NEWS — AUGUST 18, 2008 - AUGUST 24, 2003
Blood Pressure Monitors:
Datascope's Fiscal Year 2003 Sales Increased... to $328.3 million from $317.4 million in 2002. Datascope Corporation (Montvale NJ) participates in the anesthesiology, cardiovascular and vascular surgery, critical care, emergency medicine, and interventional cardiology and radiology market segments. Growth in most of the Company's businesses and favorable exchange rates contributed to the gains recorded this year. Patient monitoring products accounted for $136.5 million in sales. Products in this business include the Accutorr Plus line of non-invasive blood pressure monitors, the Anestar anesthesia delivery system, and Masimo SET(1) pulse oximetry sensors. In the bedside monitoring segment, Datascope began shipping Spectrum and Trio products to U.S. and international customers in the third quarter of fiscal year 2003. Sales increased 5% in the cardiac assist product segment, while VasoSeal devices demonstrated a 21% decline from 2002 levels.
Operating Rooms & Post Anesthesia Care Settings... in Lemuel Shattuck Hospital (Boston MA) have been standardized with Vasotrac automated and hand-held blood pressure monitors from Medwave Inc. (Danvers MA). After purchasing one Vasotrac monitor nearly a year ago, administrators chose to switch to this brand because of features such as adaptability for use on a wide range of patients, ease-of-use, and efficacy. Another benefit that's been noted is a reduction in the number of arterial lines that need to be used for blood pressure monitoring which generally leads to better patient care and outcomes. The Vasotrac and Vasotrax technology incorporates sensor-based blood pressure cuff solutions.
Home Health Care:
Acquisition Of BeyondNow Technologies By Cerner Corporation... will help establish the latter company in the home care information processing market segment. The purchase agreement was announced on August 13th, 2003 and is expected to close by the fourth quarter of 2003. A major strategic objective is to meet future home care demand that is anticipated as members of the baby boom generation become older. This fits well with the Cerner Corporation's (Kansas City MO) overall commitment to develop personalized health systems. Ideally, better information technology will enable patient data sharing among clinicians and should result in productivity gains in case load management. The largest group within this population is currently between the ages of 55 and 59. To address their health care needs by 2010, the current rate of expenditures is likely to double. BeyondNow Technologies (Overland Park KS) offers information solutions that provide remote access to electronic data to reduce administrative paperwork and support faster reimbursement payments by third-parties.
Second Quarter 2003 Financial Results... demonstrated fairly stable net income for CareCentric Inc. (Atlanta GA), even though revenues declined by 3.8% compared with the same period in 2002. The Company achieved a fourth consecutive quarter of profitability, while supporting new product development and making bank debt payments from operating funds. Factors that have adversely affected sales of home health information technology systems include revised regulatory Health Information Portability and Accessibility Act (HIPAA) requirements and an estimated 15% decrease in reimbursement rates. Ideally, CareCentric's products assist home health agencies and medical equipment providers with profitable management of their businesses.
Two Home Health Agencies Acquired By Amedisys... will extend the Company's presence in New Orleans and southeast Louisiana. The two agencies, operating as Metro Home Health, cover suburban home health services. The expected gains from these agencies are likely to between $17.0 and $18.0 million in annualized revenues for Amedisys Inc. (Baton Rouge LA), for an estimated $8.0 million purchase price. In early July, another agency was purchased that serves the market in Fort Smith, Arkansas.
