A Medical Device Daily
Vital Images (Minneapolis), a provider of enterprise-wide visualization and analysis solutions, has signed an agreement with Confirma (Kirkland, Washington), which focuses on computer-aided detection (CAD) for MRI, to distribute CADstream in conjunction with Vitrea 2, Vital Images’ flagship software, beginning this summer.
CADstream said it leads the market in breast MRI CAD with more than 200 CADstream systems installed throughout the U.S. and Europe. Confirma began selling CADstream in 2003.
“As the breast MRI market continues its explosive growth, distribution partnerships with market-leading companies such as Vital Images enable us to expand our reach,” said Wayne Wager, Confirma president and CEO.
The company said that since 1999, there has been a 40% per year increase in the number of breast MRI examinations in the U.S.
GE Healthcare (Waukesha, Wisconsin) said it has signed a 10-year research agreement with the University of California, San Diego (UCSD) to establish what GE called “a landmark alliance” in medical research.
The agreement is expected to advance personalized healthcare by accelerating collaborative research efforts and quickly transitioning those discoveries into the clinical environment.
“This announcement marks the launch of a significant collaboration between two leaders in healthcare and academic research capable of leveraging world-class technology and world-class medical research to meet healthcare challenges of the future,” said John Chiminski, vice president, Global MR Business, for GE Healthcare.
According to research leaders at both institutions, the research alliance will focus on a number of areas, including neuroscience and MR-guided focused ultrasound.
In other grants/contracts news:
• Aetna (Falls Church, Virginia) said it has signed a five-year contract that extends the company’s relationship with the Virginia Hospital Center (Arlington, Virginia).
Under the contract, which took effect May 15, Aetna members in Northern Virginia may continue receiving covered in-patient and outpatient services, at in-network rates, from Virginia Hospital Center.
• Alere Medical (Reno, Nevada), which focuses on integrating objective and subjective data to provide patient care management and remote monitoring services, reported that it will provide heart failure management services to Paramount Health Care, a subsidiary of ProMedica Health System.
Alere Medical will provide its Alere Home Monitoring Program, which integrates in-home monitoring, nurse interaction and patient education services, for Paramount’s heart failure patients and their treating physicians.
• Adroit Medical Systems (Loudon, Tennessee) has been awarded a three-year contract with Premier (San Diego). Under the contract, Adroit Medical Systems will have access to about 30% of hospitals in the U. S. This represents more than 1,500 hospital facilities in 50 states and hundreds of other care sites. Premier is one of the largest contracting services in the nation, with over $17 billion in annual purchasing power.
The contract covers Adroit Medical Systems’ temperature therapy products, including blankets, wraps, pads, and equipment. Adroit Medical Systems patented the first disposable temperature therapy blanket, and is regarded as an innovator in thermal regulation product design. The company actively provides education on thermal regulation products and can offer one of the most complete collections of clinical studies available on heat/cold therapy.
• LanVision Systems (Cincinnati) d/b/a Streamline Health reported that two of its existing remote application hosting customers have renewed their respective remote hosting services contracts for Streamline Health’s workflow and document management services. The two remote hosting contracts are valued at approximately $6.3 million in recurring subscription fees over the terms of the agreements.
One three-year renewal agreement calls for Streamline Health to continue to provide its Heath Information Management workflow solutions and services to an existing large customer in the southern region of the U.S. via its remote hosting service center based in Cincinnati.