A Medical Device Daily

Aspyra (Calabasas, California) reported that it has entered into an agreement with Diamond Reference Laboratory (DRL; Diamond Bar, California), an independent clinical reference laboratory, to upgrade the lab's existing Laboratory Information System (LIS) to the most current release of Aspyra's CyberLAB LIS solution, version 7.2, as well as implement the company's CyberPATH Anatomic Pathology module.

DRL has been an Aspyra LIS customer since 1989. The full-service, CLIA accredited laboratory currently serves the southern California area, distributing clinical results electronically to its growing client base.

Abbas Rajaee, owner of Diamond Reference Laboratory said, "In today's changing economy and tough competitive market, laboratories are hard pressed to maintain their current market with the changes in the health environment through collaboration and with the teamwork of our clients. For over 20 years, Aspyra has provided us the tools sets and service we need to remain competitive. We look forward to using the new version of CyberLAB to further advance our services."

"DRL provides added service to its clients by enabling access and quick turnaround of clinical results electronically, when and how they need them. In addition to the automated report distribution module within CyberLAB, DRL also has patient result data transmit from the LIS to their client's third party practice management systems," said Michelle Del Guercio, Aspyra's director of marketing and product management. "DRL will continue to improve workflow efficiencies with the latest release of CyberLAB 7.2, with features such as advanced automated result processing functions, which also reduce human error and improve turnaround."

DRL has also purchased the Aspyra CyberPATH Anatomic Pathology module, to automate the pathology and cytology workflow and reporting within the laboratory.

In other agreements and contracts news:

• SurgiQuest (Orange, Connecticut) reported that it has entered into a development and supply agreement with Intuitive Surgical (Sunnyvale, California) in which SurgiQuest will develop a disposable access system using AirSeal technology for use with Intuitive's laparoscopic surgical robot.

SurgiQuest's AirSeal system accommodates multiple instruments of any shape or size through a single port simultaneously.

• Boston Scientific (Natick, Massachusetts) said that it has been awarded a contract by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) for a full line of the company's pacemakers and defibrillators. The one-year contract took effect in December 2008 and has annual renewal options for up to four years. It includes Boston Scientific's newest technologies in both product categories: the Altrua family of pacemakers and the Teligen implantable cardioverter defibrillator.

• Standard Register (Dayton, Ohio), a provider of document management and workflow solutions for healthcare, signed a five-year agreement with MedAssets Supply Chain Systems (Atlanta), a group purchasing and supply chain management services segment of MedAssets (Alpharetta, Georgia).

The agreement, which extends through Dec. 31, 2013, offers savings on a wide range of document and print management products, services and technology to support MedAssets' customers in managing both their business and clinical workflows.

This deal augments the year-old contract with MedAssets Supply Chain Systems, allowing Standard Register to provide MedAssets' customers with assistance in streamlining their document workflow and transitioning to electronic medical records.

• CytoCore (Chicago) and privately held Zycom Touch (Temecula, California) reported that they have reached an agreement in principle for CytoCore to distribute OmniDROP on an exclusive basis to medical laboratories, hospitals, and HMO networks in the U.S. and non-exclusively internationally.

OmniDROP is a HIPAA-compliant peer-to-peer drop box communications software utility for Windows and Apple systems and is specifically designed to facilitate effective communications between physicians, medical laboratories, healthcare facilities, third party payers and patients.

• Cambridge Research & Instrumentation (CRi; Woburn, Massachusetts) and VisEn Medical (Bedford, Massachusetts) said that they have signed a non-exclusive agreement to enable CRi to distribute VisEn's portfolio of fluorescent imaging agents and labels in North America.

"Bringing VisEn's fluorescent in vivo agents and labels to our Maestro multispectral fluorescence imaging system customers now expands the breadth of research for them, and for CRi," said George Abe, CRi's president/CEO.