CompuMed (Los Angeles, California), a medical informatics company serving healthcare with diagnostic software solutions, said that it has been awarded a five-year renewal of its contract to provide electrocardiogram (ECG) interpretation systems and services for the New York State Department of Correctional Services (NYDOCS). NYDOCS will purchase a minimum of 87 new CardioGram systems along with ongoing ECG remote interpretation services. The new Internet-optimized CardioGram system is based on an advanced server platform created by Schiller AG (Baar, Switzerland) and customized to meet CompuMed's specifications. The New York Department of Correctional Services is responsible for about 65,000 inmates held at 70 state correctional facilities.

Medwave (Danvers, Massachusetts), a developer of sensor-based, non-invasive blood pressure-measuring solutions, and Zoll Medical (Chelmsford, Massachusetts), a maker of non-invasive resuscitation devices and software solutions, reported signing an OEM supplier agreement, under which Zoll will purchase Medwave's non-invasive blood pressure technology for incorporation into its cardiac resuscitation products. Medwave introduced its technology to the emergency medical services market and hospital trauma centers about two years ago and said it has since conducted studies indicating that this technology "performs more effectively than conventional blood pressure cuffs in similar environments." Zoll's solutions include pacing and defibrillation devices; circulatory assist devices; and a fluid resuscitation product called the Power Infuser, manufactured by its Infusion Dynamics division. Medwave's products include the Vasotrax Hand Held Monitor, the Vasotrac APM205A NIBP Monitor, the Vasotrac DS Monitor and the MJ23 OEM Module.

Meridian Co. Ltd. (Vancouver, British Columbia) said that its Meridian Medical subsidiary has begun discussions with several partners in the U.S. and Canada for the wholesale distribution rights of two of it's major product lines. The company is in extensive negotiations to finalize a distribution agreement with a California-based company to become the U.S. distributor of the DPA (Digital Pulse Analyzer). The California market is viewed as a crucial point of market entry for the establishment of Meridian's integrative diagnostic healthcare equipment. Additionally, the company reported that formal discussions have begun with several North American distributors to promote and distribute the LAPEX-2000, which is expected to receive FDA approval for sale in the U.S. this month. The DPA is designed to accurately measure the elasticity of small and large arteries and provides healthcare practitioners with critical information regarding arterial aging. This FDA-approved device is non-invasive, and can provide results in minutes as to the state of a patient's cardiovascular health and the potential for related diseases. The LAPEX-2000 is a non-invasive, therapeutic laser device.

QMed (Eatontown, New Jersey) said that CHA Health of Kentucky (Lexington, Kentucky) has chosen QMed's diabetes disease management program to manage approximately 5,000 members with this complex condition. Implementation is scheduled to begin this month. The company already manages heart failure, stroke and coronary artery disease for CHA Health. QMed provides disease management services to patients and physicians around the country through its health plan customers. CHA Health is a Kentucky-based managed care organization with more than 200,000 members, serving employers throughout the state. The company provides HMO, POS and PPO and self-funded plans and also serves as a third party administrator.

Terumo Cardiovascular Systems (Ann Arbor, Michigan) has signed agreements with Spencer Technologies (Austin, Texas) for global rights to market and distribute Spencer's current offering of diagnostic ultrasound products for cardiology and neurology applications and future products co-developed by the two companies. The companies have been engaged in similar agreements for monitoring products in the cardiac surgery market since 2002. Spencer Technologies manufactures the PMD100 Digital Transcranial Doppler System, an enhanced ultrasound system for measurement of cerebral flow velocity and emboli detection. The system is used for neurovascular diagnosis, and has also been used as part of a protocol for the detection of patent foramen ovale (PFO), a hole in the wall that separates the upper right and left chambers of the heart. PFO has been associated with stroke, transient ischemic attacks (TIAs) and migraine headaches. Terumo Cardiovascular Systems has created a Neurovascular Monitoring Business Unit to provide current and future diagnostic ultrasound devices to the cardiology and neurology markets. The new business unit will be managed by Kevin Hoffman, who also manages the company's Intraoperative Monitoring Business Unit that has been engaged in applications for cardiac surgery. Spencer Technologies was co-founded in 1992 by Merrill Spencer, MD, a pioneer in the development of diagnostic ultrasound. Spencer Technologies is dedicated to preventing a variety of adverse cardiovascular-related events, including strokes, and significantly improving healthcare through the development and use of non-invasive ultrasound technologies for diagnosis, monitoring and therapeutic effects. Terumo Cardiovascular Systems manufactures products for the cardiac surgery, interventional and neurovascular markets.