• Aethon (Pittsburgh) said its robotic asset tracking and recovery system (ATRS) cannot interfere with medical equipment and addresses the critical safety concerns outlined in a study in the June issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association. While many hospitals are working to improve equipment utilization and reduce costs, the study indicates that the wireless systems in place at several hospitals to track medical equipment can cause potentially deadly breakdowns in lifesaving devices. Aethon offers a tracking solution that uses RFID technology that emits zero power. Its readers and portals only listen for tags, and because the system employs a mobile robot outfitted with a passive antenna, the radios and antennae cannot interfere with clinical equipment. Aethon makes autonomous mobile robots.

• ATS Medical (Minneapolis) said it has obtained new in vivo data to support the wear characteristics of the ATS Open Pivot Mechanical Heart Valve. The first ATS Open Pivot valve was implanted in Lausanne, Switzerland, in May 1992. The patient was 70 at the time of his surgery and enjoyed another active 15 years with his ATS Open Pivot valve. He recently died of non-valve-related causes and his physician and family permitted the explantation of his Open Pivot valve for scientific analysis. Scanning electronic microscopy and laser profilometry were used to quantify the wear on the carbon portion of the valve. After 15 years of use and an estimated 560 million opening and closing cycles, the Open Pivot valve displayed no detectable wear. ATS Medical makes cardiac surgery products.

• Axway's (Scottsdale, Arizona) Synchrony Healthcare Compliance Suite is now available as a Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) solution, giving companies the only all-in-one platform solution that can improve supply chain agility, efficiency and cost-effectiveness without making a significant investment in IT infrastructure. Synchrony Healthcare Compliance Suite On Demand fits Axway's "start anywhere, use anything" architecture, allowing companies to use one or more of the applications as needed to meet their business requirements. The Suite helps the pharmaceutical supply chain significantly increase the availability of information, ensure compliance, gain insight into the performances of the supply chain and reduce operations expenses.

• Biolase Technology (Irvine, California) reported the launch of its new Waterlase C100 hard- and soft-tissue laser. Designed for the restorative general dentist, the Waterlase C100 provides clinical procedures including cavity preparation, early stage periodontal therapy and soft tissue procedures with more patient comfort compared to conventional instrumentation. The Waterlase C100 all-tissue laser combines Waterlase YSGG technology with reliability, clinician control, operating efficiency, and flexibility in tip and accessory selection. While it offers a narrower scope of applications than Waterlase MD, it provides for an advanced level of clinical results and patient comfort in a wide range of hard- and soft-tissue procedures. Biolase Technology is a dental laser company.

• Derma Sciences (Princeton, New Jersey) said it has launched its Medihoney dressing line by securing reimbursement codes for the three recently released new product formulations. The Statistical Analysis Durable Medical Equipment Regional Carrier (SADMERC) — a contracted intermediary and carrier for the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services — has notified the company of its decision regarding HCPCS codes for billing purposes for the Medihoney formulations. The new codes will allow applicable customers to bill for all the new Medihoney dressing formulations. Customers will include Medicare's Part B program, private insurance plans, and the various Medicaid programs. Medicare Part B provides coverage for surgical dressings for patients at home between clinics or physician visits, and when not receiving home health nursing services. Derma Sciences makes wound-care products.