A Diagnostics & Imaging Week
The Institute for Health Technology Studies (InHealth; Washington) has launched a new capital campaign to raise up to $10 million in funding to advance its mission of sponsoring evidence–based research on the value and impact of medical devices and diagnostics.
The campaign, which will extend through 2009, was reported at the recent 2008 Advanced Medical Technology Association (AdvaMed; Washington) annual meeting in La Quinta, California.
The campaign's "quiet phase" has already secured $4.2 million in pledges. Donors include original funders Johnson & Johnson (New Brunswick, New Jersey); Stryker (Kalamazoo, Michigan); St. Jude Medical (St. Paul, Minnesota); the C. R. Bard Foundation (Murray Hill, New Jersey); BD (Franklin Lanes, New Jersey) and the Edwards Lifesciences Fund (Irvine, California).
InHealth was founded with unrestricted donations from leaders of the medical technology industry, whose vision was to establish an independent, non–profit organization to fund objective, peer–review quality research and analysis on the impact and value of medical technology.
In this latest campaign, donors may channel their pledges to areas of interest that correspond to industry sectors, such as cardiovascular, orthopedic, wound care, diagnostic imaging, in vitro and molecular diagnostics.
While donors may designate their gifts to support a specific area, there are several mechanisms in place to preserve the objectivity and credibility of InHealth–funded research, including oversight from InHealth's Research Council, comprised of an independent panel of scholars and professionals, and adherence to the Uniform Requirements for Biomedical Journal Manuscripts issued by the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors.
In 2008, InHealth will award at least five new research grants totaling up to $1.5 million and organize new educational forums. This spring, InHealth will launch the next generation of its web site, designed to bring together an interactive community of those with an interest in medical technology innovation and provide real–time news, research and information on its impact.
In contract news:
• DR Systems (San Diego) makers of the Unity RIS/PACS, reported seven new contracts with healthcare facilities, totaling more than $3.2 million. The seven new facilities with which DR has contracts are Ojai Valley Community Hospital (Ojai, California); Cuero Community Hospital (Cuero, Texas); Forks Community Hospital (Forks, Washington); Medical Center Hospital (Odessa, Texas); St. Luke's Hospital (Duluth, Minnesota); Hermann Area District Hospital (Hermann, Montana) and Methodist Hospital of Union County (Morganfield, Kentucky).
The largest contract was for $1.1 million, with the smallest at about $195,000.
The range of new facilities and contract sizes reflect the scalable nature of DR Systems' RIS/PACS. The company's integrated solution provides healthcare institutions with the latest technology for their current and future medical imaging and information management needs.
DR Systems is an independent provider of medical imaging and information systems for diagnostic imaging centers and hospitals.