Turnabout is fair play, reasons the city of Akron, Ohio. Miami successfully lured Akron's native son, LeBron James, to leave the Cleveland Cavaliers and come play for the Florida city's NBA team, the Heat. Now Akron is eyeing a similar ploy, albeit one that will generate far less publicity. (Medical Device Daily)

In a new report issued this week, global consulting firm Frost & Sullivan (F&S; Mountain View, California) says that hybrid imaging systems such as PET/CT and SPECT/CT are on the rise and have gained widespread recognition among the medical oncology community. (Medical Device Daily)

Tackling two topics on which there has been much discussion in recent years, the Institute of Medicine (IOM; Washington) has issued recommendations for standards in developing clinical practice guidelines and for systematic review of the comparative effectiveness in medical or surgical procedures. (Medical Device Daily)

Continuing its push to grow through acquisitions, global diagnostic testing leader Quest Diagnostics (Madison, New Jersey) said Friday that it would add Celera (Alameda, California), a pioneering genetic diagnostics firm, in a merger deal valued at just over $670 million. (Medical Device Daily)

A Cambridge, Massachusetts-based start-up company, mc10, is focused on doing more with less, developing "smart" balloons that can eliminate one of the several catheters currently used in cardiac mapping and ablation procedures. (Medical Device Daily)

The good news in L.E.K. Consulting's newly issued report on the spending plans of U.S. hospitals is that spending on medical equipment, spurred by healthcare reform, is expected to increase substantially. (Medical Device Daily)