Recognizes EQMS Industry Veteran Mohan Ponnudurai for Exceptional Leadership Among Supply Chain Executives
Hamilton, NJ Feb 14, 2013 – Sparta Systems, Inc., a market leader in enterprise quality management software (EQMS) solutions, announced today that Supply & Demand Chain Executive magazine, an international B2B publication that provides mission-critical editorial to address the issues and challenges of the supply chain, has named industry solution director, Mohan Ponnudurai, a winner of its 2013 “Pros to Know” awards.
With more than 20 years of experience in the electronic and high tech manufacturing sectors, Mr. Ponnudurai brings incredible depth to customers in these verticals looking to implement EQMS solutions. Mr. Ponnudurai was recognized by Supply & Demand Chain Executive’s editors for his exceptional leadership in Sparta Systems’ alignment with industry trends while helping clients understand changes in regulatory and business environments.
“The number of issues that can present themselves in one’s business truly run the gamut—from a dysfunctional product component found within a manufacturer’s tier three level of the supply chain to clarifying a business’s procurement strategy for reduced costs,” said Barry Hochfelder, Editor, Supply & Demand Chain Executive. “It’s not always initially clear as to how broad the scale of the supply chain and its challenges really are. If there are those present in the industry who are working to overcome supplier quality management issues and grow the global supply chain at the same time, they should get the recognition they deserve for their achievements.”
“Being recognized by Supply & Demand Chain Executive validates Sparta Systems’ expertise in EQMS including supplier quality management, supplier corrective action requests (SCAR), supplier and vendor audits and nonconformance management,” said Mike Jovanis, Vice President of Product Management and Strategy at Sparta Systems. “In a time when organizations are pressed to do more with less, it is important for supply chain professionals to be educated on the risks as well as best practices associated with production and supply chain processes. Mohan’s ability to provide such a high level of guidance and insight to electronics and high tech manufacturers and EQMS professionals makes him a ‘Pro to Know’.”
Ponnudurai was also recognized for his knowledge on best practices for compliance, process efficiencies and cost control, and was selected to speak at the 21st Annual International Conference on ISO 9000 and QMS, taking place February 18-19, 2013 in San Diego, California.
Category: news
Former Stryker Employees Create New Company – Intralign
DOTmed.com Jan 21, 2013 –
Intralign, a new health care consulting services company that got off the ground on Dec. 31, 2012, aims to help hospitals move toward more value-based delivery models — something hospitals are being forced to align with under health care reform.
“Hospitals have to increase efficiencies in the operating room especially,” Lars Thording, vice president of marketing and public affairs at Intralign, told DOTmed News.
The new company, comprising former Stryker Sustainability Solutions executives including Thording, made a strategic decision to focus specifically on knee and hip replacements, an area in the OR that’s experiencing growth and at the same time straining federal health care costs, according to Thording.
“When you look at knee and hip surgery, the money is really spent during the intra-operative process,” he said. “This is when the hip or knee is actually being implanted in the OR by a surgeon.”
One part of Intralign’s intra-operative services solution includes trained professionals known as Surgical First Assists who provide clinical support to the surgeon. Not only do these clinicians help surgeons improve quality, said Thording, but they are also there to help with utilization decisions like figuring out what types of implants and disposables to use.
“That helps reduce waste in the OR and also reduce time of surgery,” said Thording. “That means you can handle more patients without sacrificing quality.”
Ideally, this kind of clinical support is combined with analytics and processes — part of Intralign’s business model — designed to help hospitals improve quality and transition from traditional fee-for-service care to reimbursements based on performance and quality.
Efficiency in the OR is key to quicker, better quality joint replacements in this startup’s eyes
MedCityNews Jan 21, 2013 –
Efficiency in the OR is key to quicker, better quality joint replacements in this startup’s eyes
As more people, and younger people, are opting for joint replacement surgeries, hospitals are looking for ways to improve the turnover time for these procedures.
Meanwhile, they’re also innovating toward value-based care. With that in mind, a collection of healthcare entrepreneurs who have made careers out of finding ways to reduce wasteful healthcare spending has come together to help hospitals improve efficiencies in total joint replacement procedures.
Although the entire joint replacement process can take up to a year and a half, 40 percent of the cost for providers is concentrated during the short time of the operation, said Lars Thording, vice president of marketing and public affairs for Intralign. The startup has designed a suite of services to help providers who are transitioning to value-based reimbursement models increase the efficiency of the more than 1 million knee and hip arthroscopies that are performed in the U.S. annually.
“What we see is that in that intraoperative sequence, there’s a lot of variability in how much that costs,” Thording said. “There’s a lot of room to create efficiency by creating standards and by putting someone in that room who can make decisions.”
Intralign was founded last fall by executives who built Ascent Healthcare Solutions, a medical device reprocessing and remanufacturing company that was sold to Stryker in 2009. Those same executive also form the core team behind the Alliance Healthcare Partners, an angel fund that invests in early stage companies focused on cutting healthcare costs.
“We’re folks that like to challenge the system and create some fundamental changes because they’re called for,” Thording said. “We look for solutions that aren’t new, fancy devices.”
At the core of its offerings is a Surgical First Assistance service in which Intralign trains and implements surgical assistants to maximize efficiency in the operating room. The idea is that with training specifically for these procedures, surgical assistants will be able to help surgeons make better utilization decisions during a joint replacement; for example, they can make educated decisions about which brand of implant is most appropriate to use and what disposables are needed. They may also be able to reduce the time of a procedure, improve surgeon satisfaction and improve the quality of the procedures performed.
“If you have [a surgical assist] that has the right kind of competency, what you achieve is, frankly, the surgeon becomes more efficient in what he’s doing,” Thording said.
To further optimize joint replacements, Intralign is developing two other components to its service. The first is an analytics solution to help providers identify their biggest cost drivers and manage their spending. The second is a care design service to help them map out the most optimal surgical processes. For example, it might find that a hospital could improve its efficiency in the time it takes to fill out a surgical order, or be more efficient with staff time.
“It’s all about use of data and process redesign,” Thording said. “It’s about eliminating from that intraoperative episode everything that is inefficient and does not drive better quality.”
Those services are part of Intralign’s long-term goal of creating a comprehensive solution that has staying power in a hospital. For now, the team is working on building out its service offerings and implementing the surgical assist solution in more hospitals.
“Consultants leave this big, fat report and two weeks later, everything is back to normal,” Thording said. “We looked at a service solution that can stay with the hospital and create substantial and sustainable changes — one that has staying power.”
PATHWAYS platform expands with growth of the VQI
American Venous Forum and Society for Vascular Surgery Launch Expanded Quality Initiative
West Lebanon, NH Jan 10, 2013 – The Society for Vascular Surgery® (SVS) and the American Venous Forum (AVF) are pleased to announce the expansion of the SVS Vascular Quality Initiative®(VQI) to include the treatment of venous disease. The VQI, launched by SVS in 2011, will now include both arterial and venous procedures. Data collection and analysis tools for the VQI are provided through M2S’s PATHWAYS cloud-based clinical data performance platform.
“This expansion of the VQI enhances SVS’ mission to assist its members in understanding and improving patient outcomes by encouraging the collection, aggregation, and analysis of clinical data,” said Peter Gloviczki, MD, SVS president. “As more than 20 percent of the adult population suffers from chronic venous diseases, AVF is committed to expanding its efforts through the VQI to assess the efficacy of various treatments for patients with venous disease,” according to AVF president Robert McLafferty, MD.
The partnership with M2S positions AVF and SVS as leaders in vascular quality improvement by providing a platform for their members to analyze outcomes, determine best practices, and collaborate on quality improvement efforts across regions. Currently, the VQI has more than 200 participating centers across the United States and Canada. Regional quality groups have been established throughout the United States to share and analyze the data collected by individual sites and to initiate local quality improvement projects that affect patient care.
“M2S has a long history of managing healthcare information for the purpose of improving patient care. We are excited to partner with AVF and SVS to broaden our impact on healthcare quality improvement and clinical outcomes and to ensure the continued success of the VQI through our PATHWAYS platform. We have designed PATHWAYS to meet the critical challenges in healthcare and empower physicians to analyze individual procedure outcomes along with their peers,” said Greg Lange, president and chief executive officer of M2S.
Precyse University Receives Client Praise in KLAS ICD-10 Report
Training program noted to be mature, comprehensive and flexible
Wayne, PA and Alpharetta, GA Jan 8, 2013 — Precyse, a leader in Health Information Management (HIM) technology and services, announces that Precyse University has received praise for its innovative applications and tools for ICD-10 training in a recent KLAS report titled “ICD-10 Consulting: Roadmap to a Successful Transition.” Engagements for Precyse were completed through the use of technology, so the overall performance scores are not directly compared to the other consulting firms included in the report.
Training tied for the second-highest area of ICD-10 services provided by third-party firms and is the primary area providers claim they need the most help with in preparing for ICD-10. To achieve ICD-10 readiness, providers reported both clinician training (52%) and coder/staff training (40%) were their greatest needs. In the KLAS report, Precyse tied for the top overall Staff Training score and was the “only firm in this report to receive 100% positive comments from their clients about their ICD-10 services,” wroteErik Westerlind, the report’s author. Precyse clients praised the Precyse University training program as mature, comprehensive and flexible.
“Precyse University offers a one-vendor solution for all ICD-10 education needs within an organization,” said Chris Powell, Precyse President. “We provide each impacted population the education required to be successful in ICD-10. In addition to the comprehensiveness of our solution, we also offer myriad advanced courseware, applications and tools to make the education more practical, relevant and accessible.”
According to the KLAS report, Precyse clients selected Precyse University because of the company’s experience with ICD-10 and coding, as well as its tools and applications. In the report, a Precyse client said, “Precyse had tools that the other firm we looked at did not, and their teaching and training seemed to be ahead of the curve. Their training is visual and virtual. They have an arcade game they use for teaching people … They just had what we wanted.”
Another client reported, “We felt that Precyse’s online tools, including the academy and arcade, were easy to use and navigate. The content was educational, and when we shared it with the coding staff members, they were very excited. Additionally, Precyse’s pricing was very good.”
The “ICD-10 Consulting” report also noted that providers are anticipating a considerable reduction in the productivity of their coders with the conversion to ICD-10. According to the report, some providers mentioned a projected loss of 50% to 70% in coding productivity. Computer-assisted coding and outsourced coding services can potentially minimize the decrease in productivity, and Westerlind anticipates a growing demand for coding services.
“Precyse has put a lot of time and energy into looking at our coding process and our coding staff from a quality perspective,” said Sandy Wood, Director of Revenue Cycle, Naples Community Healthcare System. “With the training they are providing, we are confident that we will be prepared to meet the challenges that arise when ICD-10 goes into effect.”
The Precyse University ICD-10 Education Solution offers the most comprehensive array of courseware, tools and applications specifically built for ICD-10 in the country. It offers innovative and practical solutions that go beyond just “courses” to include a full sensory experience that drives understanding and confidence in the new ICD-10 system. Partnering with HealthStream as an exclusive ICD-10 education partner, the Precyse University ICD-10 Education Solution can be provided through an existing HealthStream Learning Center system, a current non-HealthStream learning management system or a custom ICD-10 site for delivery of the education. No matter the current systems or setup, Precyse and HealthStream can deliver ICD-10 education to all of a facility’s employees and affiliated professionals.
On-demand education is essential for a change as large and impactful as ICD-10. As an official Apple™, Google Play™ (Android Store) and Amazon® Store developer, Precyse University has launched ICD-10 smartphone apps to make content easier to deliver and update for all learning populations. Precyse University has also launched courses capable of running on mobile-ready devices, specifically optimized for the iPad®
.
“We believe that healthcare professionals will need to ‘touch and feel’ ICD-10 prior to the go-live,” said Thomas Ormondroyd, BS, MBA, vice president, general manager, Precyse Learning Solutions. “From coding to documentation to general interaction, learners need the practical application of what they have learned to build a solid understanding and capability. The Precyse University ICD-10 Innovative Applications and Tools allow our learners to have this interactive and practical experience. From reallife practice with our Virtual Simulators to lighthearted fun with our Arcade, our learners will enjoy unique and innovative education.”
Precyse Awarded 2012 Best in KLAS for Transcription Services
Achieves the top MTSO ranking while offering a trifecta of HIM services, including coding, transcription and full HIM department strategic sourcing
Wayne, PA and Alpharetta, GA Jan 7, 2013 — Precyse, a leader in Health Information Management (HIM) technology and services, announces that it has been named Best in KLAS for Transcription Services in the recent KLAS report titled “2012 Best in KLAS Awards: Software & Services.” Precyse is also the No. 1 ranked vendor in the KLAS “HIM Services 2012: Helping to Weather the Storm” report for Transcription Services.
Precyse achieved the top medical transcription service organization (MTSO) ranking, receiving very high marks for its turnaround times (TAT), report quality, account management and administrative tools. Precyse was the only fully rated firm to score above average in all four performance areas, and according to the report, Precyse received the highest score of any firm in report quality, demonstrating
consistent service delivery among its client base.
“Providers recognize the critical nature that vendors play in improving healthcare delivery,” said Adam Gale, KLAS president. “Thus, a growing number of providers are weighing in on vendor performance. It speaks volumes that providers want to be heard and be counted. And vendors are listening.”The clinical documentation of the patient story is critical to the success of a healthcare facility. Without
accurate, concise clinical documentation it is impossible to achieve Core Measures, to transition to ICD-10 or to establish clinical data mining to produce required statistics. Precyse’s combination of technology, processes and services accelerates turnaround time, reduces costs, minimizes capital outlay and transforms dictation into meaningful clinical information for ultimate patient care while achieving financial goals.
“I am so proud of our Precyse colleagues who believe in our mission and work every day to make this Best in KLAS recognition possible,” said Chris Powell, president of Precyse. “This type of recognition does not just happen. It takes commitment, hard work and a relentless focus on continually improving. I am thrilled to see Precyse honored as Best in KLAS for Transcription Services this year, not to mention
the year-over-year consistency of our second place ranking for the previous three years.”
Precyse’s Transcription Technology and Services drive exceptional electronic documentation that better supports the data challenges healthcare providers are facing today, such as ICD-10, Meaningful Use and Core Measures. “Precyse has been an excellent company to work and partner with. Their turnaround times, reporting and customer service are all excellent,” wrote one customer on the KLAS website. “I recently had them help me develop an interface with our EMR vendor. They completed this project on time and within budget, and it is working flawlessly. Lastly, unlike other vendors that I have worked with and am currently working with, I actually have seen a cost reduction with Precyse’s services for the past couple of years. Precyse is an excellent partner, and their customer service makes them my personal favorite.”
Another client wrote, “Precyse has done an excellent job for us since we contracted with them a few years ago. They have been a pleasure to work with, and their turnaround time always and easily meets our needs. … They are a trusted partner with us, and I can’t see why we would ever change to another vendor. I would highly recommend them to anyone looking for transcription services.”
In addition to the accolades for its transcription technology and services, Precyse received praise for its coding accuracy, great relationships, responsiveness and professionalism in the KLAS “HIM Services 2012” report. Also in that report, the majority of Precyse’s coding customers claimed Precyse’s service is on par with its highly rated transcription offering. Precyse was praised for its personal touch and customer service and received high marks for quality, turnaround and accuracy.
Healthcare Pioneers Join Forces to Increase Efficiency in Orthopedic Care
Intralign will help hospitals move from volume-based to value-based delivery models
Scottsdale, AZ Jan 7, 2013 – Intralign, a newly-formed specialty healthcare services provider, today announced availability of its intra-operative services solution – part of a broader integrated suite of services – designed to help providers who are preparing for and transitioning to value-based reimbursement models for major joint replacement. Intralign’s highly trained Surgical First Assists can improve surgical performance and better inform utilization decisions to control costs and improve intra-operative efficiency. Combined with Intralign’s Advanced Analytics and Intelligent CareDesign services, its Intra-Operative Support solution leverages the potential of analytics and process design to help providers optimize quality and cost in the intra-operative process – and further enable the provider to improve the value of major joint replacement.
“Providers are seeking to transition their care-delivery approach due to increased demand and changing reimbursement models. Intralign delivers novel and results-oriented solutions to help providers understand cost drivers, improve operational control, coordinate processes, and consistently manage spend and quality in major joint replacement. Intralign services will help hospitals and surgeons work together to transition from traditional volume-based to value-based delivery models. The key is to align clinical quality measures with operational efficiency – in a way that relates to performance-based reimbursement,” said Rick Ferreira, president and CEO of Intralign.
Developing solutions to help providers navigate the changing healthcare environment and move toward a more financially sustainable future is not new to Intralign company executives. Intralign was founded by executives who built the nation’s leading third-party reprocessing company, Ascent Healthcare Solutions, which was sold to Stryker Corporation in 2009. Intralign comprises services and executive leadership joined from respected healthcare brands Neocure, Ximedica and United Surgical
Assistants.
New Prima 400 Series Preview at Arab Health 2013
Abingdon, UK Dec 18, 2012 — Penlon will be featuring the new Prima 400 Series anaesthesia machines, at Arab Health 2013, presenting our anaesthesia system platform for the future, where tradition meets technology, with each model evolving from a strong core specification which includes integrated ventilator and absorber. Electronic flow display options include a virtual flow display unit with numeric and graphic flow tube representation.
Join us in the Saeed Arena as our dedicated team proudly take Penlon into its 70th year of continued excellence in UK design and build of world renowned medical devices.
New Penlon Prima 400 Series Previewed at Medica 2012 and Arab Health 2013
Abingdon, UK Dec 5, 2012 — To much critical acclaim, the new Prima 400 Series anaesthesia machines dominated the Penlon stand at Medica 2012, and we aim to repeat the experience at Arab Health 2013 in Dubai in January.
The new range represents our anaesthesia system platform for the future, where tradition meets technology, with each model evolving from a strong core specification which includes integrated ventilator and absorber. Electronic flow display options include a virtual flow display unit with numeric and graphic flow tube representation. The range also includes a dedicated MRI compliant model.
Santen Europe Centralizes Regulatory Affairs Processes With Sparta Systems’ TrackWise Solutions
Ophthalmic Pharmaceuticals Leader Automates Product Registration Tracking and Other Vital Functions With Industry Standard Enterprise Quality Management Solution
Hamilton, NJ Dec 4, 2012 – Sparta Systems, Inc., the market leader in enterprise quality and compliance management solutions, today announced that Santen Europe, a researcher, developer, manufacturer and marketer of ophthalmic products for physicians worldwide, has gone live with Sparta Systems’ TrackWise Enterprise Quality Management Solution (EQMS). Using TrackWise, Santen centralized the European management of its critical regulatory affairs processes, including product registration tracking, commitment tracking and other functions essential to ensuring compliance with global regulatory directives.
As a leading provider of prescription ophthalmic pharmaceuticals, Santen is required to track the hundreds of registrations that comprise its portfolio and report information on these products to authorities in a timely, efficient manner. After identifying an opportunity to automate this process with an electronic system, the Company selected the TrackWise software because the solution possessed the configurability and scalability Santen required to manage multiple regulatory affairs processes on a European scale. Upon implementing the solution and importing legacy data from a previous system, a process that took less than six months, Santen now maintains a centralized repository to track and manage its entire European product portfolio and report related data to the necessary authorities effectively and efficiently.
“TrackWise met all of our criteria for flexibility in a quality system, and the implementation proved to be quick and painless,” said Eeva Ryky, regulatory submission and document manager, Santen. “The solution has already resulted in significant improvements in our ability to manage product registration, regulatory commitments and all other related processes. We expect TrackWise to continue to demonstrate its value as we seek to extend its use across our regulatory processes.”
TrackWise regulatory quality management software provides Santen with views into product information, delivering a cost-effective solution for all regulatory tasks related to new products and lifecycle management. The solution’s commitment tracking functionality improves response time and completion of regulatory commitments by providing a rapid methodology for responding to regulatory audits and health authority inquiries. TrackWise regulatory affairs software effectively manages the highly complex product data relationships that are typical of registration data as well as integrate with other quality and compliance processes within the organization.
“Automated regulatory affair solutions help streamline processes and provide users with efficient tools to replace time consuming and error-prone manual tracking processes,” said KR Karu, industry solution director, Sparta Systems. “Forward-thinking companies like Santen understand this, and have deployed TrackWise as a vital solution for ensuring the effectiveness of their regulatory affairs processes. We look forward to working with Santen as they continue to reap the benefits from leveraging our EQMS and realize new efficiencies in their ability to track, manage and report product-related data to authorities around the world.”
To learn more about Sparta’s TrackWise for Regulatory Affairs solution, please visit http://www.spartasystems.com/industries/pharmaceutical-biotech/regulatory-affairs/