A Medical Device Daily

SurModics (Eden Prairie, Minnesota), a provider of surface modification and drug delivery technologies to the healthcare industry, said that its advanced Hydrophilic Technology has been licensed to Devax (Irvine, California) to provide the lubricious coating on its Axxess biolimus A-9 eluting bifurcation stent delivery system.

The Devax Axxess drug-eluting stent (DES) is a conical shaped, self-expanding nickel titanium alloy stent that conforms to the bifurcation anatomy and provides full access to both branches for additional interventional procedures. The company's Axxess Plus trial reported positive results at the Transcatheter Cardiovascular Therapeutics meeting in October 2005, becoming the first DES designed specifically for bifurcation lesions to publish clinical outcomes, the company said.

In other agreements:

• HealthPartners (Bloomington, Minnesota) and CIGNA HealthCare (Bloomfield, Connecticut) entered a long-term alliance that will offer companies with employees residing in Minnesota and other states health plan products using the HealthPartners and CIGNA provider networks.

The alliance is designed to offer employers a “full suite of product and funding options that include uniform benefits, competitive provider payment rates, streamlined administration and a focus on high-quality care that lowers total cost,“ the companies said.

“This alliance leverages our strength as a regional plan with the reach of a well-respected national health plan,“ said Mary Brainerd, HealthPartners president and CEO.

• Cardinal Health (San Diego) reported signing preferred provider agreements with MedAssets Supply Chain Systems (Atlanta), a group purchasing organization representing 22,000 healthcare providers, for its Alaris infusion safety systems and Pyxis medication and supply automation solutions.

MedAssets Supply Chain Systems has also added Alaris products to its Select Program, which offers its members better pricing on the preferred contracts within each market category, Cardinal said.

• Altus HealthCare (Palm Desert, California) said that agreement has been reached with Centro Medico Excel (Tijuana, Mexico), to become the first international multi-specialty surgery clinic serving the Altus Physician Network.

Centro Medico Excel, a full-service hospital, agreed to join with Altus in making its surgery facilities available to Altus' physician network, which serves patients seeking treatment for various outpatient surgery conditions, which are conducive to Ambulatory Surgery Centers. These include certain forms of weight loss surgery, cosmetic, reconstructive, orthopedic, podiatric, arthroscopic and general surgery.

The agreement marks the first time such a cross-border agreement has been reached, according to Altus.

Altus' physician network will be able to offer patients access to first class surgical facilities at prices more appropriate to this market. Altus and Centro Medico Excel will jointly strive to make this undertaking a success, and have stated their intent to build a multi-year program to expand the service being offered along the entire length of the U.S.-Mexican border.