A Medical Device Daily

IRIS International (Chatsworth, California), maker of automated IVD urinalysis systems and medical devices used in hospitals and clinical reference laboratories, said that it has entered into a supply agreement with Novation (Irving, Texas), the healthcare contracting services company of VHA (also Irving) and University HealthSystem Consortium (UHC; Oak Brook, Illinois).

The one-year contract, which includes two one-year extension options and covers IRIS' iQ Body Fluids Module for use on the iQ200 Automated Urine Microscopy Analyzer, will become effective May 15.

IRIS will also have access to HealthCare Purchasing Partners International (HPPI), a healthcare group purchasing organization serving more than 9,000 healthcare organizations across the nation. HPPI members used its contracts to purchase more than $2.5 billion in supplies in 2005. HPPI was formed by VHA and UHC to serve health care organizations that do not belong to either VHA or UHC.

The Body Fluids Module is designed to enable a laboratory to analyze body fluid samples on the iQ200 instrument using the company's digital imaging technology. That includes cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and serous fluids such as peritoneal (abdominal), pericardial (heart), and pleural (lung) in order to examine and count red blood cells and nucleated cells.

In other agreements news:

• Altiris (Salt Lake City), focused on service-oriented management solutions, reported that Fresenius Medical Care North America (FMCNA; Nashville, Tennessee), a provider of dialysis services with more than 1,500 clinics across North America, has selected Altiris Client Management Suite to optimize existing efforts in PC management and to reduce IT management costs.

Using Altiris' natively integrated solutions, Fresenius Medical Care has automated critical IT functions to ensure business continuity in its facilities providing life-sustaining dialysis care, the company said.

• PainCare Holdings (Malvern, Pennsylvania), a network of pain management clinics, reported a new collaboration with Solstice Neurosciences (Malvern, Pennsylvania/South San Francisco),the makers of Myobloc (botulinum toxin type B) Injectable Solution. The companies have joined forces to focus on reducing the suffering of patients with the neck pain associated with cervical dystonia (CD).

PainCare will institute a screening program in its 24 pain clinics nationwide to help physicians identify those patients with CD that can be treated effectively with a neuromuscular inhibitor.