Jan. 4, 2007 -- Mallinckrodt Inc. announced that it has signed an agreement with Premier purchasing Partners, L.P. to provide imaging products to Premier member healthcare facilities over a three-year period, broadening the scope of Mallinckrodt products available to Premier patients.
The products in the agreement include Mallinckrodt’s OptiMARK (gadoversetamide injection) magnetic resonance contrast agent, plus Mallinckrodt’s complete portfolio of contrast media agents, radiopharmaceuticals, barium and injectors, all used to perform various diagnostic imaging procedures.

The acquisition of Bayer Healthcare's diagnostic division by
Siemens Medical Solutions has been completed. Bayer Diagnostics and
Diagnostic Products Corporation (DPC), acquired in July 2006, were
merged into a single business unit on January 1, 2007. The new entity,
"Siemens Medical Solutions Diagnostics," is a wholly owned subsidiary
of Siemens Medical Solutions USA, Inc. and employs more than 8,000
people worldwide. Siemens Medical Solutions Diagnostics, headquartered
in Tarrytown, NY and Los Angeles, CA, holds a No. 2 position in the

LumitexMD, an innovator in surgical cavity illumination, has introduced a new version of its LightMat Surgical Illuminator, featuring an integral adhesive that makes it easier to handle and use, and provides a thinner profile for ORs and ASCs. This newest member of the LightMat family combines cool, bright, shadowless light with the lowest profile, optimum brightness and ease of use – all at the same economical cost.

Siemens Medical Solutions completed the EUR 5.7 billion acquisition of Bayer Healthcare's diagnostic division, which was acquired in July 2006 and merged into a single business unit with Siemens Medical Solutions on January 1, 2007, as part of Siemen’s strategy to help its customers improve workflow throughout the healthcare enterprise.

The Deficit Reduction Act of 2005 became effective on January 1, 2007 and will impose significant Medicare reimbursement cuts for MRI, CT, PET, bone densitometry, nuclear medicine and ultrasound on outpatient imaging centers.

Routine use of five simple, evidence-based interventions essentially eliminated catheter-related bloodstream infections in 103 intensive-care units at 67 hospitals over an 18-month period, according to a study in the New England Journal of Medicine.

The interventions were the washing of hands; using full-barrier precautions during insertion of central venous catheters; cleansing the catheter insertion site with chlorhexidine; avoiding femoral vein catheter sites; and removing unnecessary catheters.

The physician assistant workforce rose an estimated 8 percent in 2006 and is projected to total about 63,600 as of Jan. 1, 2007, according to the American Academy of Physician Assistants. The Alexandria, Va.-based professional group estimated 85 percent of those eligible to practice as physician assistants are in the workforce, up from 83 percent a year ago. On average, physician assistants’ income rose 4 percent to $84,396 in 2006 from $81,129 in 2005, after adjusting for inflation.

Kodak recently introduced Orthoview Orthopaedic Digital Imaging Software designed to assist orthopaedic surgeons in performing pre-operative planning and templating. The new solution is an upgrade to Kodak’s Carestream PACS and adds new digital imaging measurement and pre-operative tools that can be used in treating both pediatric and adult patients.

Agfa HealthCare recently signed a new $35 million a year, dual-source contract with Premier Purchasing Partners L.P. for three-years, in which Agfa will provide Computed Radiography (CR) products to the alliance’s 1,700 member hospitals and more than 43,000 other healthcare delivery sites.

UnitedHealth Group, Minnetonka, MN, said the Securities and Exchange Commission has launched a formal investigation into its historical stock-option granting practices. In its latest SEC filing, the nation’s second largest health insurer said it was notified of the probe on Dec. 19. The company had been the subject of an informal SEC inquiry since April, when it fell under scrutiny for allegedly manipulating the timing of stock options granted to former Chairman and Chief Executive Officer William McGuire.

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