Joseph Lister, a British surgeon, established the founding principles of aseptic technique in the journal Lancet in 1867. Before then, surgeons did not wash their hands before operating or disinfect their surgical instruments. (Shudder.) In case you’ve ever sat up late at night pondering the origins of the word “Listerine,” you’ll be glad to learn it’s named after this important surgeon.
News Well
Ohio contract manufacturer opens a gateway on the road to China
By Mary Vanac
Contract product developer and manufacturer New Product Innovations opened a gateway for U.S. medical device makers that want to do business in China.
Minnesota rolls out incentive-based pay-for-performance program
By Thomas Lee
To improve healthcare in Minnesota, the state is now offering providers a little more than the proverbial pat on the back.
Earlier this month, Minnesota health officials launched an incentive-based payment system for hospitals and ambulatory firms who treat patients enrolled in the state’s health insurance programs.
Elemé Medical reels in nearly $7 million
Elemé Medical Inc. added $6.6 million to its coffers in a debt offering, according to a regulatory filing.
The Merrimack, N.H.-based cosmetic device maker raised the cash from nine un-named investors, according to the filing.
Epocrates files for another $75 million IPO
Epocrates Inc. plans to go public — again.
The company last week filed for an initial public offering that could bring in as much as $75 million, according to a Securities & Exchange Commission filing. Epocrates makes reference and interactive tools designed for both healthcare providers and patients for mobile platforms such as Google’s (NSDQ:GOOG) Android or Apple’s (NSDQ:AAPL) iPhone.
It’s the second stab at an IPO for the San Mateo, Calif.-based company, which filed for a $75 million offering in 2008 before pulling it back as the economy cratered.
Cardiac Science to replace 24,000 defective defibrillators
Cardiac Science Corp. (NSDQ:CSCX) will replace 24,000 automated external defibrillators implicated in a November 2009 recall.
The Bothell, Wash.-based company’s Powerheart, CardioVive, Nihon Kohden and GE Responder AEDs have electrical component flaws that may cause device failures. The flaws could not be remedied through software patches, according to the Food & Drug Administration.
Mitralign wins $5 million credit line from GE Capital
GE Capital’s Healthcare Financial Services division gave Mitralign Inc. a $5 million line of credit.
Mitralign is developing a catheter-based mitral valve repair device.
The Tewksbury, Mass.-based firm plans to use the loan as working capital, according to a press release.
A meaningful use FAQ from John Halamka
Since the Final Meaningful Use and Standards Rules were released last week, many people have emailed me questions, which I’d like to share generally. My blog is not reviewed by ONC or CMS, so these answers are my own opinion.
NxStage and Spindial ink Italian distribution deal
NxStage Medical Inc. (NSDQ:NXTM) broadened its stake in the Italian dialysis market with a Spindial S.p.A. distribution deal.
The Lawrence, Mass.-based company inked a five-year agreement for renal care product distributor Spindial S.p.A. to sell NxStage’s System One hemodialysis treatment system in Italy.
DOJ charges 94 with $251 million worth of Medicare fraud
In the largest takedown since the U.S. Dept. of Justice and the Health & Human Services Dept. began collaborating to prosecute Medicare fraud three years ago, 94 individuals were charged across five states for allegedly submitting a combined $251 million in fraudulent claims.
MedGadget’s MedTech Monday: Arteriocyte sends pharmed blood to the FDA
Arteriocyte’s pharmed blood goes to the FDA: Arteriocyte of Cleveland, Ohio, sent an initial shipment of its pharmed blood product to the Food & Drug Administration for evaluation. Issues with storage, transportation and safety provided an incentive to search for alternatives to donated blood for use on the battlefield. Under a $1.95 million contract with the Pentagon’s DARPA project, the company has developed a process to produce fresh units of universal-donor (type O, Rhesus factor negative) packed red blood cells from hematopoietic stem cells.