Research and Markets: Sports Medicine Implants Market – Global Pipeline Analysis, Competitive Landscape and Market …

Posted on by

DUBLIN--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

Research and Markets (http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/j6jdjs/sports_medicine_im) has announced the addition of GlobalData's new report "Sports Medicine Implants Market - Global Pipeline Analysis, Competitive Landscape and Market Forecasts to 2018" to their offering.

Sports Medicine Implants Market Sprints Ahead as Injuries Become More Common

The growing number of people injuring themselves during sport is driving the sports medicine implants market, states a new report by healthcare experts GlobalData.

According to the research*, an increase in injury rates in combination with an aging population and more technologically advanced implant options will see the global sports medicine implant market grow from a 2011 figure of $1 billion, to reach $1.6 billion by 2018, at a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 6.7%.

The US has the largest market for these implants, accounting for 49% of the global market last year. The 2011 value stood at $517.8m, which GlobalData expects will increase at a CAGR of 6.8% by 2018 to reach $820m.

There was a 27% increase in football-related injuries among children and adolescents aged between six and 17 years during 1990-2007, with an estimated 5,252,721 being treated in US emergency departments. Soft tissue damage accounted for approximately 24% of these injuries - an ailment that often requires the use of sport medicine implants.

Advances in implant technology are also set to play a role in boosting the sports medicine implants market. There is a growing preference for implants constructed from biocomposite materials, due to their greater efficacy and safety when compared to traditional metal varieties.

Advantages of newer implants also enable easier post-operative imaging, revision surgery, and the enabling of bone formation within the screw. These implants are, however, more expensive than their metal counterparts, and most major manufacturers have launched biocomposite models in order to benefit financially from the surging adoption rates.

Companies Mentioned

See the original post here:

Research and Markets: Sports Medicine Implants Market - Global Pipeline Analysis, Competitive Landscape and Market ...

Mevion Medical Systems Delivers the MEVION S250 Superconducting Synchrocyclotron to Robert Wood Johnson University …

Posted on by

LITTLETON, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

Mevion Medical Systems announced today that it has delivered the superconducting synchrocyclotron for the MEVION S250 Proton Therapy System currently under installation at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital in New Brunswick, NJ, the flagship cancer hospital of The Cancer Institute of New Jersey and the principal teaching hospital of UMDNJ-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School. This is the second MEVION S250 proton therapy system delivered in the past 6 months, both installed at NCI-designated Comprehensive Cancer Centers.

Powered by a TriNiobium Core, the MEVION S250 is a modern and first-of-its-kind proton therapy system that provides the same precise, non-invasive treatment capabilities and advantages of complex, large, and costly proton therapy systems but with a significantly reduced footprint, improved reliability, more advanced clinical systems, and lower implementation and operational costs. Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital has a proud history of clinical innovation and a commitment to provide the highest quality and value of services to its patients and community, says Stephen K. Jones, FACHE, President and Chief Executive Officer, Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital and Robert Wood Johnson Health System. We are excited to be the first in the northeast to receive this revolutionary technology and add this innovative proton therapy service to our comprehensive list of cancer services.

In addition to offering proton beam therapy and Gamma Knife Perfexion for the treatment of brain tumors, The Cancer Hospital at RWJUH is the flagship hospital of The Cancer Institute of New Jersey (CINJ), the states only National Cancer Institute-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center and the hospitals cancer program has been accredited by the American College of Surgeons Commission on Cancer. The partnership between RWJUH, UMDNJ-RWJMS and CINJ offers patients a unique opportunity to benefit from clinical research performed at CINJ while receiving expert care from faculty and community physicians in a state-of-the-art environment at RWJUH. RWJUHs cancer program was recently ranked among the top 50 programs in the United States by U.S.News & World Report as part of its 2012 ranking of Americas Best Hospitals.

Manufactured in Massachusetts, it took only one day for the MEVION S250 accelerator to travel to New Jersey and only a few hours to be brought inside the proton center. The proton therapy modernization and size reduction that we deliver today has redefined the economics and accessibility of proton therapy, says Joseph K. Jachinowski, Chief Executive Officer of Mevion Medical Systems. We are delighted to be entering this final installation phase of the MEVION S250 proton therapy system at another leading cancer hospital.

The MEVION S250 has recently received United States Food and Drug Administration 510(k) clearance and CE Certification enabling Mevion customers to treat patients. With four centers under installation or construction and more than a dozen under planning, Mevion has quickly established itself as a leading proton therapy supplier worldwide.

ABOUT MEVION MEDICAL SYSTEMS Mevion Medical Systems, Inc. is a radiation therapy company dedicated to advancing the treatment of cancer. As the pioneering developer of modern proton therapy systems, Mevion provides innovative, safe, and effective solutions by transforming advances in medical technology and science into practical clinical reality.

Mevions flagship product, the MEVION S250 Proton Therapy System, is designed to preserve all of the treatment benefits of traditional proton therapy systems while removing the obstacles of size, cost, and complexity. Realizing this vision, Mevion has forever changed the economics and accessibility of proton therapy worldwide.

Founded in 2004, Mevion is a privately held company headquartered in the Boston metropolitan area with international offices in the United Kingdom and Japan.

Visit us at: http://www.mevion.com

The rest is here:

Mevion Medical Systems Delivers the MEVION S250 Superconducting Synchrocyclotron to Robert Wood Johnson University ...

Oregon school for osteopathy has strong start

Posted on by

Three days a week, Dr. Robin Richardson practices urgent care for Providence Health, while the other two days he spends on a passion far less profitable: primary care for more than 2,000 people.

I have one family where I take care of four generations. Its just a good feeling, he said of his family practice in Southeast Portland.

Richardson is one of dozens of Oregon osteopathic physicians who rallied to help a new medical school get its footing in Lebanon. Called the College of Osteopathic Medicine of the Pacific-Northwest, the new school has completed its first year.

Its the states second mainstream medical school after Oregon Health & Science University, and could help fill a wave of demand for primary care physicians caused by federal health reform.

The college has helped revitalize the former lumber town of 15,000 by leasing a 54,000-square-foot brick building from Samaritan Health Services, just across from Lebanon Community Hospital. COMPs main branch, in Pomona, Calif., has sent graduates for residencies at the hospital for years.

Now Richardson and other local doctors give occasional lectures, oversee students during their residencies and interview prospective new students once a month.

The school has energized Oregons osteopathic physicians who lacked a place to connect after Portlands Eastmoreland Hospital, with its focus on osteopathic medicine, shut down nearly a decade ago, says John Pham, an osteopathic physician from Portland who serves on the colleges faculty. Its like any small culture. We all help each other and we want to see each other succeed. I think its different from the MDs there are so many of them.

Osteopathic medicine started as a holistic offshoot of traditional medicine, but gained acceptance by the U.S. medical establishment long ago. Yet doctors of osteopathy, or DOs, remain a minority about 625 in Oregon versus 10,000 MDs.

The college hopes to start changing that and, along the way, provide new doctors where theyre most needed. My goal is 80 percent of our grads going into primary care, Richardson said.

About 107 students, 56 of them male, signed up for the schools inaugural class. Only two students took a leave of absence and didnt finish the year. It was due to personal reasons, not performance, says Paula Crone, the schools associate executive dean. Theyve already selected the class that starts in August.

More here:

Oregon school for osteopathy has strong start

Richard Hyatt: A medical school comes to Columbus

Posted on by

Columbus Regional and St. Francis have wasted a lot of time fussing when they should have been caring for the sick, but this week the dueling hospitals embarked on a project that has inspired them to put down their scalpels.

The presence of a medical school in Columbus is something the two facilities can celebrate, and over the past five months, they've joined forces to prepare for the arrival of 14 third-year students from the Mercer University School of Medicine.

For years the hospitals have engaged in turf wars that never made sense to anyone outside the upper echelons of the medical community. Proponents of the medical school somehow crossed bridges that no one thought were there.

Dr. David Mathis, an assistant dean and 1986 Mercer Medical School graduate, said leaders of the hospitals have openly acknowledged that they haven't always worked together and that the alliances formed by this project are a positive step.

Though progress has been made, students are spending this week filling out mounds of repetitive paperwork required to do business at the two facilities. "If there are duplications, we've advised the students to be patient," Mathis said.

Since 1982, Mercer has prepared physicians to practice medicine in underserved areas of Georgia on their traditional campus in Macon. Four years ago, an auxiliary campus opened in Savannah and plans to expand into Columbus were announced in February.

For now, the school is housed at the Bradley Center. A student coordinator will be hired and distant-learning facilities are being installed. Mathis will be based in Macon but will spend a lot of time here.

"The hospitals and the doctors in Columbus have been so welcoming," Mathis said. "Each hospital appointed a lead physician, and they've been extremely helpful."

Dr. John Bucholtz, a family-practice physician, represents the Medical Center. Dr. Luther Wolff III, an orthopedic surgeon, is the St. Francis appointee. A team of local doctors will serve as mentors.

Mercer's mission is unique. It accepts only students from Georgia and encourages graduates to practice in the state. After 30 years, two out of every three graduates are practicing in Georgia. This is crucial around Columbus, where 25 percent of the physicians are age 55 or older.

Read the original here:

Richard Hyatt: A medical school comes to Columbus

UMass Medical School to manage health care at federal prison in North Carolina

Posted on by

By Chris Reidy, Globe Staff

The Federal Bureau of Prisons has awarded the University of Massachusetts Medical School a contract to manage comprehensive medical services to about 4,900 inmates at the Federal Medical Center located in Butner, N.C., UMass Medical School said.

The agreement, valued at $24.7 million for the first year, represents its largest federal correctional health contract to date, the Worcester-based school said.

The contract also has options for four additional years that could increase the overall award to more than $136 million through 2016, the school said

The school considers itself a leader in correctional health; it has also provided comprehensive health services for the past 12 years at the Federal Bureau of Prisons medical facility in Devens. The school said it also has a long track record of providing care at 17 state-run prisons in Massachusetts, serving the health needs of 11,500 inmates.

Originally posted here:

UMass Medical School to manage health care at federal prison in North Carolina

Wolf-dog Liberty settles into new wolf sanctuary home

Posted on by

LITITZ, Pa. - The wolf-dog met the media Tuesday, panting but content.

The animal formerly known as Levi was introduced to the public with a new name - Liberty - to reflect his connection to Philadelphia, where he was loose in Pennypack Park from March until his capture July 3.

That's his third name in five months; when he was only a ghostly, lurking presence in the park, before anyone knew he was Levi, Liberty was actually called Penny. Life has been changing fast ever since for the young animal, believed to be around 10 months old.

Off dog food these days, Liberty is now eating raw meat, as befits a gray wolf-Malamute hybrid. The belief is, in fact, that he is significantly more wolf than dog - chromosomally connected to legendary moon-howling pack animals who live life on their own terms.

Beyond domesticity, Liberty is too cool for obedience school, and too dangerous to be outfitted with bandannas and expected to catch and return Frisbees like some slobbering Lab in the park.

Instead, he currently lives with his dignity intact at the 22-acre Speedwell Forge Wolf Sanctuary, a private, nonprofit licensed by the Pennsylvania Game Commission.

Liberty was taken there after being trapped by agents of the Commission and the U.S. Department of Agriculture's APHIS Wildlife Services division.

The animal's owner, Kasey Lyons, who didn't have a permit for Liberty - then Levi - was visiting from Florida with the animal last March. Liberty had been a gift from Lyons to his former fiancee.

But love failed, and after the two broke up, the fiancee no longer wanted the wolf-dog. Liberty, collateral damage in the failed romance, suddenly found himself wandering Pennypack Park. It's not clear whether he escaped or was set loose, although unwanted hybrids are typically abandoned, wolf experts say.

On the hoof and all alone, Liberty survived on pet food he'd cleverly pilfered from yards, as well as on pizza and McDonald's burgers that neighbors said they threw him.

View original post here:

Wolf-dog Liberty settles into new wolf sanctuary home

Liberty Tax Service is Registering Students for Fall Tax Preparation Courses

Posted on by

VIRGINIA BEACH, Va.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

Enrollment is underway for Liberty Taxs fall income tax preparation classes at locations across the country. Liberty Tax has enhanced its income tax preparation courses to include a focus on IRS registration and accreditation requirements. The companys tax schools and other trainings have incorporated steps to assist its tax school students who are interested in becoming professional tax preparers, obtaining a Preparer Tax Identification Number (PTIN) and meeting new certification requirements from the IRS.

The companys ten-week tax school helps students learn personal tax-savings advantages and strategies as well as a new skill that may lead to employment. No prior tax experience is necessary to register and take the basic class.

With a tax preparer certification process in place since 2007, Liberty Tax Service took a proactive approach toward internal professional standardization by creating its own innovative three-tier skill certification examination for its preparers. Now that tax preparers will be required to take competency tests, they can receive readiness through Libertys classes, and its class offerings from basic through advanced.

Now is a great time to start the process of learning tax preparation, and following the steps of the certification process as the IRS phases in the new requirements. The tax school training method has been a natural fit for those of any age eager to acquire news skills, earn extra income and explore a new career path or even franchise ownership," remarked John Hewitt, CEO and Founder of Liberty Tax Service.

People who have either obtained or will obtain a Preparer Tax Identification Number (PTIN) prior to the start of IRS Competency Exam will have until December 31, 2013 to pass the competency test. Liberty Tax will offer its annual ten week classes starting the week after Labor Day. The classes are open to the public, with no experience is required to register for the basic class. To learn more about job opportunities and Libertys selection of tax courses, visit http://www.libertytax.com/tax-education.html or call 1-800-658-1042.

About Liberty Tax Service

Liberty Tax Service is the fastest-growing retail tax preparation company in the industrys history. The Company has over 4100 offices in the United States and Canada, with the majority owned by franchisees.

The Class A Common stock of JTH Holding, Inc. (TAX), the parent company of Liberty Tax Service, is traded on the NASDAQ Global Market. The Give Me Liberty! magazine contains more Liberty company news and information.

Excerpt from:

Liberty Tax Service is Registering Students for Fall Tax Preparation Courses

Libertarian leader faces charge

Posted on by

The Kentucky-based head of a libertarian super PAC that spent more than $500,000 in a Northern Kentucky congressional primary this year is due in court Wednesday on a felony charge related to a drunken-driving arrest last year.

Preston Bates, 23, the executive director of Liberty for All, refused to give a corrections officer any personal information other than his name and then said that he was an anarchist when he was arrested last July near the University of Louisville.

According to the arrest report, Bates pulled up to a residence on Bellamy Place at 3 a.m. July 3, 2011, but when he couldnt get into the residence, Bates backed his car into an iron fence.

The report says Bates then got out of the car and staggered toward corrections officers who were at the scene. He refused to give them any personal information beyond his name and, according to the report, declared himself an anarchist.

Bates blood-alcohol level was 0.121 percent, according to the police report. Those with blood-alcohol readings of 0.08 percent and above are presumed to be drunk, under Kentucky law.

Bates is charged with driving under the influence, second-degree disorderly conduct and first-degree criminal mischief. The criminal mischief charge is a class D felony, punishable by one to five years in prison.

He has pleaded not guilty.

Neither Bates nor his lawyer, Dennis Burke, returned phone calls.

Bates and the super PAC he runs burst onto the scene this year, spending more than $561,000 to help Thomas Massie win the Republican nomination for Congress in Kentuckys 4th District. Virtually all of the groups money comes from John Ramsey, a 21-year-old Texas millionaire who decided to become a political player after supporting U.S. Rep. Ron Pauls presidential campaign.

Bates has said hes considering using Ramseys fortune to go after Kentucky state House Speaker Pro Tem Larry Clark, D-Louisville, who fired Bates as an intern in 2008. Bates said that if he tries to unseat Clark, it will have nothing to do with the fact that Clark fired him.

Follow this link:

Libertarian leader faces charge

Libertarian Williams says frustration with government drives him to seek office

Posted on by

TIM ISBELL/SUN HERALD Ron Williams, Libertarian candidate for U.S. House District 4, says 'We've been convinced government is a complex thing, that it's above our heads. Honesty and integrity are still alive and they still count.'

TIM ISBELL SUN HERALDBuy Photo

GULFPORT -- Libertarian congressional candidate Ron Williams said he believes incumbent first-term U.S. Rep. Steven Palazzo hasn't followed through on campaign promises.

"I think he's been overwhelmed by Beltway politicians and the power of his party," Williams said. "He said he wouldn't raise the debt, wouldn't vote for the Patriot Act or anything that would support abortion. He said he would not, would not, would not, but then he did, he did, he did."

Williams said he had supported Palazzo, even contributed to his campaign. But now he's running against him, in large part because of his frustration as a businessman dealing with government and politics.

"You can't really run a business in the U.S. anymore -- the federal government runs your business," Williams said. "... It's hunting season on businesses in America."

He said that as a contractor, he has also been frustrated with politically connected people receiving contracts they didn't deserve.

Williams, 53, of Moss Point, who ran for governor last year as a Republican, said he's now running as a Libertarian for U.S. House District 4 because he's also fed up with gamesmanship from the two largest political parties.

"Like everyone else, I'm frustrated as can be at the inaction and incompetence in Washington," Williams said in a meeting Tuesday with the Sun Herald that he requested. "One thing I learned as a Republican candidate (for governor) is that their interests are not necessarily my interests and not necessarily the best interests of the country ... We continue to elect these people based on what they're saying, not what they're doing."

Williams said politicians with both main parties appear to be pandering.

See the article here:

Libertarian Williams says frustration with government drives him to seek office

Secret seaside: Cíes Islands of Galicia, Spain

Posted on by

The path curved uphill, flanked by sycamore, holly and scented acacia. I breathed in the delicate smell of honeysuckle and resisted the urge to twist a peach off its branch. As this is a national park, you are not allowed to pick anything or even take shells from the beach.

After another swim it was time to get the boat back to Vigo, about nine miles (15km) away. We sailed into the Ra de Vigo, one of the deep inlets that characterise this part of the Galician coast, passing a string of equally tempting beaches and hundreds of mussel rafts the mix of salt and fresh water creates a rich ecosystem that is particularly good for cultivating mussels and oysters.

Ra de Vigo, one of the deep inlets of the Galician coast (Alamy)

Back in Vigo, I wandered from the port into the lanes of the old town, which are lined with little bars offering some of the best seafood youll ever taste. As darkness fell, I ordered a glass of albario, the locally made white wine, and devoured a plate of the freshest octopus. Later on, the sweet sound of a violin led me to a regueifa, a bar hidden away in a tiny square, where I discovered to my amazement that the violinist Begoa Riob was playing in the corner with her group, one of the top Galician folk bands.

While the beach might have fooled me into believing that I was in the Caribbean, listening to that music, another glass of albario in my hand, there was no doubt in mind that I was in Galicia, and I wouldnt have wanted to be anywhere else.

Galicia essentials

GETTING THERE

Vueling (0906 754 7541; vueling.com) flies from Heathrow to Vigo three times a week from April to October, from 97 return. From June to September, there are regular boats to the Ces Islands from Vigo (a less frequent service operates at Easter and in May and October). The voyage takes about 50 minutes and costs 16/13 return (0034 986 225272; mardeons.com). It is best to book online, but tickets are also available at the Mar de Ons office in the Estacin Martima de Ra in the harbour and through most hotels. Boats also leave from Baiona and Cangas. Further information at iatlanticas.es and turismodevigo.org.

THE INSIDE TRACK

THE BEST HOTELS

Read more:

Secret seaside: Cíes Islands of Galicia, Spain

Canary Islands fire forces evacuations

Posted on by

VILAFLOR, Canary Islands, July 18 (UPI) -- At least 1,800 people have been evacuated from their homes as forest fires burned across Tenerife, the largest of the Canary Islands, officials said Wednesday.

The fires on Tenerife have been raging since Sunday, but fires on the islands of La Palma and La Gomera, were mostly under control Wednesday, thinkSpain reported.

Emergency services personnel evacuated hundreds of residents from Vilaflor and were building a firewall around the town to protect it.

The eastern face of the fires was the most difficult to bring under control because of low humidity, emergency officials said. Some parts of the blaze were unreachable by land, limiting firefighting efforts to hydroplanes.

The Canary Islands is a Spanish archipelago just off the northwest coast of Africa.

Go here to see the original:

Canary Islands fire forces evacuations

Letter: Challenge

Posted on by

Michael Wheeler, Naples

Challenge

I don't understand comments sent to your newspaper regarding the Affordable Health Care Act.

While I am a conservative Republican, we need to address the health-care needs of the country, not just criticize Obamacare or the Supreme Court decision.

Those who have written those letters just don't understand the problems of the current health-care system. If any of those people had friends or relatives who had the misfortune of having health-care problems and not working for a business that supplies health-care insurance or the government, they might understand that reform is necessary.

Insurance companies are in the business to make money so they don't have to insure anyone with health issues. If the insurance companies do offer insurance to individuals with health issues, they add a rider to the policy so they don't have to cover those issues.

As far as the new Health Care Act being a tax, yes, it is a penalty tax for those who do not have insurance. There is no new tax for people who maintain health insurance. Why is that any different than requiring auto insurance?

I really don't want to pay health-care costs for people who do not have insurance so I am glad the government is requiring people to have it.

I challenge any of those writers of negative letters to go to an insurance company and try to get health insurance.

If they can find affordable health care, for a reasonable cost, I will gladly go on board for Mitt Romney and all other Republican candidates who can't seem to think beyond the party line.

Read more:

Letter: Challenge

Refusal of health care law can be risky

Posted on by

WASHINGTON -- For Gov. Rick Perry, saying "no" to the federal health care law could also mean turning away up to 1.3 million Texans, nearly half the uninsured people who could be newly eligible for coverage in his state.

Gov. Chris Christie not only would be saying "no" to President Barack Obama, but to as many as 245,000 uninsured New Jersey residents as well.

The Supreme Court's recent ruling gave governors new flexibility to reject what some Republicans deride as "Obamacare." But there's a downside, too.

States that reject the law's Medicaid expansion risk leaving behind many of their low-income uninsured residents in a coverage gap already being called the new "doughnut hole" -- a reference to a Medicare gap faced by seniors.

Medicaid is a giant federal-state health insurance program for the poor, now mostly covering children, mothers and disabled people. The expansion in Obama's health care overhaul was originally expected to add roughly 15 million uninsured low-income people, mainly adults without children, who currently are not eligible in most states. Washington would pick up the entire cost for the first three years, with the federal share then dropping to 90 percent. The Medicaid expansion accounts for about half the total number of uninsured people projected to get coverage under the law.

If every state were to reject that Medicaid expansion -- as the Supreme Court ruling now allows -- some low-income people would still be picked up by

But nearly 11.5 million uninsured people below the federal poverty line would be left behind in a new coverage gap, according to recent estimates from the Urban Institute. That brings to mind the infamous "doughnut hole" in the Medicare prescription drug benefit, in which seniors with high drug costs find themselves paying out of pocket much of the year.

Those who fall into the new gap would neither qualify for Medicaid in their states under current rules nor be eligible for subsidized private insurance in new state marketplaces that Obama's law calls exchanges.

Low-income children and mothers would continue to have insurance through Medicaid. Then, starting in 2014, millions of people over the poverty line would have subsidized private coverage through the new exchanges. "And then this group in the middle has nothing," said Matt Salo, executive director of the National Association of Medicaid Directors. His organization takes no position on what states should do.

Things only get trickier from there.

See original here:

Refusal of health care law can be risky

Health Care Organizations Unprepared for Big Data Challenges: Oracle Report

Posted on by

IT managers aren't prepared to handle the deluge of data in health care, Oracle revealed in its new report, "From Overload to Impact: An Industry Scorecard on Big Data Business Challenges," released July 17.

More than three-fourths (77 percent) of health care executives gave their organization a "C" or below for managing the "data deluge," according to the report, which is based on a poll of 333 U.S. and Canadian C-level executives from health care and 10 other industries. For all industries, 60 percent of the executives assigned organizations a "C" or lower for managing the flood of data.

Following the Supreme Court's June 28 decision to uphold the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA), known as "Obamacare," data volume will grow as providers form accountable care organizations (ACOs), according to Marc Perlman, global vice president of Oracle Healthcare.

"With the rise of [ACOs], a greater focus on personalized medicine and the rollout of health care reform, data volumes will continue to grow," Perlman said in a statement.

Companies such as Dell, IBM and Oracle provide the IT infrastructure to store genomic data in the cloud used for drug discovery. This data will allow doctors to develop personalized medicine for patients.

"This report demonstrates the challenges that health care organizations face in managing their rapidly growing information stores and their approach to addressing this issue, including deploying industry-specific and analytical applications that help them glean insight and put timely information in the hands of line-of-business personnel when and where they need it," Perlman's statement said.

Of health care executives interviewed, 0 percent gave their organizations an "A" for data "preparedness," and only 8 percent of executives in all industries gave their companies an "A" for this category.

Health care organizations are accumulating 85 percent more data than two years ago, according to the C-level health care executives Oracle interviewed.

Of the data managed in all industries, 48 percent came from customer information, 34 percent from operations, and 33 percent from sales and marketing, according to the report.

Despite EHRs being a top priority for health care organizations, they're struggling to make use of the data from the health records, according to the survey.

Read the original post:

Health Care Organizations Unprepared for Big Data Challenges: Oracle Report

Verizon Identifies 10 Most Promising Ways to Use Health IT to Enhance Patient Care, Reduce Costs

Posted on by

BASKING RIDGE, N.J., July 18, 2012 /PRNewswire/ --A major problem in the provision of health care is how to improve the quality of care without increasing costs. With advances in health information technology, there is an opportunity to leverage it to improve the provision of care and enhance the patient experience and outcome.

"This is an unprecedented time for transition in the health care ecosystem through the use of technology," said Dr. Peter Tippett, chief medical officer and vice president of Verizon Connected Healthcare. "Advances in telemedicine, wireless networks, virtual care solutions, information exchanges and cloud computing are empowering health care providers to improve their business operations while giving them more time to provide quality care."

Verizon believes the following ten areas offer the most promise to enhance patient care and reduce cost through the strategic use of technology:

Verizon Enterprise Solutions creates global connections that generate growth, drive business innovation and move society forward. With industry-specific solutions and a full range of global wholesale products and services offered over the company's secure mobility, cloud, strategic networking and advanced communications platforms, Verizon Enterprise Solutions helps open new opportunities around the world for innovation, investment and business transformation. Visit verizon.com/enterprise to learn more.

About Verizon

Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE, Nasdaq: VZ), headquartered in New York, is a global leader in delivering broadband and other wireless and wireline communications services to consumer, business, government and wholesale customers. Verizon Wireless operates America's most reliable wireless network, with 93 million retail customers nationwide. Verizon also provides converged communications, information and entertainment services over America's most advanced fiber-optic network, and delivers integrated business solutions to customers in more than 150 countries, including all of the Fortune 500. A Dow 30 company with $111 billion in 2011 revenues, Verizon employs a diverse workforce of nearly 192,000. For more information, visit http://www.verizon.com.

VERIZON'S ONLINE NEWS CENTER: Verizon news releases, executive speeches and biographies, media contacts, high-quality video and images, and other information are available at Verizon's News Center on the World Wide Web at http://www.verizon.com/news. To receive news releases by email, visit the News Center and register for customized automatic delivery of Verizon news releases.

See original here:

Verizon Identifies 10 Most Promising Ways to Use Health IT to Enhance Patient Care, Reduce Costs