Initial standards identified for EHRs

The Healthcare Information Technology Standards Panel (HITSP) has identified for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services an initial set of standards to facilitate the secure exchange of patient data in a new nationwide health information network (NHIN) for the U.S. President George Bush called for development of the NHIN by 2014.

Operating under a contract administered by the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology, the HITSP was formed in 2005 to harmonize the standards required to enable an interoperable healthcare data network. Initial work has focused on the areas of biosurveillance, consumer empowerment, and electronic healthcare records – the three initial use cases identified by the American Health Information Community.

The 90 standards delivered were identified by the panel as being relevant and suitable for further consideration. The next HITSP deliverable, due in late September, calls for detailed interoperability specifications to support each use case.

Addition to Russell Microcap Index

MicroIslet (San Diego), a biotechnology company engaged in the research, development, and commercialization of patented technologies in the field of transplantation therapy for people with insulin-dependent diabetes, reported that its stock has been added to the Russell Microcap Index.

Delcath Systems (Stamford, Connecticut), a developer of isolated perfusion technology for organ or region-specific delivery of therapeutic agents, also has joined the Russell Microcap Index.

Russell indexes are used by investment managers and institutional investors for index funds and as benchmarks for both passive and active investment strategies. Some $3.8 trillion in assets currently are benchmarked to them.

InnerPulse expands facilities

InnerPulse (formerly Interventional Rhythm Management; Research Triangle Park, North Carolina), developing technologies for the treatment of abnormal heart rhythms, reported that it would move into a new 19,000-square-foot complex in Research Triangle Park in mid-July.

The new headquarters, to include administrative offices, laboratories and manufacturing facilities, will accommodate its growing research and development activities and the upcoming commercialization of its first product, an implantable defibrillator that can be placed in the body quickly and without surgery. The Percutaneous Implantable Cardioverter Defibrillator (PICD) is designed for the treatment of sudden cardiac arrest, reported to have a survival rate of only 5% in the absence of a defibrillator.

“We believe our life-saving PICD device is a revolutionary technology that will redefine how we treat patients at risk of sudden cardiac death and save thousands of lives of patients with heart rhythm disorders each year,“ said Daniel Pelak, president and CEO.