Digital Transformation

This evolution of healthcare involves using technology to improve diagnosis, treatments, monitor patients, enhance hospital operations and culture, and bolster consumer-focused care. This includes virtual reality tools, wearable devices, workflow software, health apps and other digital health tools.

3D scanner could make hearing aids more comfortable, effective

A new digital scanning technique, developed at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), could offer a much better fit for future hearing aids, according to an article in the MIT Technology Review.

HHS disseminates $6B for children's insurance

Health & Human Services Secretary (HHS) Kathleen Sebelius has reported that $6 billion in new federal funds will be made available to states and U.S. territories for fiscal year 2009 to provide healthcare to millions of children across the United States through their Children's Health Insurance Programs (CHIP).

Irish stent startup nets $17M in financing round

Cappella has completed a $17.3 million series C investment, led by new investors, Fountain Healthcare Partners and Mitsui Venture Partners. Enterprise Ireland also participated in the round alongside Cappella's existing investors, Polytechnos Partners and ACT Venture Capital.

Senate begins healthcare reform roll out

The Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions, led by Chairman Edward M. Kennedy, D-Mass., introduced legislation this week advocating for more government involvement in healthcare coverage. The bill is certain to launch a drawn-out debate over the current delivery direction of healthcare in the United States when it is introduced on the Senate floor in July.

Circulation: DES are safe, effective for elderly CAD patients

Stents coated with paclitaxel (Taxus from Boston Scientific) may be a safe, effective treatment option for coronary artery disease (CAD) patients age 70 and older, and should not be withheld due to advanced patient age, according to a study reported in the June 2 issue of Circulation: Cardiovascular Interventions.

Around the web

“Now more than ever, we must recognize that our country’s leadership in groundbreaking medical research spurs scientific innovation, improves public health and creates new innovations that save and improve lives nationwide,” Joseph C. Wu, MD, PhD, explained in a statement. 

The technology used to diagnose, treat and manage cardiovascular disease is always evolving, keeping FDA officials quite busy. But have the agency's standards been slipping in recent years? A cardiologist with Cedars-Sinai Medical Center explored that very question.

No devices need to be returned at this time. However, the FDA warned, using these heart pumps without reviewing the updated instructions could result in "serious injury or death.”