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WELCOME NEW MEMBER!

Richard Deits, MD, Prime Clinical Systems, Inc.

ABL Members Honored and Awarded
Abraxis Receives FDA Tentative OK
Aperio Brings Cure for Cancer One Step Closer
GSK Partners to Target Drug-Resistant Hospital Infections
Hythiam's PROMETA Tested by Hawaii's Largest Provider
I-Flow's ON-Q Excels in Recent Hospital Trials   
Intellidot Introduces Vital Signs Collection at the Bedside
Isotis Transfers PolyActive IP Estate
Kaiser Provides Heart Care Expertise to All at No Charge
LifeMasters Announces Selecky's Return to CEO
Triple Tree Reports on Telemedicine to Improve Health
Vocera Receives Investment $$ from Motorola

HEALTHCARE & GOVERNMENT

OC Senator Harmon Livid Over DHS's Ventilator Choice
Governor "Guarantees" Comprehensive Healthcare This Year

HEALTHCARE TRENDS

Healthcare Investments on the Rise in California
Palliative Care Forecast to Grow as Population Ages
Most Americans Support Wider Health Insurance Coverage

In each issue of ABL Healthcare Online leading up to the Ninth Annual Innovations in Healthcare^SM Awards Event on June 6th, we are profiling this year's honorees; today meet DestinationRx, Inc; eHealth, Inc.; and IntelliDOT Corporation >>

Click here to register and/or get more information on the Wednesday, June 6th Awards Event in Newport Beach, which will honor and award companies that are offering some of the most innovative Value-Driven Healthcare solutions to significant challenges facing the industry today.    

Richard Deits, MD, Prime Clinical Systems, Inc.
Richard Deits is COO of Prime Clinical Systems, founded in 1983 to develop tools that help medical groups conquer the business challenges encountered in their practices. Currently, more than 6,000 physicians in over 1,700 medical practices use a Prime system every day to better manage their practices. The multitude of automation features imbedded in Prime’s integrated suite of practice management and electronic medical records software applications enable physician practice employees to become far more productive and physician practices to dramatically improve practice operations and enhance patient care. The company successfully serves all types of medical practices, from solo practitioners to large multi-specialty groups and regional healthcare organizations. It also maintains partnerships with Midmark Diagnostics Group and Welch Allyn, Inc. Richard joined Prime Clinical Systems in 2002 as VP, and became COO in 2005. Earlier, he was an Assistant Clinical Professor of Medicine at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center and maintained a private medical practice in Cardiology. Richard has joined the Los Angeles Round Table.
 

ABL Members Honored and Awarded
Congratulations to these Finalists for AeA High-Tech Innovation Awards, for Orange County and the Inland Empire: I-Flow, where Don Earhart is CEO, in both the Outstanding Medical Device Company category and the Medical Device category; and Orqis Medical, where Ken Charhut is CEO, also in the Medical Device category. Winners will be revealed on May 10, 2007 in Newport Beach. >>  Also, Silverado Senior Living, where Loren Shook is CEO, has been selected one of the top 10 places to work in Orange County, by OC Metro magazine.  And, Gary Goltz, President of Goltz Healthcare, was recently promoted to shichidan (7th degree black belt) by the U.S. Judo Association Board -- a very high honor for someone as young as Gary, and achieved in record time because of his contributions to enhancing judo in the U.S.

Abraxis Receives FDA Tentative OK
Abraxis BioScience, where Patrick Soon-Shiong, MD, is CEO, has received a tentative approval from the FDA for its Abbreviated New Drug Application for Fosphenytoin Sodium Injection (FSI), the generic equivalent of Pfizer's Cerebyx. The company expects to receive final approval for, and commence marketing of, FSI upon patent expiration. >>

Aperio Brings Cure for Cancer One Step Closer
Aperio ScanScope, from Aperio Technologies, where Dirk Soenksen is CEO, is being utilized at the new Wesley Research Institute Tissue Bank, the first of its kind in Queensland, Australia, to provide a widely available and diversified collection of ethically consented and clinically annotated tissue, helping to unravel the cause, progression and potential treatment for cancer and other diseases. ScanScope takes high resolution images of tissue samples that can then be shared with researchers around the world. >>

GSK Partners to Target Drug-Resistant Hospital Infections
GlaxoSmithKline, where Arlene Kirsch is a senior executive, and The Wellcome Trust announced a collaboration to develop a new class of antibacterial to combat the rise of certain drug-resistant hospital-acquired infections, including those that lead to pneumonia. The research will target Gram-negative bacteria, which are increasingly resistant to available antibacterials and commonly cause hospital-acquired pneumonia and septic shock, particularly in patients in ICUs. Without adequate therapy, patients often confront a poor prognosis — mortality is high, and recovery, when it occurs, can be long and complicated. >> 

Hythiam's PROMETA Tested by Hawaii's Largest Provider 
Hythiam, Inc., where Richard Anderson is Senior Executive VP, announced that Hawaii Medical Service Association, an independent licensee of Blue Cross Blue Shield, will evaluate the PROMETA protocols for treating substance dependence for use among its membership. HMSA is the largest provider of healthcare coverage in the state of Hawaii, providing access to care for more than 700,000 lives. >>

I-Flow's ON-Q Excels in Recent Hospital Trials 
I-Flow Corporation, where Don Earhart is CEO, has announced that the early results of an ongoing study to evaluate the effects of ON-Q PainBuster with ON-Q SilverSoaker Antimicrobial Catheter on surgical site infections indicate a statistically significant reduction in the rate of surgical site infections and a statistically significant decrease in length of hospital stay for patients who received ON-Q versus those who received only narcotics.  Also, results of a two-year study conducted at Miami Children's Hospital suggest ON-Q provides significantly better non-narcotic pain control for infants and children requiring heart surgery. >>

Intellidot Introduces Vital Signs Collection at the Bedside
IntelliDOT Corporation, where Tom Klopack is CEO, has announced its CAREt Vital Signs Collection System, to electronically capture and document patient vital signs at the point of care. CAREt VSC compliments IntelliDOT’s existing suite of patient safety solutions, all designed to enhance the organization of workflow at the bedside. >>

Isotis Transfers PolyActive IP Estate
IsoTis, Inc., where Pieter Wolters is CEO, has completed the transfer of the rights associated with its PolyActive technology to OctoPlus, a drug delivery and development company, in exchange for an up-front payment of approximately $1.7 million and future royalty payments on sales of pharmaceutical products based on the PolyActive technology. IsoTis retains the rights to manufacture, market, and sell orthopedic plugs and cement restrictors based on the PolyActive technology. >>

Kaiser Provides Heart Care Expertise to All at No Charge
Kaiser Permanente, where Christine Paige is a senior executive, is making available its lifesaving Healthy Heart program information to all California physicians and the general public. This effort includes a new Healthy Heart public website, grants to community clinics and public hospitals to fund expanded cardiovascular intervention programs, and consulting services and resources available at no cost to community clinics, health centers and public hospitals. >>

LifeMasters Announces Selecky's Return to CEO
Chris Selecky has been named CEO of LifeMasters Supported SelfCare, Inc. She previously served as President and CEO of LifeMasters from 1996 though 2004, prior to becoming Executive Chair. “I am looking forward to returning to lead the great team we have assembled at LifeMasters," said Chris. “Having spent the last few years working with our colleagues in the disease management community, I am more confident than ever that the future of our company and the evolving field of health improvement are very bright." >>

Triple Tree Reports on Telemedicine to Improve Health 
Triple Tree LLC, where Rob McCray is Managing Partner, has published an industry analysis titled "Telemedicine 2.0: Connecting Medical Devices, Patients and Providers to Improve Health." The 46-page report covers such topics as what is driving the growth of the wireless life sciences market; telemedicine; wireless implantable devices; who pays: consumers or insurers?; reimbursable devices; FDA regulatory requirements; is it a medical device or consumer electronic?; and how the market will evolve. >> 

Vocera Receives Investment $$ from Motorola 
Motorola Ventures, part of Motorola Inc., has made an equity investment in Vocera Communications, where Brent Lang is Acting CEO. "Vocera is making a significant impact on in-facility communication," said a Motorola representative. "Our investment demonstrates our commitment to innovative companies, such as Vocera, to drive seamless mobility into daily work environments." >>

HEALTHCARE & GOVERNMENT

OC Senator Harmon Livid Over DHS's Ventilator Choice
California Senator Tom Harman (R - Huntington Beach, 35th District) recently wrote an editorial in the Orange County Register decrying the DHS's choice to purchase and stockpile portable ventilators from Viasys, of Pennsylvania, rather than from Newport Medical Instruments (NMI), of Costa Mesa, where Hong-Lin Du, MD is President. Senator Harmon points out that the Viasys ventilator has been the subject of a federal FDA recall 13 times, whereas NMI's ventilators have never been recalled. Also, Viasys charged the state $8,500 per unit, plus $1,700 a unit for storage and maintenance, for a total of $10,200 a unit. This price point limited the state to 2,400 ventilators. On the other hand, NMI's ventilators cost $6,800 per unit, with free storage and maintenance. So the state would have received nearly 5,000 ventilators, more than double the total under the Viasys contract. Further, by all accounts, the Viasys ventilator is difficult to use, wrote Harmon. Many health professionals have rejected it because it is so difficult to operate. But health professionals have lauded NMI's ventilator as one of the easiest to use in an emergency situation. In addition, test results showed that NMI's ventilator had a 60% longer internal battery life than Viasys's machine. In light of all of this, "why is California awarding a contract to an out-of-state company?" asks Harmon. "It simply makes no sense and is a classic example of the wasteful spending that we see every day in Sacramento." (OC Register, 4/26/07)

Governor "Guarantees" Comprehensive Healthcare This Year
Gov. Schwarzenegger at a town hall meeting with AARP members in Pasadena said he expects that the Legislature this year will make healthcare coverage mandatory and available to all residents. "I guarantee this year we will have comprehensive healthcare and become a model for the rest of the country and for Washington," he said. The meeting was the launch of a series of forums sponsored by AARP, where Jennie Chin Hansen is President Elect, that will focus on overhauling California's healthcare system. The meeting also marked the beginning of AARP's statewide media campaign to publicize healthcare reform. Senate President Pro Tempore Don Perata (D-Oakland) and Assembly Speaker Fabian Núñez (D-Los Angeles), who also have introduced healthcare reform proposals, were not invited to the meeting. The proposals by both legislative leaders last week moved forward in the Senate and Assembly, while Schwarzenegger does not yet have a lawmaker to carry his proposal. (San Gabriel Valley Tribune, 5/1; Pasadena Weekly, 4/26; California Healthline, 4/26/07)  

HEALTHCARE TRENDS

Healthcare Investments on the Rise in California
Biopharmaceutical and medical device companies have generated the largest increase in venture capitalist investments nationally, as well as in parts of California over the past year. Biotechnology was the biggest sector for VC funding in the U.S., accounting for $1.5 billion of the $7.1 billion in funding nationwide in the first quarter of 2007, according to a report by Thomson Financial.  In addition, a separate survey by Ernst & Young and VentureOne reported $2.8 billion in VC funding for healthcare firms for the quarter. Venture capitalists nationwide invested $1.8 billion in Q107 into biopharmaceutical companies, up from $861 million in Q106. Investments in other healthcare businesses in the Bay Area over the same time period increased by 101% to $750 million from $372 million. Thomson Financial estimated VC funding in San Diego County at $686.3 million for the quarter, more than double investments from the same period a year earlier. Another study found that 88% of VC funding in San Diego County went to healthcare firms. Robb Browne of Ernst & Young said the rise in healthcare spending is because of an aging population and people's increased focus on health. (San Jose Mercury News, 4/23; San Diego Union Tribune, 4/24/07)

Palliative Care Forecast to Grow as Population Ages
Palliative care, which seeks to treat symptoms and improve the quality of life in patients with cancer and other serious illnesses, likely will continue to become more important as the U.S. population ages and develops more illnesses. Palliative care involves a team of physicians, nurses, psychologists, social workers and others that meets weekly to coordinate care for patients with serious illnesses. The U.S. Census Bureau estimates that the number of U.S. residents ages 65+ will increase by 44% to 55 million by 2020; many of those individuals will require palliative care. Since 2000, the number of medical centers that provide palliative care has increased to 1,240, or about 30% of hospitals, according to the Center to Advance Palliative Care. A study conducted in 2003 found that hospitals can reduce costs by 57% when they move patients from regular departments to palliative care units. However, according to Thomas Smith, chair of hematology/oncology and palliative care at the Massey Cancer Center, most community doctors do not have time for group consultations and are not used to working in teams. In addition, health insurers in many cases do not cover palliative care. (USA Today, 4/26/07)

Most Americans Support Wider Health Insurance Coverage
More than 75% of U.S adults support proposals to expand access to health insurance, such as government subsidies for individuals without access to employer-sponsored coverage and tax credits to help individuals purchase coverage, according to a Wall Street Journal Online/Harris Interactive survey of 2,021 adults. Results included: 50% of respondents with health insurance have concerns that they will lose part or all of their coverage because of costs. About 26% said they would support a tax increase to cover the cost of an expansion of Medicare or Medicaid. 74% support proposals under consideration in California, Illinois and other states that would require all employers to provide health insurance. However, 66% said that proposals that would require smaller employers to provide health insurance could prompt some companies to close, and 53% said the risks of such proposals outweigh the potential benefits. (Wall Street Journal Online, 4/25/07)

UPCOMING ROUND TABLES & EVENTS

5/10 - Northern California Round Table
5/16 - Life Sciences Round Table
5/18 - Los Angeles Round Table
6/6 - Innovations in Healthcare^SM Awards Event

For the most current ABL Healthcare Online and access to ABL.org, go to
 http://www.abl.org/new/html/resources_news_hc.asp