02 Jan 2019

IMPROVING WISELY: COLLABORATION HELPS IDENTIFY, CUT HEALTHCARE WASTE

By Vanessa Salvia In the elegant Presidential Ballroom of the Gaylord Opryland Resort in Nashville, Martin “Marty” Makary, MD, addressed American College of Phlebology’s 32nd Annual Congress attendees eager to hear his message about how the program Improving Wisely is helping to reduce waste in healthcare. More than 1,200 registrants,

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31 Dec 2018

BOSTON SCIENTIFIC LINES UP FINANCING FOR ITS $4B BTG ACQUISITION

Now that everyone has said yes, Boston Scientific has gone to the banks to sign a number of new lending agreements, including a large credit facility it could use to finance its $4.2 billion acquisition offer for British medical device maker BTG plc. The information, which came from recently posted

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12 Dec 2018

VEIN CLINICS OF AMERICA NAMES ALTON SHADER TO PRESIDENT AND CEO POST

Alton Shader, formerly president of Hill-Rom’s global Front Line Care business, has been named president and CEO of Vein Clinics of America (VCA), a Frazier Healthcare Partners  portfolio company, replacing Hans Thunem. A VCA release indicated that Thunem, who was CEO for four years, made the decision earlier in 2018

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11 Dec 2018

BOOK REVIEWS: ‘A GUIDE TO TREATING FACE VEINS’

 ‘A Wonderful Resource’   By Joseph D. Raffetto, MD “A Guide to Treating Face Veins” is a wonderful resource and compilation of work by Dr. Ronald Bush and Mrs. Peggy Bush. Facial veins are uncommonly treated in most clinical practices but is a common problem among patients who seek medical

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21 Nov 2018

ACP CHANGES ITS NAME TO AMERICAN VEIN & LYMPHATIC SOCIETY; AVLS OFFICIAL STATEMENT

By Vanessa Salvia The American College of Phlebology (ACP) has changed its name to the American Vein & Lymphatic Society (AVLS). The organization is still working on its new logo. The American College of Phlebology Foundation will be known as the Foundation for Venous and Lymphatic Disease, or FVLD. During

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30 Oct 2018

36 HEALTH SYSTEMS FORM THE HEALTHCARE INNOVATORS PROFESSIONAL SOCIETY

As innovation becomes an increasingly important function at many health systems, an exclusive professional organization has formed to provide a supportive community for the chief innovation officers who lead the charge of innovation at not-for-profit organizations. Healthcare Innovators Professional Society (HIPS), composed of innovation leaders from 36 of the nation’s most

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25 Oct 2018

FCT EMBRACE MARKS FUJIFILM’S ENTRANCE INTO U.S. CT MARKETPLACE

Fujifilm Medical Systems unveiled its FCT Embrace at the 2018 ASTRO annual meeting in October, marking Fujifilm’s entry into the U.S. CT market. The new system, combined with other market-leading oncology solutions, is designed to provide enhanced and efficient CT simulation with radiotherapy treatment planning capabilities. Approved by the FDA,

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25 Oct 2018

PHILIPS UNVEILS NEW RADIOTHERAPY IMAGING SYSTEMS

Philips released new systems for radiotherapy at the American Society for Radiation Oncology’s (ASTRO) annual meeting in October. The Big Bore RT is a dedicated CT oncology simulator with built-in technologies such as iterative model reconstruction (IMR) for improved imaging of small details and for quick completion of reference protocols. The

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23 Oct 2018

EARL E. BAKKEN: MEDTRONICS CO-FOUNDER DIES AT 94

Earl E. Bakken, co-founder  of Medtronic plc, passed away peacefully on Oct. 21 at his home on Kiholo Bay on the Big Island of Hawaii. He was 94 years old. “Today we are saddened by the passing of Earl Bakken, but we also honor and will forever cherish the life

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28 Sep 2018

SEEMA VERMA SPEECH: CMS TO BEGIN AUDITS ON MEDICAID INSURERS

Seema Verma, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Administrator, issued a warning to Medicaid plan sponsors on Thursday, warning the agency would begin unscheduled targeted financial audits. The warning came at the 2018 Medicaid Managed Care Summit during a speech Verma delivered in which she vowed to bring more transparency to

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