IntelliDOT, Iatric Team Up to Simplify Interfaces

IntelliDOT Corporation, a wireless provider based in San Diego, has inked an agreement with Iatric Systems, Inc. (Boxford, Mass.) to facilitate interfaces between IntelliDOT solutions and Westwood, Mass.-based Meditech's information systems for customer organizations.

Through the agreement, the companies will interface pricing, implementation and maintenance fees for hospital organizations that use the Meditech Magic or Meditech information systems in order to enhance patient safety and improve workflow efficiencies, they say.

Iatric Systems provides software, interfaces and reporting services to hospitals and health systems.

NEC, Premier Partner on IP Telephony

Irving, Texas-based NEC Unified Solutions, Inc. is teaming up with Premier Purchasing Partners, the group purchasing unit of Premier Inc. (Charlotte, N.C.), to offer NEC's complete IP telephony line under the Univerge 360 framework to Premier's hospital and healthcare provider members.

According to the companies, NEC aims to leverage its communications tools, applications and services to unify business communications to the more than 2,000 hospitals and 53,000 healthcare sites that are members of the Premier healthcare alliance. Members will have access to special pricing and terms pre-negotiated by Premier for NEC's line of IP telephony products, including the Univerge SV8000 series of communication servers, UC for Business and the Univerge family of terminals. NEC will also provide professional services for installation and ongoing maintenance, they say.

Philips Acquires India-based Meditronics

Netherlands-based Royal Philips Electronics has reached an agreement to acquire Meditronics, a manufacturer of X-Ray systems based in Mumbai, India.

Upon closing of the transaction — which was slated for completion at the end of 2008, subject to certain contractual and other conditions such as regulatory approvals — Meditronics will become part of the Imaging Systems business within Philips' Healthcare sector, the company says.

Financial details of the agreement were not disclosed.

Cardinal Health and Capsule Team on Device Connectivity

Cardinal Health (Dublin, Ohio) and Capsule (Andover, Mass.) announced an agreement that they say promotes connectivity between Cardinal Health ventilators and hospital information systems using Capsule connectivity solutions.

The agreement ensures that Cardinal Health's AVEA and VELA ventilators have the most current connectivity software and creates a foundation for all future Cardinal Health ventilation products to connect to any hospital information system, according to the companies.

NaviMedix Acquiring TopLine, Unveiling RCM Solution

NaviMedix (Cambridge, Mass.), a provider of real-time healthcare communications, has acquired TopLine Solutions Inc., a healthcare payment and collection solutions company, and is partnering with ClearCycle, Ingenix and Moneris to deliver a revenue cycle management solution.

Through the collaboration, NaviMedix will introduce a suite of “all payer-all patient” payment solutions designed to assist provider organizations in managing the challenges posed by increased patient financial responsibility for healthcare services, it says. The company hopes the offering will enable providers to more cost-effectively determine, manage and collect full payment from patients and health plans while also improving plans' provider relations, boosting call center efficiencies and supporting efforts to promote consumer-directed health plans.

Toshiba Buys Barco's Advanced Visualization Business

Belgium-based medical imaging specialist Barco is selling its advanced visualization activities to Japan-based Toshiba Medical Systems Corporation via its newly formed, wholly-owned subsidiary, Toshiba Medical Visualization Systems Europe, Ltd., (TMVS).

Based in Edinburgh, Scotland, Barco's Advanced Visualization (AVIS) group is specialized in 3-D clinical software solutions. As part of the agreement, TMVS will become the new owner of all AVIS assets, including its full product portfolio. It will help support the development of 3-D volume rendering and advanced visualization capabilities for all Toshiba modalities, says the company.

The divestment operation, which is subject to approvals from relevant antitrust authorities, is expected to close within a few months. Both parties have agreed not to disclose the financial terms of the transaction.

Healthcare Informatics 2009 January;25(13):52