, in “The Spirit of Mississippi,” on the Hallmark Channel. The Company also announced that starting today, a nationwide radio Listener Loyalty Program was launched with Clear Channel Communications in which listeners will be directed to MMR’s website to take advantage of the Company’s end of Summer Labor Day promotion of a 30-day trial and $25 toward the cost of their next doctor visit (www.mmrvideos.com).

Robert H. Lorsch, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of MMRGlobal, said, “Labor Day weekend was chosen to launch this radio marketing campaign because it is a great time to reach consumers about the importance of having a Personal Health Record when traveling with the family.”

Lorsch continued, “The people of Mississippi and the entire Gulf region are making progress in rebuilding their lives. Our products offer the reliability and resiliency needed to recover more quickly from any emergency or disaster. With MyMedicalRecords, individuals and families can have direct access to their most important documents, including insurance policies, deeds of trust, wills, birth certificates and advance directives, in addition to their medical records. Everything is located in one secure, convenient location accessible from any Internet connection anywhere in the world.”

About Clear Channel Communications, Inc.

Founded in 1972, with headquarters in San Antonio, TX, the Company broadcasts in over 50 countries through its divisions, Clear Channel Radio: San Antonio, TX and Clear Channel Outdoor: San Antonio, TX and reaches more than 154 million people, or 75% of the 18+ U.S. population, operating over 800 radio stations reaching more than 97 million listeners every week. With international partners, the Company owns and operates more than 140 radio stations in Australia and New Zealand. Premiere Radio Networks syndicates 90 radio programs and services to more than 5,000 radio stations affiliations reaching over 190 million listeners a week.

About MMRGlobal, Inc.

MMR Global, Inc., through its wholly-owned operating subsidiary, MyMedicalRecords, Inc. (“MMR”), provides secure and easy-to-use online Personal Health Records (“PHRs”) and electronic safe deposit box storage solutions, serving consumers, healthcare professionals, employers, insurance companies, financial institutions, and professional organizations and affinity groups. MyMedicalRecords enables individuals and families to access their medical records and other important documents, such as birth certificates, passports, insurance policies and wills, anytime from anywhere using the Internet. The MyMedicalRecords Personal Health Record is built on proprietary, patented technologies to allow documents, images and voicemail messages to be transmitted and stored in the system using a variety of methods, including fax, phone, or file upload without relying on any specific electronic medical record platform to populate a user’s account. The Company’s professional offering, MMRPro, is designed to give physicians’ offices an easy and cost-effective solution to digitizing paper-based medical records and sharing them with patients in real time through an integrated patient portal. MMR is an Independent Software Vendor Partner with Kodak to deliver an integrated turnkey EMR solution for healthcare professionals. MMR is also an integrated service provider on Google Health. To learn more about MMR Global, Inc. and its products, visit www.mymedicalrecords.com and view the videos at www.mmrtheater.com.

Forward-Looking Statements. Any statements contained in this press release that refer to future events or other non-historical matters are forward-looking statements. MMRGlobal, Inc. disclaims any intent or obligation to revise or update any forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are based on MMRGlobal, Inc.’s reasonable expectations as of the date of this press release and are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from current expectations. The information discussed in this release is subject to various risks and uncertainties related to changes in MMRGlobal, Inc.’s business prospects, results of operations or financial condition, government regulation, television programming changes, and such other risks and uncertainties as detailed from time to time in MMRGlobal, Inc.’s public filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.

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EVANSTON, IL–(Marketwire – September 1, 2010) –  Custom health communications company StayWell Custom Communications (SCC), a division of MediMedia USA, has announced that Bob Noel has joined the organization as Vice President of Professional Services.

In his new role, Noel will spearhead the company’s consulting services to help clients achieve best of class implementation of StayWell Custom Communications’ content and cross-media solutions in order to achieve business results.

Noel brings a wealth of professional services experience to the position, including work as
a consultant with more than 100 hospitals and healthcare organizations. He was a co-founder and Executive Vice President of Greystone.Net, Inc., where he provided consulting services to assist clients in the implementation and integration of the Greystone online consumer health information libraries.

Noel’s previous experience also includes working as a Senior Manager in the health care consulting practice of Ernst & Young and as an Assistant Administrator at the University of Alabama in Birmingham Medical Center. He earned a Master’s degree in Healthcare Administration from the University of Alabama in Birmingham. 

“We are extremely pleased to welcome Bob Noel to our team and look forward to the value he’ll bring our clients in their implementation of our solutions,” said StayWell Custom Communications president and CEO Trent Sterling. “With more options than ever for integration of our content across multiple channels and strategies — including SEO, social media, mobile and electronic medical records — it’s increasingly important that our clients undertake a rigorous approach to integration in order to realize the full value of our solutions.”

About StayWell Custom Communications

StayWell Custom Communications is the leader in custom health content solutions delivered via a variety of sophisticated technology platforms. Our interactive offerings include robust web platforms, online health libraries, e-mail and SMS (or mobile) marketing programs, and an extensive range of multimedia tools including video, podcasts and animations. The company serves hundreds of clients representing several channels in the healthcare industry: hospitals and health systems; health plans; employers; and retail organizations. StayWell Custom Communications also offers a comprehensive range of print and print/interactive integrated solutions to meet a broad range of clients’ marketing and communication needs. 

For more information visit www.staywellcustom.com.

About MediMedia

Headquartered in Yardley, PA, with 1,700 employees in offices throughout the U.S., MediMedia changes consumer and professional behaviors through superior engagement, education and end-user preferences. Our health information services group creates, publishes, distributes, and syndicates on and off-line health information to help consumers make informed health decisions on behalf of a variety of sponsors, including providers — both hospitals and physicians, payers, and online media companies. Our health management services group provides population health management services which help consumers lower their health risk, enabling employers to lower their risks, utilization and ultimately their health care expenses. And finally, our professional segment derives its revenues from providing online/off-line professional promotion, engagement, and education services targeted to healthcare professionals and their patients.

MediMedia is a Vestar Capital Partners portfolio company.

SAN DIEGO, CA–(Marketwire – September 1, 2010) –  Recombinant human beta-interferon reduces the frequency of multiple sclerosis (MS) exacerbations and improves MS outcome measures. Unfortunately, current beta-interferon drug products form aggregates that provoke a neutralizing antibody response in MS patients, significantly reducing the effectiveness of the drug.

In a Journal article titled: “n-Dodecyl-?-D-Maltoside Inhibits Aggregation of Human Interferon-?-1b and Reduces Its Immunogenicity” which appeared in the Journal of Neuroimmune Pharmacology, published online on June 7, 2010 scientists from a leading US University Medical School report that addition of a patented ProTek® excipient, a pharmaceutical grade of dodecyl maltoside developed by Aegis, inhibits aggregation and prevents development of antibodies in vivo suggesting a route to greatly improved beta interferon formulations. The abstract of the scientific report may be viewed online at: http://www.springerlink.com/content/v46614510n311211/.

According to Dr. Edward T. Maggio, CEO of Aegis Therapeutics, “Aggregation-induced immunogenicity is a problem for many protein therapeutics, reducing drug effectiveness and in extreme instances, causing life-threatening adverse reactions as with erythropoietin and Factor VIII. And because protein aggregation also adversely affects manufacturing process yields and drug potency it has become a major concern for pharmaceutical formulators worldwide.”

ProTek® excipients are being used to prevent aggregation of monoclonal antibodies, human growth hormone, parathyroid hormone, and insulin, as well as a number of undisclosed proprietary peptide or protein therapeutics now in development.

About Aegis Therapeutics
Aegis Therapeutics commercializes its patented drug delivery and drug formulation technologies through product specific licenses. Our Intravail® technology enables the non-invasive delivery of a broad range of protein, peptide and non-peptide macromolecular therapeutics that can currently only be administered by injection with exceptionally high and unmatched bioavailability. Our ProTek® technology provides proprietary, easily manufacturable, aqueous dosage forms that are stable at elevated temperature and that reduce unwanted immunogenicity of many protein and peptide therapeutics.

SAN CLEMENTE, CA–(Marketwire – August 31, 2010) –  Micro Identification Technologies, Inc. (OTCBB: MMTC) is a California-based public company that has developed, patented and produces a rapid microbial identification (ID) System that revolutionizes the bacteria ID process and can annually save thousands of lives and tens of millions of healthcare dollars. The MIT 1000 System identifies bacteria in minutes, not days, and at significant cost per test savings when compared to any conventional method — it is not reliant on chemical or biological agents, conventional processing, fluorescent tags, gas chromatography or DNA analysis — requiring only clean water and a sample of the unknown bacteria. Revenues for all rapid testing methods exceed $5 billion annually — with food safety accounting for over $3 billion — having expanded at a rate of 9.2 percent annually since 1998. Current growth projections are at 10.2 percent annually reaching $6.2 billion by 2013 and driven by major health, safety and homeland security issues.

MIT, to meet this growing demand, announces today that it has made significant manufacturing progress since its initiation of a manufacturing alliance with OSI Optoelectronics (OSIO), a subsidiary of OSI Systems, to produce the MIT 1000 System. OSIO has manufacturing facilities in California, Malaysia and India. “We are pleased to work with MIT as we feel their innovative product will become a valuable tool to help prevent widespread bacterial contamination in the future,” stated Manoocher Mansouri, OSIO’s President.

“All of OSIO’s world class facilities are ISO 9001:2000 certified, FDA registered and GMP compliant making them the perfect company to fabricate MIT’s systems for food safety applications as well as planned pharmaceutical and clinical diagnostic applications,” stated John Ricardi, MIT’s Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer. Mr. Ricardi further added that “While we are predicting quantity deliveries of the MIT 1000 System by the end of this year, initially the systems will be built in OSIO’s California facility, as volume increases, fabrication will move to one of their lower cost overseas facilities enabling MIT to improve future profit margins.” For more information on OSI Systems, visit the company’s website at www.osi-systems.com

The MIT 1000 Systems, in limited production during this last year, have had several distinguished users, including the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Japanese Ministry of Food Safety, University Putra Malaysia and several local contract bioscience testing laboratories. MIT’s Chairman Michael Brennan stated, “We have a small and growing backlog, are in discussions with several potential customers and are on track with this year’s goal to begin quantity deliveries by year’s end, and in turn need to increase our system support and microbiological research capabilities in conjunction with helping improve the food industry’s safety capabilities.”

To fund these activities, MIT has entered into a three-year $5,000,000 equity agreement with the Boston-based private equity firm, Dutchess Capital — the underlying S-1 Registration Statement was recently approved by the Securities Exchange Commission (SEC). MIT’s Chief Executive Officer, Michael Brennan, stated, “We have been very pleased working with Dutchess which has an excellent track record in the investment banking industry and has been a leading provider of private equity for over 10 years. Their successful background was the primary reason we selected them to be one of our partners.”

Chris Quin, Dutchess Vice President of business development stated, “We are excited to work with MIT as they continue to execute their business plan, develop further applications and increase market penetration of their laser-based, rapid microbial identification technology.” For more information on Dutchess Capital, visit the firm’s website at www.dutchesscapital.com

About Micro Identification Technologies:

The MIT 1000 System can identify bacteria in less than five minutes after culturing at a cost of less than 10 cents per test and is a certified AOAC Research Institute (RI) test method of Listeria, one of three bacteria (the others are Salmonella and E.coli) that are responsible for most of the worldwide food contamination events. The Company is in the process of preparing the MIT 1000 System to become AOAC RI certified later this year for the presence of all “three” bacteria with a single mouse click. The AOAC RI Report and Certification are available from the Company. www.aoac.org 

Further, MIT has demonstrated the ability to detect and identify, within several minutes, the microbes Escherichia coli, Listeria, Salmonella, Staphylococcus aureus, MRSA and other pathogenic bacteria. MIT recently performed over 300 tests for the identification of these contaminants and scored over 95 percent in accuracy. The System’s database currently enables the identification of over twenty species of bacteria and is easily expandable. This identification process has also been verified by North American Science Associates, Inc. (NAMSA), an independent, internationally recognized bioscience testing laboratory. The NAMSA Test Report is available from the Company and, in MIT’s opinion, documents the accuracy, speed and cost effectiveness of the MIT System over conventional processes. www.namsa.com

Please visit our website: www.micro-identification.com

This release contains statements that are forward-looking in nature. Statements that are predictive in nature, that depend upon or refer to future events or conditions or that include words such as “expects,” “anticipates,” “intends,” “plans,” “believes,” “estimates,” and similar expressions are forward-looking statements. These statements are made based upon information available to the Company as of the date of this release, and we assume no obligation to update any such forward-looking statements. These statements are not guarantees of future performance and actual results could differ materially from our current expectations. Factors that could cause or contribute to such differences include, but are not limited to dependence on suppliers; short product life cycles and reductions in unit selling prices; delays in development or shipment of new products; lack of market acceptance of our new products or services; inability to continue to develop competitive new products and services on a timely basis; introduction of new products or services by major competitors; our ability to attract and retain qualified employees; inability to expand our operations to support increased growth; and declining economic conditions, including a recession. These and other factors and risks associated with our business are discussed from time to time within our filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, referencing: “MMTC”

NEW YORK, NY–(Marketwire – August 31, 2010) –  On August 31st Fly for MS takes off from New York on a thrilling humanitarian mission to 30 countries in North America, Europe and Asia where the team will fly MS patients for treatment, and share the joy of flying with more than 100 people with MS to raise awareness for the challenges faced by over 2.1 million fighting this debilitating disease.

Fewer than 300 have flown a small plane for such a distance, and none for a humanitarian mission, compared to over 4,000 people who successfully climbed Mount Everest.

The mission will debut with a flight above Manhattan with Tom Clyne of New York, a representative from the U.S. National MS Society suffering from MS.

“Using my cane, I’m reminded of my MS with every step I take. Being up in the air with Andrei and the Fly for MS team, I can be free, even for a few moments. It’s a wonderful and exciting project he’s undertaking to bring awareness to the challenges people with MS experience every day of their lives,” says Tom.

Fly for MS is the brainchild of pilot Andrei Floroiu, a former Wall Street investor focused on biotechnology companies. In his profession he realized from interviews with over 600 MS patients and doctors how little the public knows about MS and recognized the need for a unique event to inspire compassion and action.

MS patients face harsh realities including lack of services due to budget cuts and limited availability of proper treatment. Ignorance of MS often forces people with MS to withdraw from society, hiding an illness poorly understood.

MS is a debilitating disease that affects 1.5 million people in North America and Europe alone. The symptoms of MS are cruel and include paralysis, speech impairment, and blindness. MS typically strikes people between the ages of 20 – 50 and renders 60% of those touched disabled over time. MS also affects an estimated 50,000 children globally.

With no known cause or cure in sight, awareness will move MS higher on government agendas, change employers’ attitudes and educate the world how to help. Awareness has a multiplier effect on future research funding.

“Through this unprecedented journey we aim to expose the contrast between the ultimate freedom of flying and the limitations of those living with MS, and reach new, broader audiences that other efforts have not been able to in the past,” says Floroiu.

“As a volunteer driven organization, it is bold, imaginative and independent projects such as Fly for MS that raise awareness for the challenges of living with MS and the funds needed to move us closer to a world free of the disease. The Society certainly encourages this heart-felt endeavor,” says Joyce Nelson, President and CEO of the U.S. National MS Society.

On certain legs of the tour, MS specialists, advocates, public figures and journalists will fly along.

Competitions are organized in certain countries for those that want a flight in the Fly for MS plane and the team will join fundraisers and awareness events across Europe.

Updates and photographs from the mission will be posted daily at www.flyms.org, Twitter, and Facebook. For more information visit: http://www.flyms.org/fly-for-multiple-sclerosis-schedule.html

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DALLAS, TX–(Marketwire – August 31, 2010) –  Metiscan, Inc. (PINKSHEETS: MTIZ) is pleased to announce that the Company will be hosting a nationwide teleconference on Wednesday, September 1, 2010 at 4:15 PM (Eastern Daylight Time) and will discuss points of interest that affect Metiscan and its shareholders. The Company will be discussing its recent operational accomplishments that have transpired over the previous six months as well as providing insight into objectives Metiscan has outlined for the near term.

The nationwide teleconference will be hosted and moderated by Marc Jablon, CEO of Big Apple Consulting USA. The featured speakers for Metiscan will be Bryan Scott, President, CEO & Director, Janine Frieh, CFO & Director, and Brian Hart, COO & Director.

Space is limited on the call-in lines, therefore in order to participate please call 407-389-5900 and ask for investor relations to make a reservation. If you have a particular question for Mr. Scott, Ms. Frieh or Mr. Hart, please email questions in advance to [email protected].

About Metiscan, Inc.

Metiscan, Inc. (Metiscan), (PINKSHEETS: MTIZ), is the parent company of a portfolio of enterprises with operations in healthcare, healthcare IT, mobile technology and employment services. Metiscan manages all aspects of its subsidiaries and is currently pursuing acquisitions that complement its subsidiaries’ operations. Metiscan’s subsidiaries include FirstView EHR, Inc., Taptopia, Inc., Schuylkill Open MRI, Inc., Shoreline Employment Services, Inc. For more information visit www.metiscan.com

Safe Harbor Statement: Certain of the statements made in this press release constitute forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 27E of the Securities Act of 1934. Such forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other unknown factors that could cause Metiscan’s actual results to be materially different from the historical results or from any future results expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Statements contained in this release that are not historical facts may be deemed to be forward-looking statements. In addition to statements that explicitly describe such risks and uncertainties, readers are urged to consider statements labeled with the terms “believes,” “belief,” “intends,” “anticipates” or “plans” to be uncertain and forward-looking. The Company does not intend to update any of the forward-looking statements after the date of this release to conform these statements to actual results or to changes in its expectations, except as may be required by law.

NATICK, MA–(Marketwire – August 31, 2010) –  Interbit Data, a leading provider of software and services for improving healthcare efficiency, today announced it has been named to Inc. Magazine‘s exclusive list of the 5,000 fastest growing private companies in the United States for the second year in a row. The company ranked No. 1902 as a result of achieving over 142% growth from 2006 to 2009, a significant move up from its ranking of No. 2909 on the 2009 Inc. 5000 list. This growth places Interbit Data at No. 152 in the health industry ranking and No. 64 among Boston, MA area companies.

“Our continued growth during this economy is not only proof of our staying power, it is confirmation of the significant value our software delivers in terms of time and cost savings,” said Arthur Young, president of Interbit Data. “We are dedicated to helping healthcare providers improve the level of care by addressing their challenges with streamlining operations, distributing patient data and reports, and ensuring access to critical patient records during system downtimes.”

Since 1997, Interbit Data has sold its software solutions for improving operational efficiency to over 650 healthcare providers and organizations in the U.S., Canada and U.K. The company offers three types of solutions that contribute to increased productivity, reduced costs, and, ultimately, better and more consistent patient care:

• Information distribution — automates the secure transfer of information over the Internet in multiple formats (print, fax, email or file), easily integrating it into physician practices’ electronic medical records (EMRs) using the industry standard HL7 format.
• Business continuance — ensures up-to-date patient data is readily available in the event of a network or system outage.
• Scheduling and workforce automation — automates manual scheduling, enabling organizations to easily implement a complex schedule and efficiently manage staff.

The 2010 Inc. 5000 serves as a unique illustration of the profound changes taking place in the U.S. economy. Despite the fact that most of this year’s measuring period of 2006-2009 took place during the latest recession, aggregate revenue among the companies on the list actually increased to $321.6 billion, up more than 50 percent from last year. The effects of the recession are seen, however, in the median three-year growth rate, which dropped to 96 percent from last year’s 126 percent.

This year’s Inc. 5000 employ a record 1.4 million people, up from one million on last year’s list. The Health sector is the top employer with 287,726 jobs, followed by Business Products & Services (230,066), Food & Beverage (108,344), Human Resources (107,924), and Retail (96,858).

The top five industries by total revenue are Business Products & Services ($84.7 billion), Health ($48.3 billion), Consumer Products & Services ($26.4 billion), Retail ($22.3 billion), and Government Services ($15.1 billion).

Complete results of the Inc. 5000, including company profiles and an interactive database that can be sorted by industry, region, and other criteria, can be found on www.inc.com/5000.

Inc. 5000 Methodology
The 2010 Inc. 5000 is ranked according to percentage revenue growth when comparing 2006 to 2009. To qualify, companies must have been founded and generating revenue by June 30, 2006. Additionally, they had to be based in the United States, privately held, for profit, and independent — not subsidiaries or divisions of other companies — as of December 31, 2009. (Since then, a number of companies on the list have gone public or been acquired.) The minimum revenue required for 2006 is $80,000; the minimum for 2009 is $2 million. As always, Inc. reserves the right to decline applicants for subjective reasons. The top 10 percent of companies on the list constitute the Inc. 500, now in its 29th year.

About Inc. Magazine
Founded in 1979 and acquired in 2005 by Mansueto Ventures LLC, Inc. (www.inc.com) is the only major business magazine dedicated exclusively to owners and managers of growing private companies that delivers real solutions for today’s innovative company builders. With a total paid circulation of 712,647, Inc. provides hands-on tools and market-tested strategies for managing people, finances, sales, marketing, and technology. Visit us online at Inc.com.

About Interbit Data
For more information about Interbit Data and its NetSolutions healthcare IT products, visit the company Website at www.interbitdata.com.

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KANKAKEE, IL–(Marketwire – August 31, 2010) –  Riverside Medical Center, whose mission is to meet the health and well-being needs of the communities it serves, provided more than $36.7 million in community benefit in 2009. This high quality southern Chicago suburbs healthcare provider receives no payment for a wide variety of vital programs and services devoted to individuals and families through the medical center’s service area. As one of the top hospitals in Illinois, Riverside is committed to making quality healthcare available to everyone, regardless of their economic condition. 

The income, employment and insurance status of residents of Kankakee County results in the hospital caring for a large number of patients who are uninsured or underinsured, or for whom public program reimbursement is inadequate to cover costs. Of the $36.7 million of community benefit that Riverside Medical Center provided in 2009, over $18.1 million of the total covered costs was for subsidized health services. That included Medicaid services and community health centers in Kankakee, Momence and Hopkins Park. This figure also includes New Life Center, ambulance services, health screenings, physician recruitment and health care education, among other services.

As a nonprofit organization, after paying expenses, Riverside reinvests any excess revenue back in the organization to pay for capital improvements. Riverside also allocates portion of this money to services that benefit patients: free care for patients who cannot pay, subsidized care for patients whose government insurance does not cover all of Riverside’s costs, and critical medical services that operate at a financial loss but are necessary for the overall health and well-being of the community.

Riverside also acts as an economic engine for Kankakee County and the surrounding areas like southern Will County healthcare. Not only do they provide care for those who are not financially able to afford it, but they also help create more jobs and economic growth in our community. Riverside not only has a significant impact on the health and welfare of residents, but also has a large impact on the local economy, both of which are definitely for the better. If you are in need of any sort of medical services, Riverside Medical Center is here to make sure you get the best care provided anywhere.

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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RALEIGH, NC–(Marketwire – August 31, 2010) – Healthcare experts got a dose of Lean Six Sigma principles when Rucker and Associates presented its best industry practices to ISH, Inc. to help them better understand the power of Lean Six Sigma for efficiency and productivity. Florida-based ISH, Inc. has developed hundreds of quality improvement initiatives at many of the nation’s leading healthcare organizations. Working with Rucker has been their first exposure to Lean Six Sigma principles in action.

ISH, Inc. is a leading provider of office processing and time management software for the healthcare industry. Bonnie Smith of Rucker and Associates handled the presentation to administrators at ISH, Inc., providing them with information on ways to integrate Lean Six Sigma principles into everyday operations to improve performance. 

According to Smith, the strategy at ISH, Inc. focused on lead-time to reduce defects and improve the company’s workflow. “Finding ways to improve what we refer to as ‘profit-busters’ will not only decrease waiting times and improve patient care but save a healthcare organization money,” she said.

Smith’s seven profit-busters that plague the industry include: waiting, over-processing, over-production, indecision, hand-offs, loop-backs and excess inventory.

She uses Rucker case examples to explain: “Hospitals that use Lean Six Sigma have saved $16 million through efficiency improvements that include: reducing emergency room wait times by one hour, reducing turnaround times for patient tests from 74 to 40 minutes, lowering in-patient registration questions from 39 to six, and more timely accounts receivables,” she said.

“Controlling these efficiencies helps healthcare organizations save valuable time and resources, which impacts the bottom line,” said Smith, an efficiency expert who played a pivotal role in creating the synthesis of Lean principles and Six Sigma tools now known as Lean Six Sigma.

Healthcare organizations are more actively using Lean processes to improve clinical trials and supply chain management. According to Rucker statistics, Lean Six Sigma has helped hundreds of healthcare organizations improve quality measures and increase bottom line profitability.

Rucker and Associates is a high-performance consultancy dedicated to helping companies discover dramatic new efficiencies using Lean Manufacturing and Six Sigma improvement methodologies. Rucker’s hands-on mentoring process with clients produces dramatic results — training teams to accelerate change and implement continuous improvement. Every Rucker project features an unconditional guarantee. http://ruckerassociates.com/.

Headquartered in Fairfield, N.J., ISH, Inc. is a leading national provider of professional services for healthcare, including: Perioperative, Sterile Processing, ED, EMR, Supply Chain, Finance, HR/PR, Time and Attendance, Scheduling, Document Imaging, Interim Management. ISH has delivered business improvement solutions and information technology implementations to prominent healthcare providers throughout the nation since 1989. With a staff of more than 150 professionals, an extensive best practice library developed from over 500 clients, and a powerful program management methodology, ISH is positioned to deliver the results you need when you need them. http://www.ishinc.com.

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MINNEAPOLIS, MN–(Marketwire – August 31, 2010) –  Sunshine Heart Inc., a global medical device company focused on innovative technologies for moderate heart failure, today announced that its C-Pulse^® Heart Assist System has been successfully implanted using a minimally invasive thoracotomy procedure at Saint Luke’s Mid America Heart and Vascular Institute in Kansas City, MO. The C-Pulse System is the first known mechanical heart assist system to be implanted using a minimally invasive thoracotomy technique. The device was inserted through a small, pacemaker-like incision between the patient’s ribs, leaving the sternum intact. To date, thirteen patients have been implanted under Sunshine Heart’s existing worldwide C-Pulse study protocols. The FDA approved IDE feasibility study will include a total of 20 patients to evaluate the performance of this device for patients with moderate heart failure.

The C-Pulse Heart Assist System is designed to treat patients suffering from the debilitating effects of moderate heart failure caused by a failing left ventricle (the left heart chamber). The C-Pulse System features a unique balloon counterpulsation technology that is designed to assist the left ventricle by reducing the workload required to pump blood throughout the body. In addition, it increases blood flow to the coronary arteries. Combined, these potential benefits may help reverse the heart failure process or maintain the patient’s current condition, thereby preventing the need for later stage heart failure devices, such as left ventricular assist devices (LVADs), artificial hearts or transplants. 

“We are pleased to welcome Saint Luke’s Mid America Heart and Vascular Institute to our C-Pulse clinical trial,” said Dave Rosa, CEO of Sunshine Heart. “These latest procedures accomplish our goal of successfully implanting the C-Pulse System through a mini-thoracotomy surgical method. As we approach the end of our feasibility study, we are encouraged by the interest of our centers and we remain dedicated to developing this minimally invasive, cost-effective treatment that is intended to relieve the symptoms of moderate heart failure.”

Sanjeev Aggarwal, MD, Director of Mechanical Circulatory Support at Saint Luke’s Mid America Heart and Vascular Institute in Kansas City, Missouri, performed the procedures. In addition to performing the first minimally invasive thoracotomy C-Pulse procedures, Dr. Aggarwal has also successfully performed a minimally invasive hemi-sternotomy (mini-sternotomy) C-Pulse procedure at St. Luke’s Hospital.

“The C-Pulse Heart Assist System represents an important advance in the treatment of patients suffering from heart failure,” commented Dr. Aggarwal. “In our initial procedure last month, the clinical effects were dramatic, with an almost immediate improvement in cardiac performance and the patient’s functional status. I am very encouraged that we were able to perform our two subsequent implants utilizing a minimally invasive pacemaker-like incision, without dividing the sternum. This offers the opportunity to provide patients suffering from moderate heart failure with a means of mechanical circulatory support through a truly minimally invasive, low risk procedure with a short recovery period.”

“Today, there are few treatment options for the millions of Class III/IVa moderate heart failure patients who have achieved the maximum benefits of drug and pacemaker therapy yet still suffer from symptoms such as shortness of breath and reduced mobility,” said Dr. Andrew Kao, Medical Director of Heart Transplantation at St. Luke’s Mid America Heart Institute. “I am very pleased that the new C-Pulse therapy is being studied at St. Luke’s Hospital as we believe this device can make a tremendous difference for these patients who have limited treatment options.”

The C-Pulse System is an earlier intervention than other mechanical therapies, such as LVADs. This device does not make direct contact with patient’s blood and it can be turned on or off at any time allowing patients intervals of freedom to perform certain activities. The C-Pulse System can also be implanted as a minimally invasive procedure, thereby potentially reducing procedural time, hospital stays, overall cost and patient risk as compared to a traditional sternotomy.

Sunshine Heart’s FDA approved IDE study is available to men and women between the ages of 18 to 75 who suffer from Class III/ambulatory Class IV heart failure and for whom standard drug therapy has failed. The study monitors each patient’s performance with the C-Pulse System at one-month, three-month and six-month intervals to assess risks and potential benefits. Each patient’s physical endurance, quality of life and cardiac performance will also be specifically monitored.

About the C-Pulse Heart Assist System
The C-Pulse Heart Assist System uses proprietary balloon counterpulsation technology to increase the amount of blood pumped by the heart and to reduce the workload on the heart. The C-Pulse System is implanted in the patient’s chest through a sternotomy or through a small incision when performed as a minimally invasively procedure. During the procedure, there is no need to place the patient on a heart-lung machine as the patient’s heart remains beating continuously.

Once implanted, the C-Pulse cuff is positioned on the outside of the patient’s ascending aorta above the aortic valve. An ECG sensing lead is then attached to the heart to determine timing for cuff inflation and deflation in synchronization with the heartbeat. The C-Pulse cuff and electrical leads are connected to a single line that is run through the abdomen to connect to a power driver outside the body. Because the C-Pulse System remains outside the blood system, there is potentially less risk of blood clots and stroke in comparison to other mechanical devices that reside or function in the bloodstream.

About Sunshine Heart
Sunshine Heart (ASX: SHC), a global medical device company focused on innovative technologies for the treatment of moderate heart failure, is commercializing the C-Pulse^® Heart Assist System, a minimally invasive, implantable, non-blood contacting, heart assist therapy for the treatment of moderate heart failure. The C-Pulse System relieves the symptoms of heart failure through the use of counterpulsation technology which enables an increase in cardiac output, an increase in coronary blood flow and a reduction in the heart’s pumping load. The Company has received approval from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to conduct a 20-patient U.S. clinical trial with the C-Pulse^® System and the study has achieved more than fifty percent enrollment as of August 2010. Sunshine Heart, Inc. is a Delaware-based Corporation headquartered in Minneapolis with a subsidiary presence in Australia. The Company has been listed on the ASX since September 2004. For more information, please visit www.sunshineheart.com.

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CALGARY, ALBERTA–(Marketwire – Aug. 31, 2010) – This Saturday, Recovery Acres (Calgary) Society and Moscow Ballet will host open auditions for Swan Lake on Saturday, September 4, 9:00AM at Ballet Classique, 176 Bedford Drive NE. The accepted applicants will perform on November 22 & 23 in Moscow Ballet’s Great Russian Swan Lake at 7:30PM, at the EPCOR CENTRE’S Jack Singer Concert Hall.

Swan Lake auditions are for pre-professional ballet students, ages thirteen to sixteen with pointe experience. Twelve applicants will be chosen to dance in one scene of Swan Lake with the 40-strong professional, Russian trained cast. Applicants must dress in dance attire and be prepared to dance en pointe. For local information, contact Sara Lynne Dewer at (403) 245 4346.

Nataliya Miroshnyk, a Russian trained soloist with Moscow Ballet, will conduct the audition and work with the selected students in rehearsal at a later date. During her audition tour, she will work one-on-one with young dancers in Calgary, Medicine Hat, Regina, Saskatoon, Surrey, Winnipeg and Thunder Bay. Nataliya, a graduate from the well-respected Kiev Academic Choreographic School in Ukraine, trained under the honoured A.G. Kalchenko.

“Having Nataliya lead auditions is both exciting and inspirational,” says Sara Lynne Dewer, Ballet Classique’s director. “Not only does she expose dancers to authentic Russian form, but this opportunity epitomizes inclusive artistic collaboration – providing a flavour of local, amateur energy in this production, is a true gift for these children, and for audiences.”

The Moscow Ballet Canadian tour is presented by Recovery Acres (Calgary) Society, one of Canada’s most effective, non-profit, addiction treatment facilities. A portion of tour proceeds will support capital funding for the facility’s needed $10M expansion project.

As one of the most revered ballets in the world, Swan Lake premiered over a century ago in Russia and remains a timeless classic, expressing a range of human emotions accented by Tchaikovsky’s luminous score.

Ticket prices range from $45-$140 and are now available through www.epcorcentre.org.

To view promotional reel, please visit: Great Russian Swan Lake.

For more information on the Moscow Ballet Canadian Tour, please visit www.moscowballetcanada.com.

About Nataliya Miroshnyk – Visiting Ballet Mistress

Nataliya enjoyed a tremendous amount of post-graduate experience throughout the world during her time with the Odessa State Academic Opera and Ballet Theatre. She was with the Company for almost twelve years and traveled to many countries including China, Japan, Germany, Lebanon and Finland. 

Nataliya also worked with La Classique, a well-known classical ballet troupe based in Moscow. Working with La Classique gave her the opportunity to perform in front of new audiences throughout the United Kingdom, Italy and Norway.

About Moscow Ballet – The Company

Moscow Ballet (est. 1993) is a Massachusetts-based touring company, whose roster features graduates of Perm, Yaganova, Moscow State Academic Choreographic and Kiev schools from Russia each year. Created by award-winning theatrical producer and Juilliard alumni, Akiva Talmi, the company tours upwards of 70 US cities per year, recently branching into a growing number of Canadian cities.

Through the Moscow Ballet’s Educational Outreach Program, “Celebrating Children: The Arts Can Make a Difference”, the company engages local children to audition and appear with professional dancers in the roles of cygnets, snowflakes and butterflies. www.nutcracker.com.

About Recovery Acres (Calgary) Society – Tour presenter & beneficiary

In partnership with the Moscow Ballet, Calgary-based Recovery Acres Society is raising $10 million dollars of capital funding to build a new alcohol and drug treatment facility for men. Once complete, the current building will be renovated to accommodate female clients. Wait lists are ever growing and the need, particularly for woman, is consistently on the rise.

Recovery Acres (Calgary) Society is a North American leader in the treatment of alcohol and drug addiction. Their proven Recovery Model serves as a best practices model for treatment facilities and clients from around the world. The affordability of its program opens the reality of rehabilitation to a broad spectrum of clientele. www.recoveryacres.org.

TUSTIN, CA–(Marketwire – August 31, 2010) –  Radient Pharmaceuticals Corporation (RPC) (NYSE Amex: RPC) announced today it has resumed collaborations with Mayo Collaborative Services, Inc. to conduct a clinical study for the validation of RPC’s US FDA-approved Onko-Sure® in vitro diagnostic (IVD) cancer test as a useful tool in colorectal cancer (CRC) recurrence and treatment monitoring.

Over 1,000 colorectal patient samples with various disease stages will be tested in parallel by RPC and Mayo Clinic to directly compare the results of the Onko-Sure® test with the Carcinoembryonic Antigen (CEA) test. The primary goal of the study is to determine whether Onko-Sure® is more effective than CEA at detecting early stage colorectal cancers. CEA has been reported to misdiagnose a disproportionate number of early stage cancers. Detecting cancer in earlier stages can lead to improved accuracy in the treatment, monitoring and recurrence monitoring of the disease in cancer patients. This head-to-head study is scheduled to be completed in the fourth quarter FY2010 and data generated will be provided to Mayo physicians and investigators for publication in medical journals.

“We are very excited to resume collaboration with Mayo’s Validation Support Services team. This marks a critical and potentially market changing milestone for Radient Pharmaceuticals and for our Onko-Sure® IVD cancer test,” commented Douglas MacLellan, Chairman and CEO of RPC. “Through this work, we expect to validate the efficacy of RPC’s Onko-Sure® test as a critical tool for treatment, monitoring, and/or recurrence monitoring of colorectal cancer suffers.”

RPC’s Onko-Sure® IVD cancer test is a simple, non-invasive, patent-pending and regulatory-approved in vitro diagnostic (IVD) test used for the detection and monitoring of the treatment and/or recurrence of various types of cancer. The test enables physicians and healthcare professionals to effectively detect and/or monitor certain types of cancers by measuring the accumulation of Fibrin and Fibrinogen Degradation Products (FDP) in the blood. FDP levels rise dramatically with the progression of cancer. Onko-Sure® is cleared by the US FDA for detection during colorectal cancer treatment and/or for recurrence monitoring in colorectal cancer patients and by Health Canada for the detection, treatment and/or recurrence monitoring of lung cancer. For more information visit www.onko-sure.com.

RPC Contact Information:
For additional information on Radient Pharmaceuticals, ADI and its portfolio of products visit the Company’s corporate website at www.Radient-Pharma.com. For Investor Relations information contact Kristine Szarkowitz at [email protected] or 1.206.310.5323.

About Radient Pharmaceuticals:
Headquartered in Tustin, California, Radient Pharmaceuticals is dedicated to saving lives and money for patients and global healthcare systems through the deployment of its Onko-Sure® In Vitro Diagnostic cancer test. The company’s focus is on the discovery, development and commercialization of unique high-value diagnostic tests that help physicians answer important clinical questions related to early disease detection; treatment strategy; and the monitoring of disease progression, prognosis, and diagnosis to ultimately improve patient outcomes. Radient Pharmaceutical’s current Onko-Sure® cancer test is used to guide decisions regarding patient treatment, which may include decisions to refer patients to specialists, perform additional testing, or assist in the selection of therapy. To learn more about our company, people and potentially life-saving cancer test, visit www.radient-pharma.com.

About Mayo Validation Support Services:
Mayo Validation Support Services, an affiliate of Mayo Clinic, based in Rochester, Minnesota and assists pharmaceutical, biotechnology and diagnostic companies in validating the clinical significance of emerging biomarkers and technologies. Mayo’s contribution of well-annotated biospecimens and clinical follow-up data support the development of individualized medicine, one of Mayo’s strategic initiatives.

Forward Looking Statements:
Safe Harbor Statement under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995: The statements contained in this document include certain predictions and projections that may be considered forward-looking statements under securities law. These statements involve a number of important risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially including, but not limited to, the performance of joint venture partners, as well as other economic, competitive and technological factors involving the Company’s operations, markets, services, products, and prices. With respect to Radient Pharmaceuticals Corporation, except for the historical information contained herein, the matters discussed in this document are forward-looking statements involving risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in such forward-looking statements.

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HILO, HI–(Marketwire – August 31, 2010) – –Pacific Quest, a unique, internationally recognized wilderness therapy program for struggling teens and young adults, located on the Big Island of Hawaii, is pleased to announce the launch of their new website http://www.pacificquest.org.

Mike McKinney, Co-Founder and Executive Director of Pacific Quest, commented, “We’re very pleased with the look and feel of the site… the new site demonstrates how far we have come in a short amount of time — from an emerging program with bold ideas in 2004, to today, one of the most innovative and respected wilderness programs in the industry.”

Notable features on the newly updated website include:

• Richer Content — Enhanced internal pages, including updated information on the Program, Health and Wellness, Clinical Services, and Admissions
• Social Media — Stay connected with Pacific Quest through their blog, Facebook or Twitter pages
• Expanded Media Library — See the wilderness therapy programs close up with more pictures and videos
• Improved Navigation — Move more easily through the site to find what you are looking for
• CMS — A new content management system allows for updates to the site in real time 

Mark Agosto, Outreach Director, added, “We hope the new website can be an effective resource for teens and young adults, and their families, as well as with our network of professionals. We are thrilled to share a little bit more about Pacific Quest with the community.”

For more information regarding Pacific Quest, please visit www.pacificquest.org or contact Mark Agosto, Outreach Director, at (808) 937-5806 or via email at [email protected].

To read more on this topic, visit: http://www.pacificquest.org/news/1/196/Pacific-Quest-Wilderness-Therapy-Program-Announces-New-Website/.

About Pacific Quest:

Pacific Quest is an outdoor behavioral healthcare (“wilderness therapy”) and sustainable treatment program for struggling teens and young adults, located on the Big Island of Hawaii. The program offers a clinical, yet holistic approach to treatment — going beyond traditional therapy and teaching sustainable life skills. Owned and operated by a veteran team of professionals with over 200 years of combined program experience, Pacific Quest offers a unique approach to treatment that is individualized for each student. Through experiential education, clinical services, a dedicated approach to health and wellness, and sustainable gardening, Pacific Quest provides a structured yet flexible outdoor therapy environment that serves the individual needs of each student, cultivating a therapy experience with personal meaning and importance.

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GLOSTRUP, DENMARK–(Marketwire – August 31, 2010) – Dako, a leading player in the field of advanced staining, launches a new staining solution for H&E. The pathology laboratories today are facing many constraining factors; finding and retaining trained laboratory staff is more difficult, and the need for more efficient and cost effective solutions is essential. Dako has designed a new H&E solution to meet the needs of the customer. Today Dako is launching the CoverStainer helping to optimize the laboratory process and delivering high quality, consistent results.

“At Dako, it all starts out with quality. We have transformed all our knowledge within IHC and Special Stains into the H&E area. We have done this not just by focusing on the instrument like many of our competitors do, but we have taken it one step further and are providing a full solution with reagents and instrumentation that work together perfectly. First we standardize and then we automate to secure quality at every step,” Lars Holmkvist, Dako’s CEO, says. He continues: “We are trying to help the laboratory with the most efficient means, so they can control the lab at the highest level of quality, and deliver fast answers to the patients.”

What is H&E staining?
When a patient is confronted with a possible cancer diagnosis, a biopsy is performed and a tissue specimen is taken. The specimen is tested in a pathology laboratory, using a process referred to as Hematoxylin and Eosin or H&E staining. The H&E stain is the first stain in the diagnostic process where a pathologist confirms or rules out a possible disease. The patient will either be able to go home with a ‘normal’ result, or they will be told that more confirmatory testing is required. A majority of the H&E samples can be diagnosed immediately. The pathologist can confirm or rule out a cancer diagnosis.

Prof. Dr. Hermann Herbst at Vivantes in Berlin, Germany has been using the Dako CoverStainer for four months in their routine operations, shares his findings: “You want to have a standardized process. At Vivantes we did a test of around 3000 slides, and our measurements show that the Dako CoverStainer saves us about 43% of the time needed in the older procedure. Our previous process required a lot of attention on the part of the technicians, and this lead to a lot of variation in the results. Now with the Dako CoverStainer, slides have a consistent quality, which makes it a lot easier.”

The launch of the Dako CoverStainer is part of the Dako strategy to be the preferred partner to the pathology laboratory. The addition of H&E staining to the Immunohistochemistry and Special Stains product lines, that Dako has mastered for more than four decades, allows Dako to become a complete staining partner.

Facts about the Dako CoverStainer
The Dako CoverStainer is an automated instrument transforming the H&E staining process by combining the entire process from baking through coverslipping to determine the patient’s first and most critical diagnosis of cancer. The Dako H&E solution combines the advanced Dako CoverStainer with Dako Ready-to-Use (RTU) Reagents and a Dako validated pre-optimized staining protocol. The Dako CoverStainer can process up to 240 H&E slides per hour and the first results in 46 minutes which makes it the fastest in its automated class.

AUSTIN, TX–(Marketwire – August 30, 2010) – Drummond Group Inc., the trusted software testing lab, is one of the first to be approved by the Health and Human Services, Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT (ONC) to be an ONC-Authorized Testing and Certification Body (ONC-ATCB) to certify Complete EHRs and all EHR Modules for both ambulatory and inpatient settings. Eligible professionals (EPs), eligible hospitals and critical access hospitals (CAHs) participating in Medicare and Medicaid programs to collect incentive payments through meaningful use of electronic health record (EHR) technology must use EHR technology certified by an ONC-ATCB.

“Drummond Group has been working diligently for many months to meet the stringent criteria set forth by ONC to become certified as an ONC-ATCB, and we are very pleased that ONC has recognized our efforts and our competency to be an approved testing and certification body,” says Rik Drummond, CEO Drummond Group Inc. “We are pleased to offer over ten years of software testing and certification experience in other industries to Healthcare. After executing several pilots on existing EHR products and working with industry consultants, our organization is more than prepared to test and certify healthcare products.”

“The ONC accreditation is an acknowledgement that Drummond Group is fully qualified to meet the needs of EHR meaningful use stage one testing and certification. We highly commend the work of ONC and their accreditation process which tested the details of our testing and certification process and our industry knowledge. Having started new tests with other industries, we found this approval process to be the most demanding and the most thorough we have encountered. With our approval as an ONC-ATCB, EHR vendors and implementers can have full confidence in our testing and certification services, and we look forward to beginning testing with the many EHR software companies that have contacted us.”

To learn more about Drummond Group’s EHR testing and certification program including test registration and related pricing, please visit: http://www.drummondgroup.com/

For more information on ONC’s ATCB program, please visit: http://healthit.hhs.gov/

About Drummond Group
Drummond Group Inc. (DGI) is the trusted test lab which works with standards groups, software/firmware vendors and industry groups to drive adoption of standards by offering global interoperability, conformance testing and certification. DGI facilitates these testing services under association-branded certification programs and its own Drummond Certified® program. Founded in 1999, DGI also represents best-of-breed in strategic interoperability testing recognizing the challenges of interoperability for industry over the product life cycle.

• DGI provides interoperability certification for M2M or business-to-business (B2B) standards which are used for the Fortune 500 financial information flow, representing billions of dollars per year. Cyber security of data transfer is critically tested.
• DGI manages the KANTARA INITIATIVE Global Interoperability Test Program for Identity information exchange for the US government and the other global leaders in identity.
• DGI facilitates software audits of the Controlled Substance Ordering System (CSOS) software managed in compliance with the DEA regulations.
• Drummond Certified® software and firmware is required in RFPs around the globe to ensure seamless, secure, interoperable products which make implementation easy, thereby significantly reducing costs.
• DGI was recently awarded two Department of Energy stimulus funded Smart Grid demonstration projects. DGI’s role in both projects relates to the interoperability and certification of Smart Grid technology.

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SUWON, SOUTH KOREA–(Marketwire – August 30, 2010) – Neurotech Pharmaceuticals Co., Ltd. has begun dosing in the Phase 1 clinical testing of AAD-2004. AAD-2004 was developed as a dual function drug to remove free radicals and PGE₂, the key mediators of nerve injury in Alzheimer’s disease (AD), Parkinson’s disease (PD), and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). The Phase 1 clinical trial was initiated to evaluate the safety, tolerability, and pharmacokinetics of AAD-2004 in healthy volunteers in April, 2010. The first two cohorts of the clinical study have been successfully completed without serious adverse events.

About FREE RADICALS AND PGE₂ IN NEURODEGENERTIVE DISEASES
Free radicals and PGE₂-mediated inflammation are expected to play a central role in the neurodegenerative process occurring in neurodegenerative diseases including AD, PD, and ALS. However, no drugs have been developed to prevent free radicals in the brain of AD, PD, and ALS due to poor blood-brain barrier permeability and adverse effects. Long-term use of conventional nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) has been limited by the risk of cardiovascular infarction and thrombosis as well as gastrointestinal complications. Currently there are no FDA-approved drugs to protect nerve cells against toxic free radicals and inflammation evolving in the nervous system of patients with AD, PD, and ALS.

About AAD-2004
The scientific founders of Neurotech Pharmaceuticals discovered a novel chemical library on the premise that a single agent combining the anti-inflammatory attributes of aspirin with powerful anti-oxidant efficacy would constitute effective disease modifying therapeutics for nerve protection in neurodegenerative diseases, based on the additive/synergistic neuroprotective effects via compromising free radicals and inflammation. With leading supports via 21C Frontier R&D Program in Neuroscience from Ministry of Education, Science, and Technology, a National Drug Discovery Program from Ministry of Health and Welfare, and Ajou University in South Korea, Neurotech Pharmaceuticals launched an Anti-Alzheimer’s Drug discovery program. AAD-2004 was selected as a final drug candidate based upon safety and efficacy study in animal models of AD that improved cognitive function far better than antioxidants or NSAIDs as well as memantine, an FDA approved drug for the symptomatic treatment of AD. The therapeutic potential of AAD-2004 has been verified in animal models of ALS, PD, and major depression. Unlike conventional NSAIDs causing gastric damage, however, AAD-2004 did not produce gastric damage even at a dose 400-fold higher than maximally effective doses in animal models.

“While NASIDs cause gastric and cardiovascular risks by preventing production of prostaglandins PGI₂ as well as PGE₂ by inhibiting cyclooxygenases, AAD-2004 selectively prevents PGE₂ production as an inhibitor of microsomal prostaglandin E synthase-1 (mPGES-1), the terminal isomerase catalyzing conversion of PGH₂ to PGE₂, at nanomolar concentrations, which explains why AAD-2004 is safer than NSAIDs. In addition, the potent spin trapping property of AAD-2004 provides additional efficacy and safety,” said Byoung J. Gwag, Ph.D., CEO of Neurotech Pharmaceuticals and Professor at Department of Pharmacology of Ajou University School of Medicine. “The marked safety and efficacy in preclinical studies make AAD-2004 a promising drug candidate to advance into clinical trials. We are so pleased to see safety profile of AAD-2004 in human healthy volunteers exposed to doses higher than maximally effective doses in preclinical studies.”

About Neurotech Pharmaceuticals
Neurotech Pharmaceuticals was founded to develop drugs for the treatment of neurological diseases on the basis of the close collaboration of basic and clinical academic teams in 1998. In addition to AAD-2004, Neu2000, a moderate NMDA receptor NR2B-selective antagonist and potent antioxidant, has been developed as a drug candidate for stroke, spinal cord injury, acute myocardial infarction, and burn injury. Nonclincial and human phase I studies in the United States demonstrate that Neu2000 is safe (therapeutic index = 35 – 800 depending on types and severity of diseases) and thus can be advanced into human phase II study. ND-07 has been developed to treat inflammatory diseases including pancreatitis, inflammatory bowel disease, rheumatoid arthritis, and pain and is near the end of preclinical study.

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TORONTO, ONTARIO–(Marketwire – Aug. 30, 2010) – Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre will offer people a sneak peak of its greatly anticipated, new birthing facilities and neonatal intensive care units. Sunnybrook’s new facilities encompass more than 120,000 sq. ft. of space making it one of the largest and most comprehensive facilities of its kind in Canada. The Women & Babies Program will deliver 4,250 babies every year in this new space and will care for 1 of every 5 babies born in Ontario who weigh less than 3 pounds.

WAYNE, PA–(Marketwire – August 30, 2010) –  The Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute (CLSI) and Association of Public Health Laboratories (APHL) are offering a teleconference to the health care community to learn more about the different considerations surrounding acceptance criteria on point-of-care (POC) glucose devices. The teleconference on September 30 is titled “POC Glucose Devices: Perspectives From the Hospital, Government, and Vendor.”

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recently held a public forum on glucose meter devices to gather wide perspectives on the clinical requirements for blood glucose meter accuracy and precision. Using the CLSI consensus process in gathering balanced viewpoints from industry, professional societies, and government bodies, this educational program will provide an overview of different perspectives surrounding the glucose device acceptance criteria for both self-testing and professional use, and possibly expand the presentations at the most recent FDA public meeting.

“This teleconference will not only highlight the need for glucose meter accuracy and precision, but also discuss the studies that have been performed and what is to come from the many organizations and associations looking into guidelines around this issue,” said Marcy Anderson, MS, MT(ASCP), Director of Development and Education, CLSI.

The teleconference will help participants to describe differences in the use of glucose meters in self-testing vs hospital or professional settings. They will also understand the differences between the perspectives of the government agency, professional expert, and POC glucose vendor representative. There will be an opportunity to ask questions at the end of the program.

Speakers include:

• Alan Cariski, MD, JD
  VP, Worldwide Medical Affairs, LifeScan Inc., Milpitas, California

• Courtney Harper, PhD
  Director, FDA Division of Chemistry and Toxicology Devices, Silver Spring, Maryland

• Mitch Scott, PhD
  Director, Division of Laboratory Medicine at Washington University Hospital, St. Louis, Missouri

Upcoming point-of-care teleconferences:

• Deciding Factor: Selection Criteria for Point-of-Care Testing Devices (588-614-10)
  September 16 • 1:00-2:00 PM Eastern (US) Time

• POC Glucose Devices: Perspectives From the Hospital, Government, and Vendor (588-623-10)
  September 30 • 1:00-2:30 PM Eastern (US) Time (1.5 contact hours)

• Getting It Right: Approaches to Reducing Errors at the Point of Care (588-616-10)
  October 7 • 1:00-2:00 PM Eastern (US) Time

Register for the upcoming teleconferences at www.aphl.org/clsi. Discounts are offered for conference series registration.

APHL is approved as a provider of continuing education programs in the clinical laboratory sciences by the American Society for Clinical Laboratory Science (ASCLS) P.A.C.E.^® Program. Participants will be awarded contact hours for each program they successfully complete. P.A.C.E.^® is accepted by all licensure states except Florida. Florida continuing education credit will also be offered.

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 on CLSI, visit the CLSI website at www.clsi.org or call 610.688.0100.

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SAN FRANCISCO, CA–(Marketwire – August 30, 2010) –  Catholic Healthcare West (CHW), the nation’s eighth largest health system, today announced that its severe sepsis prevention initiative has saved an additional 991 lives and reduced severe sepsis inpatient mortality rate by 33 percent at the end of three years.

“A core tenant of the health care reform plan enacted by Congress is that we can improve quality while also reducing costs,” says Lloyd H. Dean, CHW President/Chief Executive Officer. “The results of this program clearly demonstrate those achievements are possible.”

CHW launched the three-year initiative in July 2007 with the goal of reducing its inpatient severe sepsis mortality rate by five percent across its 41 hospitals in California, Arizona, and Nevada by 2010.

“This is a remarkable expression of CHW’s mission to deliver excellent care,” says Robert Wiebe, MD, CHW’s Chief Medical Officer. “The collaborative effort amongst our outstanding physicians, nurses, and hospital staff has shown tangible improvements in care. We are diagnosing sepsis earlier, treating it more aggressively, and saving lives.”

Sepsis is the body’s overwhelming response to a serious bacterial infection. It can start in a single area in the body or can be widespread in the bloodstream. If not diagnosed early and treated quickly, sepsis can rapidly lead to organ failure and death. According to the national Surviving Sepsis Campaign, there are more than 750,000 cases of severe sepsis annually in North America with 210,000 fatalities, making it the number one cause of inpatient mortality.

Using the Surviving Sepsis Campaign recommendations, as well as the Institute for Health Care Improvement’s collaborative improvement methods, CHW caregivers and staff focused on early recognition of severe sepsis patients, increasing the use of aggressive and appropriate treatment protocols, educating healthcare professionals, monitoring compliance to treatment guidelines, and facilitating data collection for the purposes of improvement and feedback.

“This is innovative and groundbreaking work,” said R. Phillip Dellinger, M.D., a leader in the Surviving Sepsis Campaign, professor of medicine at University Medicine and Dentistry in New Jersey, and the director of critical care for Cooper University Hospital in Camden, New Jersey. “CHW’s caregivers have demonstrated the power of a well-organized quality program that both reduces morbidity and mortality while also achieving significant cost savings.”

Each CHW hospital has a multi-disciplinary team comprising physicians, nurses, respiratory therapists, pharmacists, and other clinicians that implement an early resuscitation ‘bundle’ — a series of evidence-based measurable treatments that have proven effective when implemented together — during the first six hours a patient is diagnosed with sepsis. The bundle consists of measuring the patient’s blood lactate levels and blood cultures, administering appropriate antibiotics within the first hour of a patient presenting to the emergency department and administering appropriate treatments for low blood pressure. 

Because sepsis is such a widespread and serious problem in the inpatient setting, studies have shown that treating it more effectively will result in lower health care costs. In three years, CHW estimates its severe sepsis prevention resulted in a savings of more than 36 million in direct variable costs.

“By standardizing this early resuscitation bundle throughout our system, CHW is able to deliver the appropriate care to our patients when they need it, avoiding lengthy and costly hospital stays,” says Dr. Wiebe.

In its nine Sacramento and San Francisco Bay Area hospitals, CHW has received a two-year grant totaling $1.8 million from the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation to support the expansion of sepsis prevention nursing education. Utilizing the grant and a portion of matching funds, CHW has hired an analyst, paid for innovative sepsis education services and has developed a comprehensive sepsis education program.

“The Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation is pleased to be supporting this important initiative, which has made a significant and positive impact on the lives of patients and their families,” said Marybeth Sharpe, Betty Irene Moore Nursing Initiative Program Director. “We congratulate the CHW hospitals on implementing evidence-based practices for identification and treatment of sepsis and recognize the critical role of CHW’s frontline nurses and other clinicians in this effort.”

About Catholic Healthcare West
Catholic Healthcare West (CHW) is the eighth largest hospital system in the nation and the largest not-for-profit hospital provider in the West. Founded in 1986, the CHW network of more than 10,000 physicians and approximately 54,000 employees serve a population spanning 22 million people at 41 hospitals across California, Arizona, and Nevada. CHW is committed to delivering compassionate, high-quality, affordable healthcare services with special attention to the poor and underserved. In 2009, CHW provided $1.2 billion in charity care, community benefits, and unreimbursed patient care. For more information, please visit our website at www.chwHEALTH.org.