Cook Medical Brings Advanced Endovascular Thoracic Aneurysm Treatment To Canadians

In a move reflecting the rapid acceptance of Cook Medical’s advanced endogaft for thoracic aortic aneurysm worldwide, the company has received approval to market the Zenith TX2 TAA Endovascular Graft in Canada. Globally, the Zenith TX2 Endovascular Graft is now available in more than 60 markets, including the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, European Union, Australia and others internationally.

“Physicians around the world have made Cook’s Zenith AAA Endograft the world’s best-selling device of its kind, and we’re now seeing similar momentum in the growing market for endovascular treatment of thoracic aortic aneurysms,” said Phil Nowell, global leader of Cook’s aortic intervention business unit.

Comparison Of Medical Imaging Choices Finds Ultrasound To Be The Most Cost Efficient

In comparing ultrasound with other medical imaging methods such as MRI and CT scans, a literature review of published studies in the May/June issue of Journal of Diagnostic Medical Sonography (JDMS) describes the use of ultrasound to provide an accurate diagnosis more cost effectively than the alternatives.

Since its first uses in the 1950s, ultrasound has been utilized mostly in hospital settings. But with the development of less costly, portable equipment, its use has expanded to doctor’s offices, trauma settings, and even to outer space. The article compares the use of ultrasound to magnetic resonance (MR) imaging, computed tomography (CT), contrast angiography (CA), and single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT).

Bovie Medical Corporation Announces FDA Submission Of Laparoscopic Device For Solid Organ Resection

Bovie Medical Corporation (the “Company”) (NYSE-AMEX Symbol: BVX), a manufacturer and marketer of electrosurgical products, announced a 510K submission to the FDA seeking pre-market clearance for a laparoscopic SEER device for solid organ resection. The laparoscopic SEER is a line extension of the Saline Enhance Electrosurgical Resection (SEER) device that Bovie launched earlier this year and will address the growing market of minimally invasive liver resection.

WMA Urges Medical Neutrality In Times Of Conflict

The provision of medical care and the evacuation of the trapped and wounded during times of armed conflict have been reiterated by the World Medical Association.

At its Council meeting in Tel Aviv, Israel, today the WMA highlighted the conflicts in Gaza, Sri Lanka, Dafur and the Congo which it said had led to loss of life and the impairment of living conditions.

‘International standards of medical neutrality must be upheld throughout such conflicts’, said a WMA resolution.

CMS To Move Forward With Durable Medical Equipment Competitive Bidding Despite Lawmakers’ Objections

CMS on Friday announced that it will renew a competitive bidding program for durable medical equipment, CQ HealthBeat reports (Reichard, CQ HealthBeat, 4/17). CMS currently pays set fees for DME used at patients’ homes. However, CMS has said the prices it pays are too high. According to the Wall Street Journal, CMS sometimes pays several thousand dollars more than some online vendors charge.

The competitive bidding program was mandated by a 2003 law. Last year, CMS solicited bids and notified patients in 10 metropolitan areas that they could use DME supplied by approved providers (Zhang, Wall Street Journal, 4/17). However, legislation approved in 2008 delayed the program and required that CMS redo the first round of bidding and provide feedback to suppliers about missing bid information rather than automatically disqualifying them. CMS in February then postponed the implementation of the competitive bidding rule until April (Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report, 2/23).

Is Consensus In Anti-aging Medical Intervention An Elusive Expectation

In the May-June 2009 issue of the prestigious Archives of Gerontology and Geriatrics, an international journal published by Elsevier, Prof. Dr. Imre Zs.-Nagy, of the University of Debrecen Medical and Health Science Center (Hungary), and founder and Editor-in-Chief of the Archives of Gerontology and Geriatrics (http://www.elsevier.com/locate/archger), presents numerous studies documenting a diverse array of anti-aging medical therapeutics that currently exist and are being applied in the clinical setting today, as well as interventions that are in the laboratory stage, to slow, prevent, and perhaps even reverse the degenerative diseases of aging and the degenerative biological processes which lead to premature disease, disability, dependence, and death.

New Jersey Senate Unanimously Passes Bill Mandating Hospitals Publicly Disclose Preventable Medical Errors

The New Jersey Senate unanimously passed a bill requiring the state to publicly report preventable patient-safety errors at all New Jersey hospitals, CongressDaily reports. The measure builds on legislation passed in 2004 mandating that hospitals report errors to the state. The new measure requires the New Jersey Department of Health and Senior Services to include in annual hospital performance reports certain patient-safety indicators and preventable medical errors for each hospital. The legislation also would ban physicians and hospitals from charging patients or third-party payers for medical errors or hospital-acquired conditions that are ineligible for reimbursement under CMS’ medical error guidelines. The bill is now being considered by the state Assembly (CongressDaily, 3/23).

Pfizer To Disclose All Payments Over $500 Made To Medical Personnel Who Prescribe Drugs

Pfizer on Monday announced plans to begin to report certain payments to physicians and other medical personnel as the pharmaceutical industry “has come under fresh fire for its undue influence and could face toughened legislation,” the Wall Street Journal reports (Johnson, Wall Street Journal, 2/10). As part of the new policy, Pfizer next year will begin to disclose all payments of more than $500 to physicians, physician assistants, nurses and other medical personnel who can prescribe medications.

GPs Should Not Be Rewarded For Cutting Referral Rates, Says British Medical Association

GPs should not take part in referral management schemes that offer GP practices financial rewards for cutting patient referrals, the BMA said.

In a new document, the BMA’s GP Committee offers GPs in England guidance on referral demand management and analysis schemes.

These initiatives are designed primarily to help GP practices examine the way they refer patients to other services, such as hospitals.

Referral schemes have developed in response to rising patient referral rates. More recently, variations have emerged that offer GPs financial rewards for cutting referral rates to pre-agreed levels set in co-operation with local health bodies.

Cambridge Temperature Concepts Gains Medical Approval For Revolutionary Fertility Monitor DuoFertility And Ships First Units

Cambridge Temperature Concepts (CTC) announced receiving medical approval for their revolutionary non-invasive fertility monitor – DuoFertility. CTC have now begun shipping DuoFertility monitors to one hundred couples across Europe, selected by the Company to trial the device and give feedback on its usability and design before product launch. This news comes just one year after the Company received seed-funding of £375,000 in private investment to aid product development. To view product images of DuoFertility, visit: http://www.duofertility.com/press.