Day in the life of an iPad in the OR: Felasfa M. Wodajo, an orthopedic surgeon in the Washington DC area and senior editor of iMedicalApps.com, published an editorial in the Journal of Surgical Radiology describing his experience with using an Apple Inc. (NSDQ:AAPL) iPad in the OR.
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Optivus lands prime $600,000 from Ohio
The California company behind a plan to open a cancer-treating proton beam therapy center in the Dayton area was approved for a seven-year tax credit with an estimated value of about $600,000.
Optivus Proton Therapy Inc. would be required to maintain operations at the Miami Township project location for 10 years as a condition of receiving the tax credit, according to a statement from the Ohio Dept. of Development.
The tax credit would take effect in January 2011 and would end December 2017, according to ODOD.
Exactech settles kickbacks case for $3 million
Exactech Inc. (NSDQ:EXAC) settled with federal prosecutors over kickbacks charges for $3 million.
The Gainsville, Fla.-based orthopedic implant device maker will pay the fine and enter into a year-long deferred prosecution agreement with the New Jersey U.S. attorney’s office, which launched a probe into Exactech’s arrangements with physicians in 2007.
Breaking into medical device sales
The medical device industry is less apparent to the general public than many other industries. Unlike the pharmaceutical industry, there is little direct-to-consumer advertising by device companies. Industry giants aside, the names of most medical device companies are not commonly known.
Ideally, going into college, you would know that medical device sales is something you want to pursue and plan your course of study accordingly. You would choose the best companies to gain the right type of sales experience, put up great numbers and three to five years into your sales career, you would get your big break in the industry and build your career from there.
Isla del Encanto: Puerto Rico looks to attract more device makers
In October, Puerto Rico grabbed headlines in the life science industry with a 4 percent tax hike aimed at businesses domiciled off the Caribbean island.
The measure, set to take effect Jan. 1, levies a 4 percent tax in 2011. The rate falls to 3.75 percent in 2012, 2.75 percent in 2013, 2.5 percent in 2014, 2.25 in 2015 and 1 percent in 2016, after which it will lapse.
The medical device, biotech and pharmaceutical industries were quick to howl that the tax, part of a slate of reforms aimed at turning around the U.S. commonwealth’s economic fortunes, would be a serious hindrance to their businesses in Puerto Rico:
MassDevice On Call: Prostate cancer radiation device a boon for docs
Prostate cancer radiation device a boon for docs. Intensity-modulated radiation therapy, or IMRT, has seen a sharp increase in prostate cancer treatment numbers, and the reason stands behind a lucrative reimbursement arrangement between urologists and radiation oncologists, according to The Wall Street Journal.
TYRX, Ortho Kinematics drum up cash in equity rounds
Medical device firms TYRX Inc. and Ortho Kinematics Inc. announced venture-backed financing rounds.
Monmouth Junction, N.J.-based TYRX raised $20 million in financing led by a new investor, HLM Venture Partners; HLM managing partner Edward Cahill will join TYRX’s board.
Uroplasty loses coverage for neuromodulation device in four states
Uroplasty Inc. (NSDQ:UPI) suffered a setback for insurance coverage of its Urgent PC Neuromodulation system.
After Jan. 3, use of the posterior tibial nerve stimulation device will no longer be paid for by National Government Services, a regional Medicare carrier that operates in Connecticut, Indiana, Kentucky and New York, the company revealed today.
NeuroWave wins 510(k) for brain monitor
Medical device startup NeuroWave Systems Inc. received regulatory clearance from the Food & Drug Administration to begin selling a brain activity monitoring system.
AdvaMed releases ACO recommendations
Accountable care organizations, new payment programs for doctors established by the healthcare reform act, are intended to control the unchecked costs that the fee for service system encourages.
There is a risk, however, that ACOs could keep the best possible care from patients and stifle innovation, according to the Advanced Medical Technology Assn., or AdvaMed, which represents the medical device industry.
Cleveland PT aims to soothe scar tissue
A few years ago, physical therapist Jeanne O’Malley began noticing that a number of her patients were experiencing chronic pain from years of built-up scar tissue when they golfed.
Eager to relieve the source of the pain, she dreamed up and later constructed a manually operated machine made of wood and pulleys that stretched patients’ spines, exercising and remodeling scar tissue so patients could swing their golf clubs without pain. O’Malley started a company dedicated to her idea of breaking down scar tissue to relieve chronic pain in golfers, calling it Golf Phyx.