MASSDEVICE ON CALL — Wilson Greatbatch, who invented the first implantable pacemaker in his barn in 1958, died yesterday at the age of 92.
He patented more than 325 inventions before passing away of undisclosed causes.
A lifelong inventor, Greatbatch patented a long-lasting lithium battery used in medical implants, tools used in AIDs research and a solar-powered canoe, the New York Times reported.
Employee health insurance premiums on the rise
Employees are paying about 9 percent more in premiums for their health insurance than they paid last year, MedPage Today reported.
Individual insurance mandate has legal precedent retired Supreme Court Justice says
A 2005 decision banning medical marijuana, which invoked interstate commerce clauses, provides precedent for Congress to make health care decisions and supports the individual insurance mandate in President Barack Obama’s health care overhaul, retired Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens told Bloomberg.
Thousands of patients’ medical records stolen
More than 16,000 records for patients from North Memorial hospital in Fairview, Minn., are at risk due to the theft of a laptop from the car of a subcontractor’s employee, the Star Tribune reported.
Stryker may lose tax breaks in Hopkinton, Mass.
Stryker Corp. (NYSE:SYK) subsidiary Stryker Biotech may lose its town tax breaks in Hopkinton, Mass., for failing to meet employment targets and selling off part of its operations to Olympus Corp., the MetroWest Daily News reported