Blogs

What to expect when you’re expecting

Tod Brubaker — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 19:53:00 +0000

The process of naming — whether it's a new baby, a new product or a new company — can be fraught with conflict. Here are five simple suggestions to follow when brainstorming a new name.

Any parent can tell you the first rule of naming: Don’t blab your names to the whole world. It’s one of those lessons you learn the hard way. For example, when my wife was pregnant with our first child, I made the mistake of floating one of our top contenders past my father-in-law. “Ava?” he scoffed. “Ava Gardner was such a tramp.” Good thing we also loved the name Lucy.

Chance-takers are accident-makers

Tim Mohn — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 20:34:30 +0000

Improving medical device safety from pre-review to post-market.

It pays to remember an old adage: "Better to be safe than sorry." Indeed, many medical device manufacturers are re-evaluating their quality systems as a result of the Food & Drug Administration's recent review of pre-market notifications and a FY 2011 budget request for additional funds to address product safety. Device makers should heed this advice and take the necessary steps to pro-actively — rather than reactively — address compliance issues.

Weekly Wireless Roundup: Express Scripts inks pilot deal for GlowCap

MassDevice — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 17:25:30 +0000

St. Louis-based Express Scripts is set to launch a national pilot for Vitality’s GlowCap pill reminder device; Kaiser CMIO on mHealth opportunity; Aetna offers SMS, apps, mobile web services; and Epocrates CTO, CMO talk EHRs.

Express Scripts inks pilot deal for GlowCap St. Louis-based pharmacy benefit manager Express Scripts is set to launch a national pilot for Vitality's GlowCap pill reminder device. Express Scripts plans to begin a small version of the pilot in about a month's time and will launch a larger trial focused on drugs related to cholesterol, diabetes, high blood pressure and heart failure during the summer months. Express Scripts notes that while the trial's purpose is to determine the efficacy of GlowCap's reminder service, the companies are also eager to learn more about how patients take medication and why they fail to take it at times.

MedGadget's MedTech Monday: Croc mummy tomography

MassDevice — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 16:10:42 +0000

Researchers in California use CT scanners on a pair of mummified Egyptian crocodiles; Syncardia's Freedom mobile artificial heart driver wins CE Mark; Cook Medical's Hercules 3-stage esophageal balloon hits the market; and EEG used in absurd torture device.

Mummified crocs get tomographed: Conservators from Phoebe A. Hearst Museum at UC Berkeley teamed up with Stanford physicists and clinicians to CT scan two Egyptian crocodile mummies that reside at the museum. Stanford's SCOPE blog is reporting that the crocs were also put through a physics laboratory CT scanner that produces higher resolution images than clinical ones.

Congress is incapable of a positive contribution to health care reimbursement

Edward Berger — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 21:58:50 +0000

Congress has demonstrated that it is incapable of designing policies to reform healthcare reimbursement and it doesn't have the political courage to set standards and allow the incentives created by those standards to force change.

Three health care reimbursement developments of interest in the last few days:

Technically speaking, you don't always have to be technical

Angel Micarelli — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 21:11:12 +0000

Sometimes less is more when gauging the right level of technical jargon to use in clients' marketing campaigns.

Weekly Wireless Roundup: Updates from HIMSS

MassDevice — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 16:01:41 +0000

Updates on mobile news at this week's HIMSS conference in Atlanta; the current global mHeralth opportunity could be $50 billion; and a report from Continua that that that the FDA believes new laws for connected health device regulations are neither likely nor needed.

HIMSS Goes Mobile: Honeywell; Google; Nuance Google Health announced a number of deals at this weeks Healthcare IT conference in Atlanta.

MedGadget's MedTech Monday: A simulator teaches surgeons how to use da Vinci Robot

MassDevice — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 15:30:56 +0000

Researchers in Buffalo developed a surgical simulator to help train physicians to operate the da Vinci robot; Scientists in Wales turned a common microwave into a plasma generating equipment sterilizer; New technology stabilizes viral vaccines at room temperatures; and University of Missouri researchers developed a laser induced ultrasound method to image the general consistency of lymph notes.

RoSS Simulator Preps Surgeons to Use da Vinci Robot: Researchers from Roswell Park Cancer Institute and State University of New York at Buffalo, developed a surgical simulator to help train physicians to operate the da Vinci robot. The RoSS Robotic Surgical Simulator has been turned into a product and commercialized by a spinoff called Simulated Surgical Systems of Williamsville, NY. Practicing physicians and students can train on common tasks like suturing and knot tying, and even perform complete procedures like radical prostatectomies and hysterectomies.

Out of sight, out of mind?

Jenn Nichols — Fri, 26 Feb 2010 13:30:00 +0000

On the importance of blowing your own horn: Never be complacent when it comes to getting the word out about your strengths.

There's a saying in public health that when it works best, public health is invisible — the injury that didn't occur, the illness you didn't get.

While this adage may be true, there is a downside. As a Board of Health member in my town campaigning for re-election, I've recently faced an unexpected challenge communicating to my fellow community members what the board does and how our work affects them.

Weekly Wireless Roundup: Is consumer ultrasound dangerous & irresponsible?

MassDevice — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 17:04:28 +0000

Some sonographers believe the idea of consumer ultrasound is idiotic, moronic, dangerous and highly irresponsible; the differences between eHealth and mHealth; a survey shows 72 percent opf caregivers are interested in the latter; and a report that healthcare spending could top $4.5 trillion by 2019.

Consumer ultrasound: Dangerous & irresponsible? Will patients ever use handheld ultrasound devices at home? Some sonographers believe that’s idiotic, moronic, dangerous, highly irresponsible, “right up there with in-utero glamor shots,” and “the worst idea I have heard of.”