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MRIs Depend on Dwindling Supply of Helium

It’s one of the so-called “noble” gasses. Its atomic number is 2, and it’s both the second-lightest and second-most-abundant element in the observable universe. But despite this abundance, it’s in short supply in places like MRI laboratories. It’s helium. Since the advent of Magnetic Resonance Imaging in the radiology imaging space, MRI systems have depended […]

Hayes Report Series Focuses on Genetic Testing for Autism Spectrum Disorder

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) encompasses a range of neurodevelopmental conditions that are diagnosed by clinical and behavioral criteria. Basic characteristics include persistent deficiencies in social communication and interactions across multiple situations as well as restricted, repetitive patterns of behavior, interests, or activities. The presence or absence of other physical or psychiatric disorders increases the range […]

Advancements in Electrosurgery

One of the most widely used devices in the operating room, the electrosurgical unit (ESU) employs electrical current to cut and coagulate, desiccate, or fulgurate tissue. Electrosurgery is performed using the ESU, a power generator, and an electrode that is in contact with the tissue. The electrode can be either monopolar (conducting the electrical current […]

Cybersecurity Strategies and Best Practices

Cybersecurity continues to be a major concern for healthcare organizations. Because of the sensitivity of the information they keep, hospitals are becoming a chosen target of cybercriminals. Cyberattacks are no longer a matter of “if” but “when.” The threat was top of mind when healthcare security leaders gathered in Chicago in September at the annual […]

Can Shimadzu become a player?

Will a new partnership with Change Healthcare help Shimadzu Medical Systems gain ground in the Interventional Vascular and/or Cardiac markets? At the Transcatheter Cardiovascular Therapeutics (TCT) 2018 Symposium in San Diego in September, Shimadzu featured the new Trinias C-12 Crossover system, which can perform both vascular and cardiac interventional procedures. The Trinias system is available […]

Hall of Fame for Healthcare Supply Chain Leadership to Induct Winifred Hayes, Ph.D.

Dallas/Chattanooga (October 1, 2018) – Winifred “Wini” S. Hayes, founder and CEO emerita of Hayes Inc., will be inducted into the Bellwether League’s Hall of Fame for Healthcare Supply Chain Leadership tonight in Chicago. The League honors innovators, pioneers, and visionaries for their contributions to the industry. Dr. Hayes is one of seven new members who […]

New Trends in Healthcare IT Contract Management

When negotiating the sometimes problematic area of healthcare IT contract management, it is good to keep in mind certain trends that are making themselves obvious in the marketplace. Here’s a look at just four of these trends. Annual Contract Renewals Many healthcare IT subscriptions or recurring agreements contain evergreen clauses that typically subject the agreement […]

People, not machines, are the key to good laboratory automation

An MD Buyline colleague and I recently visited the NorthShore Health System, Evanston Hospital, in Evanston, Ill. It’s the home of the nation’s first installation of the BD Kiestra™ TLA fully automated microbiology lab system, which became functional in 2015. Automated microbiology is a recent phenomenon that showed the first glimmer of possibilities a decade […]

MediTract Unveils Next Generation of Software Platform

In two well-attended webinars on Aug. 28 and 29, 2018, users got a first glimpse of MediTract 2.0, the latest version of TractManager’s Gold Standard CLM platform. MediTract 2.0 integrates MediTract’s Contract Library, Process Manager, and compliance solutions—Physician Time and Effort Tracking, Vendor Evaluations for Clinical and Non-Clinical Contracts, Conflict of Interest Disclosure Statements, and […]

Dual Energy: a brief look

Dual Energy applications are a hot topic among our member facilities in CT. The quote activity we see from member hospitals shows an increased interest in Dual Energy CT. Many facilities that I have recently spoken with are asking what exactly Dual Energy CT is and what advantages the technology might offer. What is Dual […]

Theranos: A Cautionary Tale

The rise and recent fall of Theranos, a multibillion-dollar biotechnology start-up in Silicon Valley, and its founder, Elizabeth Holmes, is becoming the classic Wall Street scandal of the decade. When Holmes founded Theranos in 2003, the young, intelligent, and charismatic visionary was already being touted as the next Steve Jobs or Mark Zuckerberg of the […]

Ultrasound vendors impress with latest technology

The 2018 annual convention of the American Institute of Ultrasound in Medicine (AIUM) in New York City focused on early prevention and definitive diagnosis for better patient outcomes. The target audience was ultrasound professionals who perform and interpret ultrasound examinations, including researchers, physicians, scientists, physicists, radiologists, sonologists, and sonographers. Thanks to live and simulated ultrasound labs, […]

FDA Approves New Drug to Treat Thrombocytopenia in Chronic Liver Disease

The FDA has approved Doptelet (avatrombopag; AkaRx Inc.), a drug used for the treatment of thrombocytopenia in adult patients with chronic liver disease who have low blood platelets and are scheduled to undergo a medical or dental procedure. This is the first drug approved by the FDA for this use. Thrombocytopenia is a condition in […]

Clearing the Smoke in the OR

In early June 2018, Rhode Island Governor Gina Raimonda signed legislation that requires operating rooms throughout the state to adopt policies to eliminate surgical smoke via smoke evacuation systems. When the law takes effect on Jan. 1, 2019, Rhode Island will be the first state to adopt such a law. Surgical smoke evacuation has been […]

Not-So-Shocking Facts about Today’s Defibrillators

When the American Heart Association (AHA) published updated guidelines for advanced cardiac life support (ACLS) in 2015, it presented evidence that a low end-tidal carbon dioxide (EtCO2) level in intubated patients was linked to a very low success rate for resuscitation (AHA, 2015). As a result, the ability to monitor EtCO2 during resuscitation efforts became […]

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