August 8, 2007 – Accuray Inc. announced that use of its CyberKnife Robotic Radiosurgery System to noninvasively treat extracranial tumors has increased 75 percent in 2007.

The number of lung cancer patients treated with the system doubled, while the number of prostate cancer procedures with the system quadrupled over the past year.

Radiosurgery has historically been used exclusively for the treatment of brain tumors. The CyberKnife System, however, is FDA cleared to treat tumors anywhere in the body, including the spine, lungs, prostate, liver and pancreas.

August 8, 2007 – Emageon Inc. reported financial results for its second quarter ended June 30, 2007, reflecting net positive operating cash flow of $3.7 million for the second quarter of 2007, an improvement of $7.7 million over net negative operating cash flow of $4.0 million in first quarter 2007. For the six months ended June 30, 2007, net cash used in operations was $0.3 million. At June 30, 2007, cash and marketable securities totaled $20.9 million, compared to $23.0 million at December 31, 2006.

August 7, 2007 - BSD Medical Corp. announced that the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has proposed an approximate 86 percent increase in the reimbursement rate for all of the CMS codes applicable to the use of BSD cancer treatment systems for hospital outpatient procedures.

The new proposed reimbursement rates will be finalized in November and become effective Jan. 1, 2008. Increases ranging from 14 to 44 percent have also been proposed for freestanding clinics.

August 7, 2007 — Cardinal Health introduced its Esteem Micro Powder-Free Synthetic Surgical Glove, a versatile solution for procedures that require a more refined touch or for use as an outerglove when double gloving.

A thinner version of the Esteem SMT glove, the Esteem Micro glove is made from a unique and proprietary polyisoprene formulation that is nearly identical to Natural Rubber Latex (NRL). It reportedly has the fit, feel and performance of NRL, without any of the protein allergens.

August 7, 2007 - Results of study led by researchers at Oregon Health & Science University concluded that computerized provider order entry (CPOE) systems in hospitals are causing unintended adverse consequences.

The survey results appear in the July/August issue of the American Medical Informatics Association.

With CPOE systems, healthcare professionals enter medical orders, including prescriptions, directly into a computer database, with the intent of minimizing human error.