SD HEALTHCARE
Recent and archived news stories on: Biotechnology, Doctors, Drugs, Health Insurance, HMO's/PPO's, Hospitals, Medical Devices, Nursing...Sharp Joins MinuteClinic For Retail-Based Care
MEDICINE: Clinics Provide More Basic Treatments, Referrals
Sharp HealthCare has teamed up with MinuteClinic, the retail health care division of CVS Caremark Corp. Sharp physicians will now help oversee patient treatment in the 10 walk-in medical clinics that are located in CVS pharmacy stores around San Diego County. They are designed to be highly accessible: They’re open seven days a week and in the evenings, and patients can be seen without an appointment.
Lessons on Dealing With a Workplace Bully
SDBJ Insider
Yes, it’s April 1, but let’s not be foolish. There is a lot of news to report. Famed North County business guru and writer Ken Blanchard writes the foreword to “Back Off!” written by San Diego resident Catherine Mattice.
BioMed Realty Announces $640M Merger
San Diego-based BioMed Realty Trust Inc. has entered into an agreement to merge with Wexford Science & Technology LLC of Baltimore, in an acquisition deal valued at approximately $640 million.
Interoperability Could Cut Health Care Costs, Study Finds
HEALTH: Firms Look for Ways to Integrate Systems
More than $30 billion could be saved each year in health care costs by improving the way that medical devices and health care systems communicate, according to a new analysis from San Diego’s West Health Institute. Hospital rooms have multiple medical devices from various manufacturers, and coordinating data from so many sources into one electronic medical record can be both costly and complicated.
Acquisition Puts SynteractHCR in Position for Global Trials
MEDICINE: Firm Is In 16 Countries, Expects To Expand to Asia
One of Southern California’s largest contract research organizations Synteract Inc. recently doubled in size after acquiring Munich, Germany-based Harrison Clinical Research Group GmbH. The move has formed a new multinational company called SynteractHCR, with headquarters in Carlsbad.
Brain Researchers Gather in San Diego for Annual Conference
Health Care Column
San Diego recently hosted the 2013 annual meeting of the American Academy of Neurology, attracting thousands of brain researchers from around the country. Several San Diego companies made key announcements during the conference, including San Diego’s International Stem Cell Corp.
Pathway Taps Avenue For Sharing Genetic Data
HEALTH: Alliance Is Formed With Large Medical Records Firm
San Diego’s Pathway Genomics has been ramping up its presence in the field of personalized genomics, as evidenced by its most recent collaboration with Practice Fusion Inc., a San Francisco-based electronic health record developer.
Health Care Providers Prepare for Patient Influx
HEALTH: Competition For Primary Care Physicians Is Fierce
Large health care providers in the county are bracing for an influx of new patients, as the Affordable Care Act comes into full effect next year.
Apricus Names CEO
Apricus Biosciences Inc. announced recently that it has a new chief executive officer: Richard Pascoe.
Quidel Corp. Receives FDA Clearance for Virus Detection Test
San Diego-based diagnostic testing company Quidel Corp. has received clearance from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for a new respiratory virus detection test.
Acquisition Rumors Remain a Part of Life
BIOTECH: Carlsbad Firm’s Sequencing Work Stokes Suitors’ Interest
Media reports continue to circulate that Life Technologies Corp. is in play for possible acquisition. As the San Diego Business Journal reported in January, global investment firm KKR & Co. and Boston pharmaceutical company Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. are still said to be among the top contenders for a takeover of the $10.7 billion life sciences company.
New Firm Founded to Pursue Biologics of Bone Treatments
BIOTECH: PUR Gets A Good Head Start With Histogen’s Technology
Before it became a leading hair-loss treatment, Rogaine was used to lower blood pressure. Scientists found, however, that in addition to controlling blood pressure, the drug made patients markedly hairier.
Companies Find Treatments, Profits in ‘Orphan’ Drug Research
MEDICINE: Local Firms Tackle Market Worth $50B in 2011
A seminal breakthrough in the treatment of cystic fibrosis, a rare and devastating disease, began with a crack team of scientists at San Diego’s Aurora Biosciences Corp. This is a critical example of how private companies have begun to successfully, and profitably, target rare diseases with what are called “orphan drugs.”
Hospice Field Presents Many Challenges to the Players
Healthcare Column
As evidenced by the recent closure of San Diego Hospice, coordinating end-of-life care can be a tricky business. All around the country, hospices are increasingly facing scrutiny from Medicare as federal regulators bore in to cut costs in an overtaxed health care system.
Alphatech Holdings Receives FDA Clearance for Spinal Device
Carlsbad-based Alphatec Holdings Inc. has received clearance from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to market and sell its spinal disorder corrective device.
