A Medical Device Daily
HearAtLast Holdings (Toronto) reported it has finalized the next phase of its expansion plans. Wal-Mart Canada will include HearAtLast operations in additional supercenter and discount store locations, as HearAtLast continues its national expansion program. HearAtLast along with Wal-Mart Canada's management identify locations that are best suited demographically for their hearing aid dispensing model.
During 2007, HearAtLast added 14 additional clinics for a total of 15 locations within Wal-Mart Canada; 2008 has seen the addition of six clinics already, including their first stand alone clinic in Florida.
HearAtLast Holdings is a chain of hearing stores specializing in the sale of digital hearing aids and testing services.
In other agreements:
• Iasis Healthcare (Franklin, Tennessee) reported that the lease agreements to operate Mesa General Hospital (Mesa, Arizona) and Biltmore Surgery Center (Phoenix) will terminate upon expiration of their current terms. The Mesa General and Biltmore leases expire on July 31, 2008 and Sept. 30, 2008, respectively. The company will discontinue services at Mesa General on May 31, 2008, and at Biltmore on April 30, 2008. These two Arizona facilities provided net revenue and adjusted EBITDA of about $87.4 million and $4.4 million, respectively, during the twelve months ended Dec. 31, 2007.
Iasis is an owner and operator of medium-sized acute care hospitals in high-growth urban and suburban markets.
• Olympus America (Center Valley, Pennsylvania) and Novation (Irving, Texas) have renewed a multi-year agreement covering the purchase of Olympus automated chemistry systems by Novation members. Olympus chemistry analyzers enable laboratories to perform high-speed, high-throughput clinical chemistry testing.
The agreement sets the terms under which Novation members can acquire Olympus AU series analyzers, automation systems, reagents, consumables, parts, service and technical support. The contract spans three years and may be extended up to two additional years. It is a renewal and expansion of the prior Novation-Olympus agreement, which had similar terms, and which was extended through a full five years.
Olympus develops opto-digital solutions in healthcare, life science and consumer electronics products.
• Alliant Healthcare Products (Richland, Michigan) has been awarded a three-year contract with Premier Purchasing Partners (Charlotte, North Carolina) for its line of Open Heart Disposable Products. Premier is one of the country's largest healthcare group purchasing organizations. The contract is in effect from Feb. 1, 2008 through Jan. 31, 2011.
Alliant's cardiovascular products are primarily used during open heart surgeries. One of the newly contracted products, vein graft cannulas, allows the surgeon to inspect blood vessels prior to being used for coronary by-pass.
Alliant Healthcare Products is privately held and develops a full line of Cardiovascular, Urology, and Wound Drainage products.
• Premier Purchasing Partners (Charlotte, North Carolina) reported that Medtronic (Minneapolis) has been added to the external defibrillator portfolio launched February 2007 with Zoll Medical (Chelmsford, Massachusetts) The Medtronic agreement, available to both acute-care and continuum-of-care markets, expires May 31, 2010.