Industry News

UN: Medical imaging radiation is main source of rad exposure
The use of radiation in medicine accounts for most human exposure to ionizing radiation, according to a report issued by the United Nations scientific committee on the effects of atomic radiation.

HHS announces $46 million to ensure transparency in health insurance markets
Affordable Care Act grants totaling $46 million will be distributed to 45 states and Washington, D.C. to help improve the oversight of proposed health insurance premium increases, take action against insurers seeking unreasonable rate hikes and ensure consumers receive value for their premium dollars, announced U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Kathleen Sebelius.

California launches statewide telehealth network
Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and U.S. Chief Technology Officer Aneesh Chopra joined state healthcare and technology agencies yesterday at the University of California Davis Cancer Center in Sacramento to jumpstart the California Telehealth Network.

Report: Smartphones will keep ringing up sales in healthcare
Healthcare may be a niche market for smartphones, but it has significant growth potential, according to healthcare market research publisher Kalorama Information. The New York-based firm cites high rates of physician use of smartphones and PDAs and available applications among many factors making healthcare ideal for smartphone sales.

Visbion moves into new headquarters
Medical imaging software company Visbion has moved into new offices in Surrey, England.

Clinical Studies

Radiology: 31P MR spectroscopy depicts extent of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease
Proton-decoupled phosphorus 31 (31P) MR spectroscopy shows promise in grading of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease and may be useful in detecting treatment response in patients with nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), according to a study published in this month's Radiology.

Mergers & Acquisitions

Medtronic to acquire Osteotech for approx. $123M
Medical technology companies Medtronic and Osteotech have entered into a definitive agreement for Medtronic to acquire Osteotech for $6.50 per share in cash for each share of Osteotech common stock. The total value of the transaction is expected to be approximately $123 million.

Partnerships & Alliances

Siemens to distribute Calypso in EU
Calypso Medical Technologies, a developer of real-time localization technology used for the tracking of tumor targets, has entered into a non-exclusive product distribution agreement with Siemens Healthcare for the sale of its Calypso System in Europe.

Thomson Reuters, CareEvolution to assist N.C. HIE development
The North Carolina Hospital Association (NCHA) and the North Carolina Medical Society (NCMS) along with Moses Cone Health System and WakeMed Health & Hospitals have chosen health IT companies Thomson Reuters and CareEvolution to develop and launch the North Carolina Healthcare Information Exchange (NCHEX).

Contracts & Installations

Tenn. alliance signs with ICA for HIE
Memphis, Tenn.-based MidSouth eHealth Alliance (MSeHA) has signed a multi-year contract with Informatics Corporation of America (ICA) under which ICA will provide health information exchange (HIE) capabilities to MSeHA.

Executive Announcements

Northrop Grumman appoints Shekar CMO
Northrop Grumman has named Sam Shekar, MD, MPH, chief medical officer in its information systems sector.