The American Diabetes Association (ADA) launched a series of U.S. Diabetes Conversation MapsTM at its 67th Annual Scientific Sessions in collaboration with Healthy Interactions, Inc. The Diabetes Conversation Maps include sections titled "Diabetes Overview," "Diabetes and Healthy Eating," "Blood Glucose Monitoring," "Natural Course of Diabetes," and "Gestational Diabetes." These tools will enable patients to have improved "conversations" with healthcare professionals, which will in turn improve their diabetes self-management skills. In the next three years, Healthy Interactions plans to train more than 10,000 healthcare professionals on diabetes education and provide all five Diabetes Conversation Maps at no cost.
Plexis Healthcare Systems to provide services for Seafarers International Union
Oregon-based Plexis Healthcare Systems will offer its services to the Seafarers International Union (SIU), the largest North American union for merchant marines. Plexis, a major payer-solution and claims processing-technology enterprise, will provide services such as electronic data interchange (EDI), web-portal and scanning/OCR solutions, core claim processing, and benefits administration functions for SIU's health and benefits plan. Plexis will also provide scanning/OCR capabilities to allow data sharing with partners and increase efficiency-mechanized workflow, supporting SIU's distinctive business methods and trimming administrative costs.
Medical error identified as fifth major cause of death in the U.S.
Millennium Research Group (MRG), a Decision Resources, Inc., company, recently identified medical error as the fifth major cause of death in the U.S., responsible for as many as 98,000 deaths yearly. Major errors occur in the healthcare system because of incomplete patient medical reports, unforeseen adverse drug reactions, doctors' order-transcription errors, and miscommunication. Understaffed, overcrowded medical providers with intricate workflow patterns and ineffective or incomplete communications between departments also contribute to medical errors. MRG, a primary supplier of strategic information to the healthcare industry, carried out a detailed and systematic study of clinical information systems (CIS), which collect, store, control, and allow access to patients' medical histories, test results, current treatments, and reactions to medications. It reported that using a CIS reduces the rate of preventable errors.
Bruce Nudell joins UBS as senior healthcare analyst
UBS Investment Bank has hired Bruce Nudell to serve as a senior healthcare analyst. Based in New York, Nudell will work in the bank's U.S. equity research department, assisting medical supply and device companies. He will be accountable to Mark Altman, head of U.S. equity research. Earlier, Nudell was a senior healthcare analyst at Sanford Bernstein. He joins leading banking and securities firm UBS with a Ph.D. in cellular electrophysiology and a master's in finance as well as experience in the medical field and as an analyst.
Sales and development contract signed by GE Healthcare and Medipattern
GE Healthcare's radiology and vascular ultrasound group has signed a sales and development contract with Medipattern Corporation. The five-year agreement will allow GE Healthcare to resell its existing B-CADTM product line and jointly develop and customize computer-aided detection (CAD) tools, including an advanced breast-ultrasound CAD tool. An entity of General Electric Company, GE Healthcare serves clients in more than 100 countries.
