Three vie for two seats on Del Puerto Health board

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Three local residents have stepped forward as candidates for two seats on the Del Puerto Health Care District board and are seeking votes in the Nov. 6 election.

Incumbents Jeannette Kessler and board president Anne Stokman want to keep their four-year seats, while challenger Ed Maring, who served on the board for 30 years before losing his seat in the 2010 election, hopes to return to the local board.

The Irrigator provided a series of questions for Kessler, Stokman and Maring.

Fred Beltran, who has served in the boards only two-year position, has no opponent to retain his seat.

Other board members are Harold Hill and Ramona East, whose terms expire in 2014.

ANNE IELMINI STOKMAN What do you specifically plan to accomplish if you are elected to the Del Puerto Health Care District board? Why do you want to be on the board?

I have served one term on the board; we have been through a lot of changes: a new building, a new CEO, electronic medical records and multiple physicians. We have excellent staff at the district office, ambulance and clinic. We have reached stability and are ready to move toward building additional health care services.

I have lived in Patterson my entire life. I have 30 years experience as a registered nurse working in the hospital, home heath, hospice, clinic manager, diabetes educator and nurse consultant. I want to continue to volunteer to help expand services in our community for health care, prevention and urgent care.

What are the immediate needs for health care on the West Side? What needs to happen to bring those services to Patterson?

We need radiology services, including ultrasound and mammograms.

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Three vie for two seats on Del Puerto Health board

Voters will have their say on fate of Obamacare

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Politics The Election's Choice On Health Care Reform

On the issue of health care reform, your choice on Election Day comes down to Obamacare or "repeal and replace."

President Barack Obama's position can be "summed up" in 2,400 pages. That's the length of his Affordable Care Act, the landmark 2010 health care overhaul informally known as Obamacare, which makes sweeping consumer-centric changes to common health insurance practices.

The law is closely modeled after the Massachusetts health insurance reform that Republican challenger Mitt Romney championed when he was governor of that state in 2006. But now, the former Massachusetts governor vows that if he's elected president, he'll repeal the Obama law and replace it with a more conservative alternative. But what that might look like is one of the campaign's big questions.

Obama is promoting the Affordable Care Act as he makes his case for a second term. Go to the health care section of his campaign website to find out where he stands, and what you'll find are links where you can "learn how Obamacare benefits you."

Under the law, insurers by 2014 may no longer: deny coverage to individuals with pre-existing conditions; impose lifetime or annual dollar limits on coverage; cancel coverage arbitrarily; limit doctor choice and out-of-network emergency services; or charge higher premiums based on gender or health status.

The act also allows young adults to remain on their parents' policy until age 26, and it provides a laundry list of preventive care screenings and services to all ages at no additional cost.

To help pay for this expansion of benefits, the law's "individual mandate" requires most Americans to obtain health insurance or pay a penalty. To help consumers find affordable coverage, new state marketplaces called exchanges will open in 2014, government tax credits will be available for low-income individuals and families, and states are encouraged to expand their Medicaid programs to millions of uninsured, lower-income Americans.

The Medicaid expansion had been a requirement under the law, but the U.S. Supreme Court made it optional for states.

Romney's campaign website says Obama's approach to health care reform takes the country in the wrong direction, by relying on "a dense web of regulations, fees, subsidies, excise taxes, exchanges, and rule-setting boards to give the federal government extraordinary control over every corner of the health care system."

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What I learned debating Paul Ryan

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In February 2010, I sat down to talk health-care policy with Rep. Paul Ryan. Ryan wasn’t yet the lion of the right that he is today, but he had a reputation as an unusually wonkish legislator, and he didn’t disappoint. In the interview , he was clearly well-versed on the issues, fluent in both his ideas and the main criticiques. He was also refreshingly willing to step off-message, as when he ...

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What I learned debating Paul Ryan

Walmart Expands Health Benefits to Cover Heart and Spine Surgeries at No Cost to Associates

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BENTONVILLE, Ark., Oct. 11, 2012 /PRNewswire/ --As health care costs continue to rise, Walmart is introducing a first-of-its-kind Centers of Excellence program that will offer its associates quality health care with no out-of-pocket cost for heart, spine, and transplant surgeries at six of the leading hospital and health systems in the U.S.

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20090914/WALMARTLOGO)

The six designated health care organizations include the Cleveland Clinic in Cleveland, Ohio; Geisinger Medical Center in Danville, Pa.; Mayo Clinic sites in Rochester, Minn., Scottsdale/Phoenix, Ariz., and Jacksonville, Fla.; Mercy Hospital Springfield in Springfield, Mo; Scott & White Memorial Hospital in Temple, Texas; and Virginia Mason Medical Center in Seattle, Wash. These organizations will give Walmart associates the opportunity to receive care at hospitals and medical centers geographically located across the country that specialize in heart, spine and transplant care.

"We devoted extensive time developing Centers of Excellence in order to improve the quality of care our associates' receive," said Sally Welborn, senior vice president of global benefits at Walmart. "We have identified six renowned health care systems that meet the highest quality standards for heart, spine and transplant surgery. Through these hospital systems, our associates will have no out-of-pocket expenses and a greater peace of mind knowing they are receiving exceptional care from a facility that specializes in the procedure they require. This is the first time a retailer has offered a comprehensive, nationwide program for heart, spine and transplant surgery."

The new Centers of Excellence program is being expanded from covering transplants, which began with the Mayo Clinic in 1996, to include treatment for certain heart and spine surgeries. Walmart's associates and their dependents who are enrolled in the company's medical plans will receive consultations and care covered at 100 percent without deductible or coinsurance, plus travel, lodging and food for the patient and a caregiver.

Patients must be healthy enough to travel for the surgeries. Four of the designated health care systems -- Cleveland Clinic, Geisinger Medical Center, Scott & White Memorial Hospital and Virginia Mason Medical Center, will offer specific procedures for cardiac surgery that include open heart surgery for coronary artery bypass grafting, heart valve replacement/repair, closures of heart defects, thoracic and aortic aneurysm repair and other complex cardiac surgeries.

Three of the health care systems -- Mercy Hospital Springfield, Scott & White Memorial Hospital and Virginia Mason Medical Center will perform spine procedures that will include cervical and lumbar spinal fusion, total disk arthroplasty, spine surgery revisions and other complex spine surgeries. Transplants will continue to be provided by the Mayo Clinic.

In providing this service at no cost to its enrolled associates, Walmart has worked with these Centers of Excellence health systems to provide exclusive and unique bundled pricing arrangements for these types of procedures. Through Centers of Excellence, Walmart is working with all the health care organizations to collectively share best practices that will allow collaboration around best measures of service and new industry findings in comparison to industry practices.

Quotes from Center of Excellence Hospital and Health Systems:"Healthcare is inthe midst of an unprecedented transformation and requires innovation toimprove the way we deliver care to patients across the United States," said Cleveland ClinicPresidentand Chief Executive Officer,Toby M.Cosgrove, M.D. "Programs such as these will helpget patients to the right place, for the right care, at the right time while focusing on quality outcomesand cost control."

"Geisinger is recognized nationally for innovations that enhance patient care and create value, including our ProvenCare best-practice approach to caring for cardiac disease," said Geisinger Health System President and Chief Executive Officer Glenn Steele, Jr., M.D. "As a result of this innovative program and the commitment of our expert caregivers and support team, our patients recover faster, spend less time in the hospital and experience fewer complications. We are pleased to partner with Walmart in its Centers of Excellence Program and look forward to caring for their associates with cardiac disease."

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Future of health care hinges on election

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Joyce Beck, who runs a small hospital and network of medical clinics in rural Nebraska, is reluctant to plan for the future until voters decide between President Barack Obama and Mitt Romney. The candidates' sharply divergent proposals for Medicare, Medicaid and coverage of the uninsured have created too much uncertainty, she explained.

"We are all on hold, waiting to see what the election brings," said Beck, chief executive of Thayer County Health Services, based in Hebron.

When Americans go to the polls next month they will cast a vote not just for president but for one of two profoundly different visions for the future of the country's health care system. With an Obama victory Nov. 6, the president's signature health care law including the contentious requirement that most Americans obtain health insurance or pay a tax penalty will almost certainly come into full force, becoming the largest expansion of the safety net since Lyndon Johnson pushed through his Great Society programs almost half a century ago.

If Romney wins and Republicans capture the Senate, much of the law could be repealed or its financing cut back and the president's goal of achieving near-universal coverage could take a back seat to Romney's top priority, controlling medical costs.

Given the starkness of the choice, historians and policymakers believe this election could be the most significant referendum on a piece of social legislation since 1936, when Republican Alf Landon ran against Franklin D. Roosevelt and his New Deal programs.

Nearly eight decades have passed, but the debate sounds strikingly familiar: Landon described the Social Security Act, passed in 1935, as "the largest tax bill in history" and called for its repeal.

"It is very rare for a political party to pass a social program of this magnitude and then to face the possibility of a rollback or repeal in a presidential election," said James A. Morone, a professor of political science at Brown University who has studied the history of health policy.

For Medicare and Medicaid, the government health programs for older Americans, low-income people and the disabled, the candidates have sharply different visions as well. Romney's proposals call for fundamental changes in the structure of the programs, placing more emphasis on private-sector competition and much less on government regulation.

Obama would expand Medicaid to cover millions more people; Romney would effectively shrink it, giving each state a fixed amount of federal money to cover its disadvantaged population with more control over eligibility and benefits. Romney would eventually give each Medicare beneficiary a fixed amount of federal money to pay premiums for either the traditional Medicare program or private insurance. Obama would preserve the structure of Medicare but try to rein in costs, in part by trimming payments to health care providers.

Passage of the Affordable Care Act in 2010 was, to many, Obama's most significant legislative accomplishment. But the law proved so divisive that undoing it has become a central rallying cry of Republicans seeking to retake the White House.

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Health care workers picket in Rockford for fair contract

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ROCKFORD Janice Purifoy is passionate about her job as a certified nursing assistant, and she hopes that passion is indicative of the need for a better contract for her and her fellow union workers.

Purifoy, whos worked 13 years as a CNA at Alden Debes Rehabilitation and Health Care Center in Rockford, joined other members of Service Employees International Union Healthcare Illinois on the picket line Wednesday outside Alden.

SEIU represents health care, child care, home care and nursing home workers in the Midwest. Purifoy and other nursing home employees in Illinois have worked without a contract since Dec. 31.

More than 2,000 workers were expected to join picket lines at 50 nursing homes, according to union officials. A common chant Wednesday was No contract, no peace.

Purifoy and Celena Clark, whos worked 7 years as a CNA at Alden Debes, are hoping to see some increase in pay without losing earned vacation time, which they said has been a point of contention during negotiations.

Theyre also concerned about staff turnover, which they worry affects the quality of patient care. We love what we do, and were just trying to get the message out that we deserve a fair contract, Purifoy said.

Union officials said contract talks are expected to resume Thursday.

Alden Debes is a member of the Illinois Association of Health Care Facilities a nonprofit group of more than 375 licensed and certified long-term care facilities and programs and a statement released by Alden Debes said the group has been negotiating with the union in good faith to renew the contract.

We are disheartened by the picketing and inflammatory comments made by the union in an effort to disrupt the ongoing negotiations, the statement reads. Alden wants to assure our residents and community that we will continue to provide quality care and services during the ongoing talks.

Melissa Westphal: 815-987-1341; at mwestpha@rrstar.com; @mlwestphal

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Citing privacy concerns, U.S. panel urges end to secret DNA testing

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NEW YORK (Reuters) - They're called discreet DNA samples, and the Elk Grove, California, genetic-testing company easyDNA says it can handle many kinds, from toothpicks to tampons.

Blood stains from bandages and tampons? Ship them in a paper envelope for paternity, ancestry or health testing. EasyDNA also welcomes cigarette butts (two to four), dental floss ("do not touch the floss with your fingers"), razor clippings, gum, toothpicks, licked stamps and used tissues if the more standard cheek swab or tube of saliva isn't obtainable.

On Thursday it released a report on privacy concerns triggered by the advent of whole genome sequencing, determining someone's complete DNA make-up. Although sequencing "holds enormous promise for human health and medicine," commission chairwoman Amy Gutmann told reporters on Wednesday, there is a "potential for misuse of this very personal data."

"In many states someone can pick up your discarded coffee cup and send it for (DNA) testing," said Gutmann, who is the president of the University of Pennsylvania.

"It's not a fantasy to think about how, without baseline privacy protection, people could use this in a way that would be really detrimental," such as by denying someone with a gene that raises their risk of Alzheimer's disease long-term care insurance, or to jack up life insurance premiums for someone with an elevated genetic risk of a deadly cancer that strikes people in middle age.

"Those who are willing to share some of the most intimate information about themselves for the sake of medical progress should be assured appropriate confidentiality, for example, about any discovered genetic variations that link to increased likelihood of certain diseases, such as Alzheimer's, diabetes, heart disease and schizophrenia," Gutmann said.

The commission took on the issue because whole genome sequencing is poised to become part of mainstream medical care, especially by personalizing medical treatments based on a patient's DNA.

$1,000 GENOME

That has been driven in large part by dramatic cost reductions, from $2.5 billion per genome in the Human Genome Project of the 1990s and early 2000s to $1,000 soon. Several companies, including Illumina Inc. and Life Technology's Ion Torrent division, sell machines that can sequence a genome for a few hundred dollars, but that does not include the analysis to figure out what the string of 3 billion DNA "letters" means.

A three-year-old federal law prohibits discrimination in employment or health insurance based on someone's genetic information but does not address other potential misuses of the data. Without such privacy protection, said Gutmann, people may be reluctant to participate in genetic studies that do whole genome sequencing, for fear their genetic data will not be secure and could be used against them.

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About the Illustrators

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Outside it's 2012 and a mlange of wild styles diverts attention wherever you look. Inside the section headers of this year's Best of Nashville issue, however, it's a nostalgic era of equal parts Art Deco, the Jazz Age, vintage Americana and other stylistic influences from the early 20th century. The look is a hallmark of Nashville designer Joel Anderson and his Anderson Design Group, whose work can be seen throughout the issue.

A Ringling College of Art & Design graduate who's lived in Nashville since 1986 his credits extend from the award-winning "Spirit of Nashville" poster series and Olive & Sinclair Chocolate's sumptuous packaging to an Emmy-winning stint in the art department on the locally produced 1988 CBS kids' show Hey Vern, It's Ernest! Anderson says he takes inspiration from "the lost art of advertising design."

With his work for the Best of Nashville issue, Anderson says, he wanted to recapture some of the optimism and exuberance of the poster art surrounding the 1925 World's Fair in Paris, which assimilated styles ranging from Futurism to Constructivism to evoke a world spinning faster.

By going for the World's Fair look and vibe, he explains, he and illustrator Aaron Johnson, an intern from the Watkins College of Art & Design, wanted to reflect a time when "people were really excited about what technology would bring."

In some regards, it may have been too optimistic about the shape of things to come, he says. But in the traces of the style that linger for example, the locomotive and airplane in the Frist Center's interior grillwork he sees "a belief that we could build anything." That hope, and the human touch it represents, is partly what Anderson believes is driving the booming revival in vintage-style print-making.

"Everybody's got a computer now and can make their own graphics," Anderson says. "People are going back to that pre-computer age and those tactile, warm, human feels." See more of Anderson's work at andersondesigngroup.com.

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North Freedom man accused of marijuana sales

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A North Freedom man faces prison after authorities said he sold marijuana to an informant three times in Columbia County in November.

Michael A. Anderson, 26, is scheduled to appear Oct. 24 in Columbia County Circuit Court.

According to investigators with the Columbia County Sheriffs Office, Anderson sold marijuana to an informant on three separate occasions: a half an ounce for $200 on Nov. 5 in Portage; an ounce for $375 on Nov. 8 in the town of Caledonia; and 1 1/2 ounces for $550 on Nov. 17 in the town of Caledonia.

Anderson faces 4 1/2 years in prison as an initial maximum penalty on three counts of felony distribution of THC (marijuana).

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Legendary Green Man Grown into Super Hero by Eco Comics

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Mohawk Media & Eco Comics

PRESS RELEASE

For immediate release

Legendary Green Man Grown into Super Hero by Eco Comics

Publisher Eco Comics has today announced the launch of a comic book series featuring one of the most iconic and prolific characters from myth and legend, the Green Man.

For over a millennium carvings of the Green Man have spread throughout churches, abbeys and cathedrals across the UK and Europe, and can also be found in the USA and Canada.

The publisher says: "Green Man has come to represent the environmental movement and our endangered eco-system, and so has more relevance now than ever. It is therefore fitting that his comic book debut will be entirely paperless and published by Eco Comics".

Eco Comics has released the first issue exclusively on a variety of digital formats in order to have minimal negative impact on the environment and wildlife.

Green Man #1 is by the British team of writer Chris Bunting and artist John-Paul Howard.

Bunting says: "I've written a number of cultural heavyweights but the Green Man is extra special. The mystery surrounding him makes him very intriguing, while an artists sketches dating from the 1230s could make him the first comic book-style character in history.

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Seven more beaches awarded Blue Flag

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Seven more beaches awarded Blue Flag

(Wam) / 11 October 2012

The Emirates Wildlife Society in association with WWF (EWS-WWF) announced, in partnership with the Foundation for Environmental Education (FEE), that these beaches spanning Abu Dhabi, Dubai and Fujairah have been granted the international award after meeting a number of strict criteria designed to raise environmental coastal standards.

Another confirmed beach is due to be announced later this year, bringing the grand total of Blue Flag beaches and marinas in the UAE to 12. This follows a successful pilot year in 2011, in which the UAEs first four Blue Flags were awarded.

The newly awarded sites join a global list of 3,849 beaches and marinas across 46 different countries, from the tropical shores of the Caribbean islands to the rugged cliffs of New Zealand. The beaches and marinas awarded the flag include: Emirates Palace beach (Abu Dhabi), Emirates Palace marina (Abu Dhabi), Jebel Ali Golf Resort and Spa beach (Dubai), Jebel Ali Golf Resort and Spa marina (Dubai), Jumeirah Open Beach (Dubai), Al Mamzar Beach Park (Dubai) and Le Merdien Al Aqah Beach Resort (Fujairah).

Lisa Perry, Programmes Director at the EWS-WWF, stated: It is with great pleasure we are able to announce that seven more sites have been awarded the Blue Flag in the UAE with another due to be announced later in the year. The commitment of beach and marina management and operators across the country is very encouraging and (we) are proud of the success of Blue Flag in the country so far. We call upon more to apply for this prestigious award to help us raise the bar of costal excellence in the country.

Blue Flag beaches and marinas are accessible for UAE residents and tourists alike and through the Blue Flag programme, we are working, with the management of these sites, to ensure that these areas are kept clean, safe and protected for generations to come.

The Blue Flag programme is awarded on the basis of compliance of up to 32 criteria for beaches and 24 criteria for marinas covering four key areas: environmental education and information, water quality, environmental management, safety and services.

The Blue Flag programme in the UAE is proudly sponsored by Applied Materials. Michael Baxter, Director, Corporate Affairs of Applied Materials, commented: EWS-WWF is playing a critical role in promoting environmental information and education in the region. It is crucial to raise environmental awareness and increase good environmental practices among the tourism industry, tourists and local populations to achieve a healthy balance between biodiversity protection and sustainable tourism development. We are delighted to sponsor the Blue Flag programme in the UAE, which is playing a key role in the protection of natural habitats and the regions resources so generations to come can enjoy.

The EWS-WWF is the national coordinator of the programme and initiated a successful pilot phase at Abu Dhabi Corniche beach in 2011. The EWS-WWF team has since been working with authorities and stakeholders to raise environmental standards of beaches and marinas nationwide. Other beaches that also currently fly Blue Flag in the country are: Le Meridien Mina Seyahi in Dubai, Yas Marina and Al Bandar Marina in Abu Dhabi, all of whom were awarded in 2011.

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Alamogordo, Las Cruces astronomy events on horizon

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LAS CRUCES Area residents interested in astronomy will have several opportunities throughout October to learn more about outer space through multiple activities of the Fellowship of Las Cruces Area Rocketry Enthusiasts and Astronomical Society of Las Cruces.

The organizations will have several public outreach and education activities for the community this month, beginning with the Apollo 17 40th anniversary commemorative event Friday at the New Mexico Museum of Space History in Alamogordo.

Activities begin at 9:30 a.m. Friday and will include launch demonstrations of scale replicas of some historic White Sands rockets, a re-enactment of the Apollo 17 launch and a presentation by Dr. Harrison Schmitt and Jan Evans, widow of Apollo 17 command module pilot Ronald E. Evans, at 10:30 at the Tays Center.

Afternoon activities at the commemoration event include hands-on demonstrations, museum tours and special exhibits. Southern New Mexico Science, Engineering, Mathematics, and Aerospace Academy students will have an egg loft competition in the parking lot at the museum.

At 6:30, FLARE will present an Apollo 17 night launch re-enactment in the upper parking lot at the museum. Several rockets will be launched just before and after sunset.

FLARE and ASLC will also host Astronomy Day from 5 to 10 p.m. Oct. 20 at the Field of Dreams in Las Cruces. Telescopes will be set up to observe the sun, moon and deep space objects. ASLC members will also be giving presentations

For more information about FLARE, visit http://www.flare-rocketry.com; for information about the ASLC, visit http://www.aslc-nm.org; for information about the upcoming commemoration events, visit http://www.nmspacemuseum.org and http://www.apollo40.org.

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Huge European aerospace merger abandoned

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MERGERS Huge aerospace deal abandoned

European Aeronautic, Defence & Space Co. and BAE Systems Plc abandoned their planned merger on government resistance, leaving in tatters their aspiration to create the world's largest aerospace and defense company.

The two companies said they terminated the deal because the "interests of the parties' government stakeholders cannot be adequately reconciled with each other or with the objectives" of the merger. The deal crumbled just hours before a deadline expired to formalize the agreement or win more time.

Germany became a major stumbling block on the path to an accord. BAE Chairman Dick Olver said he would not revisit merger talks with EADS unless government positions changed significantly, and that the company will not look elsewhere for a new partner.

The breakdown blocks BAE's path to a civil aviation business in times of shrinking defense budgets, and marks the second failure in a decade for EADS to combine aerospace assets from Europe's three largest economies.

Toyota Motor Corp. began recalling about 7.43 million vehicles worldwide after the company detected a possible flaw that could lead the power-window switch to melt or catch fire.

The recall affects about 2.47 million vehicles in the United States and almost 5 million more vehicles globally, said spokesman Joichi Tachikawa.

The Corolla and Camry are among the 14 models - some produced as far back as 2007 - subject to inspection and repair, he said, adding that the company hasn't received any reports of accidents because of the issue.

The scale of the recall, equivalent to 93 percent of its vehicles sold last year, comes as President Akio Toyoda pushes to rebuild the company's reputation for quality. Toyota, which recalled more than 10 million units in 2009 and 2010 for defects associated with unintended acceleration, took two years for its Lexus brand to regain the top spot on J.D. Power & Associates' new-car quality survey in 2011.

FedEx Corp.'s plan to increase profit $1.7 billion in three years relies on streamlining its Express unit, where it plans to cut jobs and replace fuel- guzzling planes, for more than 90 percent of the gains.

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LMI Aerospace expanding in St. Charles, Mo.

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ST. CHARLES, Mo. (AP) -- An aerospace manufacturer plans a $4.3 million expansion of its suburban St. Louis facilities that could add about 100 new jobs.

Gov. Jay Nixon's administration said Wednesday that LMI Aerospace is adding nearly 49,000 square feet to its headquarters and manufacturing facilities in St. Charles. The state Department of Economic Development is offering up to $1.6 million of incentives through the Quality Jobs program.

Nixon says the expansion could create 100 jobs over the next five years.

LMI Aerospace fabricates metal products for aircraft.

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Nobel Season Kicks Off With Medicine Prize

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British researcher John Gurdon and Shinya Yamanaka of Japan have won this year's Nobel Prize in medicine or physiology. They won for the discovery that mature cells can be reprogrammed into stem cells.

Copyright 2012 National Public Radio. For personal, noncommercial use only. See Terms of Use. For other uses, prior permission required.

STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:

It's MORNING EDITION from NPR News. I'm Steve Inskeep.

The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine was announced today in Stockholm, Sweden. Two men share that prize.

UNIDENTIFIED MAN: The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine 2012 jointly to John B. Gurdon and Shinya Yamanaka for the discovery that mature cells can be reprogrammed to become pluripotent.

INSKEEP: Pluripotent - that is a word we have rarely used on MORNING EDITION, but we'll use it this morning. These men will split a prize worth about one million U.S. dollars. And we're going to try to explain what pluripotency means. NPR health correspondent Rob Stein is here.

Rob, good morning.

ROB STEIN, BYLINE: Good morning.

INSKEEP: OK. What is it? What did they do?

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Nobel Season Kicks Off With Medicine Prize

Regulator denies Sonic’s full bid for Healthscope Save

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Oct. 11, 2012, 10:43 a.m.

Sonic Healthcare's bid to buy Healthscope's pathology businesses across Australia has largely been knocked back, with the competition regulator this morning ruling against Sonic's bid forHealthscope's Queensland pathology business.

The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission this morning said Sonic's bid for the Queensland business was rejected becauseit was "likely to have the effect of substantially lessening competition in the market for the supply for community pathology services in Queensland."

This is due to a range of factors, including the reputation, professional relationships, network of collection centres and testing capability it has established in Queensland, supported by its strong position in other pathology markets in Australia.

If Healthscope were removed as a competitive constraint, it is not likely to be replaced in a timely and sufficient way by the new entry or expansion of other pathology providers in Queensland.

The ACCC has approved Sonic's takeover of Healthscope's Western Australian pathology business.

In Western Australia, the ACCC recognised that a number of significant pathology providers will remain following the proposed acquisition, such that the removal of Healthscope is not likely to result in a substantial lessening of competition in that market, ACCC chairman Rod Sims said ina statement.

Last month,Sonic and Healthscope said they were dropping plans for Sonic to buy Healthscope's pathology businesses in New South Wales and the Australian Capital Territory, blaming delays in the ACCC decision-making process. This left just the WA and Queensland businesses for ACCC consideration.

Healthscope chief executive Robert Cook told BusinessDay recently thatit was conducting a strategic review of its pathology business in NSW and ACT, and it hadformed the view it is a long term holder of that business."

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Worldwide Digital Pathology Market Prospects Studied in New Topical Study Now Available at MarketPublishers.com

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New research study Digital Pathology Market - Slide Scanners (Whole Slide Imaging), Analytics (Image Analysis Software), Delivery Modes (Web Based/ Cloud Based) and Whole Slide Image Storage - Global Trends & Forecast till 2017 created by MarketsandMarkets has been recently published by Market Publishers Ltd. The report informs that the worldwide digital pathology market is estimated to be USD 191.00 million in 2012.

London, UK (PRWEB) October 10, 2012

The leading players operating in the global digital pathology marketplace are Aperio Technologies, Inc., Ventana Medical Systems, Leica Microsystems GmbH, Digipath, and Hamamatsu Photonics.

New research study Digital Pathology Market - Slide Scanners (Whole Slide Imaging), Analytics (Image Analysis Software), Delivery Modes (Web Based/ Cloud Based) and Whole Slide Image Storage - Global Trends & Forecast till 2017 created by MarketsandMarkets has been recently published by Market Publishers Ltd.

Report Details:

Title: Digital Pathology Market - Slide Scanners (Whole Slide Imaging), Analytics (Image Analysis Software), Delivery Modes (Web Based/ Cloud Based) and Whole Slide Image Storage - Global Trends & Forecast till 2017

Published: October, 2012

Pages: 233

Price: US$ 4,650.00

http://marketpublishers.com/report/technologies_electronics/electronic_devices/digital_pathology_market_slide_scanners_whole_slide_imaging_analytics_image_analysis_software_delivery_modes_web_based_cloud_based_n_whole_slide_image_s.html

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Worldwide Digital Pathology Market Prospects Studied in New Topical Study Now Available at MarketPublishers.com