NEWS - November 2009
HEALTH TECHNOLOGIES
Regardless of how the U.S. health care system is reformed, competitors continue to bring health information technology solutions to market. Recent product announcements range from agreements to develop "personalized health records" to strategic corporate acquisitions. Some of the activities are highlighted below.
International Spotlight: Electronic & Software Solutions
China:
By year-end 2009, two companies will join forces to develop and implement an electronic medical record system in China. The partners are MMR Information Systems Inc. (MMR; Los Angeles CA) and the Unis-Tonghe Technology Co., Ltd (UNIS; Zhengzhou, China) subsidiary of Unisplendour Corporation Ltd.
China currently lacks a system to acquire, store, and/or transmit electronic health records among the 18,000 public hospitals and approximately 10,000 private hospitals located throughout the country. MMR will contribute its proprietary personal health record expertise to the project. Company representatives from MMR and UNIS also met with MMR's Asian technology partner, Nihilent (Pune, India). The goal is to develop portable Personal Health Records that Chinese individuals can deliver to hospital-based health care providers, and the MMR platform is scheduled for launch by the third quarter of 2010.
For more information, visit: MMR Information Systems Inc.
Germany:
A new cost-benefit methodology has been developed by the Institute for Quality and Efficiency in Health Care (IQWiG), which will provide price and medical intervention recommendations to the Federal Joint Committee and other German agencies. The evaluation methodology represents the best proposal for the German system, which differs significantly from the system used by the United Kingdom but is similar to the one used in Australia. The goal is to establish a "maximum reimbursable price" for health insurance funding for new drug costs, based on two legislated conditions: 1) Additional benefit over other therapies, and 2) Exclusion of drugs for which there is no viable alternative therapy. A two-step process ensures the conditions are met, using evidence-based medicine methods and scientific cost-benefit comparisons. An IQWiG budget impact analysis will also be performed before payments are made.
For more information, visit: Institute for Quality and Efficiency in Health Care.
Ireland:
In mid-November 2009, Nova UCD (Dublin, Ireland) announced an awards event showcasing fifteen candidates in its Campus Company Development Program (CCDP), which promotes commercial development of entrepreneurial research ideas. A total of 140 ventures and 210 individuals have competed in the program to date, and more than 750 people have been employed by successful participants, such as BiancaMed and ChangingWorlds (acquired by Amdocs in 2008).
Short presentations were pitched to industry, research, and state agency participants. The NovaUCD 2009 Start-up Award and 5,000 Euros were awarded to Equinome, which develops genetic tests for decision-making optimization in breeding and racing Thoroughbreds. The commercial launch of Equinome is planned for the first quarter of 2010. Second and third place prizes were awarded to respectively to Novocept, a bioinformatic software company, and bettieTM, a communications device developer.
For more information, visit: NovaUCD
National Spotlight: Acquisitions & Software Licensing
Home Health Market:
In late November 2009, Mediware Information Systems, Inc. (Mediware; Lenexa, KS) announced plans to complete its acquisition of Healthcare Automation Inc. (HAI) and Advantage Reimbursement Inc. (ARI) by mid-December 2009. The two companies will expand Mediware's home health software and reimbursement service capabilities. Mediware provides equipment, products, and services to a home infusion customer base of more than 450 facilities. The Company is expanding through strategic acquisitions (five in the past two years with HAI and ARI). Integrated Marketing Solutions was acquired in 2007, and Hann's On Software and its Ascend pharmacy management system were added in 2008. SciHealth (June 2009) and completion of the HAI, and ARI deal will bring Mediware's acquisition total to five companies in two years.
For more information, visit: Mediware Information Systems Inc.
Software Licensing:
In late November, Quantros (San Francisco CA) announced its licensing of safety and risk management software developed by the University of Michigan (UM), using Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality data. The software helps hospitals identify and reduce the incidence of potential adverse events, as demonstrated in the UM Health System during the past year. Quantros will refine and implement the technology in its products.
For more information, visit: Quantros.
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