8th Annual Innovations in Healthcare^SM Awards & Event »»

I-Flow:  Wins Product Innovation Award »»
Newport Medical:  Marks a Milestone with FDA Clearance »»
Aperio:  Solidifies Leadership Position In Digital Pathology »»
AT&T:  Signs New Contracts with Healthcare Companies »»
Aubrey Group:  "Creators, Developers & Industrial Designers" »»
Blue Shield of CA:  Honored for Empathetic Attitude »»
GSK:  Begins Testing New RFID Technology »»
John Muir:  Among Top Integrated Health Networks »»
Legacy:  Honored for Commitment to Education »»
MicroVention:  Merger with Terumo Complete »»
Refractec:  Among OC's Booming Eye Surgery Industry »»
Vantage Oncology:  Opens New Facility in New York »»

Nation's First Medical-Care Cost Reports Now Available »»
Americans Bank Nearly $1 Billion in HSAs »»
Comprehensive Insurance More Satisfying Than CDHPs »»
Hospital Construction to Require All Private Rooms »»

ABL will present its 2006 "Leadership in Innovation" Award to Ken Kizer, MD, a pioneering advocate of information technology as an enabler for improving healthcare safety and quality. Ken will then make a keynote presentation at the Eighth Annual Innovations in Healthcare^SM Awards & Event on June 7th. As Under Secretary for Health in the Veteran’s Administration, in the 1990s, he is widely credited with being the chief architect and engineer of the VA's remarkable transformation, including VistA, a system-wide implementation of electronic health records, bar code medication administration, and other IT innovations, years before the healthcare industry embraced the importance of IT.

Also, eight Finalists for the ABBY Awards have been chosen, two in each of four categories. Congratulations to: Genomic Health and Gen-Probe Inc., in the Medical Technology Category; HealthEquity, Inc. and Kaiser Permanente Internet Services Group, in the Consumer Empowerment Category; BeWell Mobile Technology and Government Management Services/FACIS, in the Information Technology Category; and Health Hero Network Inc. and Stat Nurses International, in the Innovative Approach Category. C-level executives from each of these companies will make presentations on their innovative products, systems and/or approaches at the June 7th Innovations in Healthcare^SM Awards and Event Ceremony. At the event's conclusion, attendees' votes will determine who will take home ABBY Awards. So JOIN US on Wednesday, June 7th in Long Beach for the Finalists' presentations and Awards.

Meanwhile, in each issue of ABL Online Healthcare leading up to June 7th, we will profile the honorees, starting today with Ken Kizer. >>

I-Flow:  Wins Product Innovation Award
Congratulations to I-Flow Corporation, where Don Earhart is CEO, on receiving the Frost & Sullivan 2006 Post-Surgical Pain Management Product Innovation of the Year Award in recognition of its ON-Q PainBuster, which is rapidly gaining acceptance in the U.S. post-surgical pain relief market by helping patients to recover faster. This award is presented each year to the company that has demonstrated excellence in new products and technologies within their industry. >>


Newport Medical:  Marks a Milestone with FDA Clearance
Newport Medical Instruments, Inc., where Hong-Lin Du is President, is celebrating its 25th anniversary this month. Founded in 1981, Newport has grown to become the largest privately held ventilator manufacturer in the world, with products in use in over 100 countries.  Meanwhile, Newport's e360 Ventilator, for all hospital and sub-acute areas, received FDA clearance. >>

Aperio:  Solidifies Leadership Position In Digital Pathology
Aperio Technologies, where Dirk Soenksen is CEO, has signed an exclusive license agreement to resell Zoomify, Inc.'s third-party web viewing software to the digital pathology market. Zoomify’s technology, which enables Internet viewing of industry-standard digital slide files from any standard web server, is used for the digital slide gallery on Aperio’s website.  Meanwhile, Aperio announced another successful deployment of its ScanScope System, this one at Carolinas Pathology Group in Charlotte, North Carolina. >>

AT&T:  Signs New Contracts with Healthcare Companies
AT&T Inc., where Judi Manis, Karren Verdolivo and Jon Wellinger are senior executives, has signed a three year, $2 million agreement with U.S. HealthWorks to provide Internet Protocol Virtual Private Network, Internet access and networking hardware for its 120 domestic locations.  Also, AT&T will provide provide voice networking services to Saint Clare's Health System in New Jersey and optical and data-networking services to Advanced Healthcare in Wisconsin. >>

Aubrey Group:  "Creators, Developers, Industrial Designers"
Aubrey Group, where Vytas Pazemenas is President, was recently featured in the Orange County Register for its range of work that puts the company "on the leading edge of industrial design for the medical-device industry in Orange County." >>

Blue Shield of CA:  Honored for Empathetic Attitude
Kudos to Blue Shield of California, where David Joyner is a senior executive, on receiving the 2006 Compassionate Employer Recognition Award from the national non-profit group The Compassionate Friends, the world's largest self-help bereavement organization. >>

GSK:  Begins Testing New RFID Technology
GlaxoSmithKline, where Arlene Kirsch is a senior executive, has begun distributing Trizivir®, an HIV medicine, tagged with radio frequency identification technology as part of a pilot project to help protect patient safety. Trizivir was selected because it has been listed as one of 32 drugs most susceptible to counterfeiting and diversion. >>

John Muir:  Among Top Integrated Health Networks
Congratulations to John Muir Health, where Ken Anderson is CEO, on climbing to No. 53 in the 2006 Verispan IHN 100, an annual listing that ranks more than 500 integrated health networks on how well they have integrated physicians, facilities and services. Last year, John Muir was rated No. 68. >>

Legacy Health:  Honored for Commitment to Education
Legacy Health System, where Lee Domanico is CEO, has been named an Oregon Education Champion by E3: Employers for Education Excellence. To earn this designation, companies must provide time, encourage volunteerism and provide resources for employees who volunteer in schools. >>

MicroVention:  Merger with Terumo Complete
MicroVention, where Mike Klein is CEO, has successfully completed its merger with Tokyo-based Terumo Corporation, an international manufacturer and provider of general hospital, cardiac, vascular and home healthcare products. >>

Refractec:  Among OC's Booming Eye Surgery Industry
Refractec Inc., where Mitch Campbell is CEO, is highlighted in a recent Orange County Register article about OC's thriving eye-surgery industry, "on the cusp of what could be the next big wave of vision-correction technologies" -- innovations targeting presbyopia. Refractec is currently conducting trials to get FDA approval for another application for NearVision CK. >>

Vantage Oncology:  Opens New Facility in New York
Brooklyn Radiation Oncology, a new state-of-the-art facility in Brooklyn, New York, will open its doors to patients in early April 2006. It's a joint venture between Vantage Oncology, Inc., where Mike Fiore is CEO, the radiation oncologists at Beth Israel Medical Center, and Metropolitan Radiation Oncology, PC. >>

Nation's First Medical-Care Cost Reports Now Available
For the first time, consumers can obtain pricing information for more than 55 hospital-based procedures across the country with the new HealthGrades Medical-Care Cost Reports, for $7.95, at www.HealthGrades.com. Together with HealthGrades' hospital-quality ratings and physician-quality reports, consumers can shop for healthcare providers utilizing both quality and cost information. The Cost Reports contain List Price - the average amount charged by the provider of care; Health Plan Portion - the amount negotiated, on average, by health plans. Nationally, this is approximately 45% of the list price amount, however, this varies by region from 39% in the Northeast to 58% in the West; and Out-of-Pocket Fee - for individuals with insurance, this is the average portion they would pay. The information for each episode of care includes hospital, outpatient, physician, lab and drug fees, both individually and combined. Each report is customized by region, age and gender. (Business Wire, 3/20/06)

Americans Bank Nearly $1 Billion in HSAs
There were 3.1 million people enrolled in health savings accounts as of January 2006, more than three times the 1 million covered in March 2005, reports America's Health Insurance Plans (formerly known as the American Association of Health Plans). Americans have banked nearly $1 billion in the plans, based on data reported by the national Inside Consumer-Directed Care newsletter, which also says that HSA administrators and custodians have collectively opened more than 820,000 accounts and are adding 60,000 new accounts per month. (San Francisco Business Times, 3/17/06)

Comprehensive Insurance More Satisfying Than CDHPs
Americans enrolled in consumer-driven health plans and high-deductible health plans are less satisfied with their plan than those with comprehensive health insurance, a survey from the nonpartisan Employee Benefit Research Institute and The Commonwealth Fund found, believed to be the first national survey of its kind. Specifically, 63% of individuals with comprehensive health insurance were extremely or very satisfied with their health plan, compared with 42% among CDHP enrollees and 33% among HDHP participants. About 60% of individuals with comprehensive insurance reported they were extremely or very likely to stay with their current health plan if they had the opportunity to switch, compared with 46% among CDHP enrollees and 30% among HDHP enrollees. More than 70% of individuals enrolled in CDHPs and 60% in HDHPs strongly or somewhat agreed that the terms of their health plans made them consider costs when deciding to see a doctor when sick or when filling a prescription. Less than 40% of those in comprehensive plans felt this way. >> (Managed Care Weekly Watch, 3/28/06)

Hospital Construction to Require All Private Rooms
The Facilities Guidelines Institute and the Academy of Architecture for Health at the American Institute of Architects will publish new guidelines in April for hospital construction that for the first time will require all private rooms. Published every four years, the guidelines are used by more than 40 state governments to establish hospital regulations, approve construction projects and license operations. Under the new guidelines: *New hospital construction projects will have to include all private rooms, although the they might exempt facilities that can demonstrate "the necessity of a two-bed arrangement," such as the need to maintain surge capacity in certain areas of the U.S. *Hospitals will have to establish more areas that they can isolate in the event of an infectious disease outbreak. *Hospitals will have to improve ventilation systems to prevent the spread of bacteria. (Wall Street Journal, 3/22/06)

4/13 - Northern California Round Table
4/19 - Life Sciences Round Table
4/21 - Los Angeles Round Table
5/3 - Orange County Round Table
6/7 - Innovations in Healthcare Awards & Event Ceremony