A Medical Device Daily

Impulse Monitoring (IMI; Columbia, Maryland) a provider of intraoperative neurophysiological monitoring (IONM) services to hospitals, reported that it has signed an agreement with Ellis Hospital (Schenectady, New York).

IMI will provide Ellis with comprehensive IONM services including IMI-qualified neurophysiologists and real-time professional oversight by an experienced physician. IONM assesses neurological function involving the brain, spinal cord and related nerve structures during such surgeries. Use of IONM facilitates the surgical process and can reduce surgical risk by providing alerts to surgeons of potential harm to spinal cord or neural structures.

"Ellis Hospital's use of intraoperative neurophysiological monitoring services reflects our ongoing commitment to patient safety," said Wendy Rosher, VP of Clinical Services, Ellis Hospital. "The advanced technology will support our skilled neurosurgery team to help ensure the safest, most positive outcomes possible for our patients during the most delicate of procedures."

Impulse provides IONM services to hospitals and other facilities for spinal, nerve and brain-related surgeries.

In other agreements/contracts:

Windsor Health Plan (Nashville, Tennessee) and Perot Systems (Plano, Texas) reported an agreement in which Perot will remotely host the insurer's enterprise core administrative system (CAS). The system will be converted from the Diamond 725 software to Perot Systems' recently released Xcelys 5.0 software, and in the process Windsor will consolidate onto a single platform, allowing the elimination of several ancillary systems. Specific terms of the five-year deal were not disclosed.

"With this conversion to Perot Systems' Xcelys 5.0 platform we will achieve new levels of product flexibility and operational efficiencies," stated Michael Bailey, CEO of Windsor Health Plan. "The Xcelys customer service module will also enable our team in Nashville to provide better customer service to all of our members. We are looking forward to continuing our work with Perot Systems."

Perot is a provider of information technology services and business solutions.

Premier Purchasing Partners, (Charlotte, North Carolina) reported new agreements for neurosurgical products have been awarded to Aesculap (Center Valley, Pennsylvania); Integra LifeSciences (Plainsboro, New Jersey); and Medtronic Neurologic Technologies (Memphis, Tennessee).

The 36-month agreements, effective Sept. 1, 2008, are available to acute care and continuum of care members of the Premier healthcare alliance.

Premier operates a healthcare purchasing network and the nation's most comprehensive repository of hospital clinical and financial information.