Company recognized for its contribution to the consumer goods industry
Hamilton, NJ Feb 25, 2013 – Sparta Systems, Inc., a market leader in enterprise quality management software (EQMS) solutions, announced today that it has been selected by Consumer Goods Technology (CGT) as a 2013 Editor’s Pick in the magazine’s annual Readers’ Choice Survey.
In the annual survey, CGT’s editorial staff calls attention to solution and service providers, such as Sparta Systems, that are poised to make a substantial impact on the consumer goods market with innovative, yet necessary tools. These companies have been strongly endorsed by leading consumer goods (CG) executives in conversations throughout the year.
Sparta Systems’ TrackWise EQMS solution was recognized by CGT’s editors for meeting the needs of consumer product companies worldwide in areas such as quality, operational excellence, compliance and supply chain visibility.
“The costs of not managing quality can be quite high. Besides the immediate financial impact of a product recall, there are the lingering effects of decreased customer loyalty and brand devaluation,” commented Eileen Martinson, Chief Executive Officer of Sparta Systems. “We understand that the best product recall is the one that never happens, and pride ourselves on offering quality management solutions that enable companies to safely and efficiently deliver their products to market. We appreciate the recognition from Consumer Goods Technology and CG executives as it further validates our leadership and dedication to this industry.”
Category: news
OsoBio to Join Injectable Trends Discussion at DCAT Week
Albuquerque, NM Feb 20, 2013 – OsoBio President Milton Boyer will serve on a panel of experts examining shortages of injectable pharmaceuticals during DCAT Week.
Boyer and other industry leaders will review the unique challenges facing the sterile injectable supply chain during a panel discussion 9 a.m. Wednesday, March 13. The panel, “Key Trends for Sterile Injectable Manufacturing and Outsourcing,” will meet in the Vanderbilt Room at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel in New York City.
DCAT Week – sponsored annually by the Drug, Chemical and Associated Technologies Association (DCAT) – is one of the pharmaceutical industry’s largest and most important annual educational and networking meetings. Last year, nearly 2,000 people attended the DCAT Week keynote address.
Companies developing sterile products are being challenged by significant regulatory pressures and uncertainty in the supply base, which can affect quality, compliance and cost competitiveness. As a result, shortages of sterile injectable pharmaceuticals are on the rise, according to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
The DCAT Week panel will lead a discussion examining trends and steps underway at contract manufacturing organizations (CMOs), as well as pharmaceutical companies, to improve operational security while remaining competitive. Boyer will focus on the changing regulatory climate and its influence on traditional drug sponsor and CMO relationships.
“The industry is seeing simultaneous increases in both outsourcing and regulatory actions, which are changing how drug sponsors and CMOs collaborate,” Boyer said. “DCAT Week brings together a broad coalition of strategic thinkers willing to look at the big picture, which should make this a timely and informative conversation.”
During DCAT Week, OsoBio will serve as the registration partner and reception host for a session called “Facilities of the Future: Single-Use Technologies” taking place March 13 from 2:30 to 4:30 p.m., with the reception following immediately afterward.
OSO BioPharmaceuticals Manufacturing, LLC, is a CMO that specializes in delivering injectable sterile liquid, suspension and lyophilized biologic and pharmaceutical products to the pharmaceutical industry. The company offers significant knowledge and experience in late-phase clinical products and successfully taking them to commercialization.
Oasis Outsourcing Introduces New Mobile Apps for Clients, Employees
West Palm Beach, FL Feb 20, 2013 – Oasis Outsourcing, one of the nation’s premier Professional Employer Organizations, has launched new Mobile Apps for clients and employees in an ongoing effort to provide convenient and efficient access to important information.
The free Apps, Oasis Client Connect and Oasis Employee Connect, work on smartphones, tablets and other web-enabled devices, and allow clients and employees to access select areas of the Client and Employee Services Websites. This includes viewing payroll information, employee Paid Time Off, benefits-related information and other general employee information. In addition, clients can create and view help desk tickets for assistance from Oasis and employees can access the Employee Discount Programs.
“Many of our clients don’t sit in front of a computer all day and need a mobile option when it comes to viewing important HR and payroll information,” said Mark Perlberg, President and CEO of Oasis Outsourcing. “Oasis prides itself on being at the cutting edge of service offerings for our clients, allowing them to focus on their core business.”
The names, Oasis Client Connect and Oasis Employee Connect, were suggested by James Morrissey, Senior HR Consultant for Oasis, as a result of a contest the company held.
To access the Apps, please visit http://client.link2oasis.com and http://employee.link2oasis.com.
OsoBio Recognized with CMO Leadership Award
Albuquerque, NM Feb 15, 2013 – OsoBio is proud to receive two CMO Leadership Awards that recognize our strength in regulatory affairs and productivity.
The awards – which will be given out during DCAT Week – are based on industry research compiled by Life Science Leader magazine and Nice Insight. Nice Insight surveys thousands of industry executives about outsourcing companies, and combines those findings with other key analyses to identify collaboration models.
Milton Boyer, president of OsoBio, said receiving two CMO Leadership Awards was an honor.
“We are very pleased at OsoBio to have been recognized as a leading CMO in the categories for productivity and regulatory,” he said. “We believe a strong commitment to regulatory compliance is the cornerstone of productivity. Our site history reveals a track record of regulatory success, having been inspected by almost every worldwide regulatory agency during the commercialization of more than 250 distinct products. We are honored to be recognized by our industry peers.”
First Venous Procedure Module added to PATHWAYS database
M2S and the Vascular Quality Initiative® adds first venous procedure module – Inferior Vena Cava Filter – to its PATHWAYS database
West Lebanon, NH Feb 15, 2013 – M2S, the exclusive technology provider for the Vascular Quality Initiative® (VQI®), announces the release of Inferior Vena Cava (IVC) Filter procedure module to its PATHWAYS clinical data performance platform. IVC Filter is the first venous module added to the database, expanding the VQI to become the comprehensive arterial and venous registry.
With the release of IVC Filter, the VQI now monitors eleven vascular procedures through M2S’s PATHWAYS platform. In January, the VQI announced its collaboration with the American Venous Forum (AVF) to add venous interventions. This growth increases the value of benchmarking among participants and regional quality groups, and expands the scope for quality improvement and quality research projects that affect patient care. Today the VQI has more than 220 participating centers across the United States and Canada that have entered over 75,000 procedures into the PATHWAYS database.
M2S’s PATHWAYS platform provides participating centers and providers with real-time data collection and reporting tools, empowering users to collaborate on outcomes and implement quality improvement projects to impact quality and cost of vascular care. M2S, along with the AVF and Society for Vascular Surgery, plans to expand the database with additional venous procedure modules, including Venous Stenting, DVT Thrombolysis, and Upper Extremity DVT treatment.
Sparta Systems Wins Supply & Demand Chain Executive’s 13th Annual “Pros to Know” Award
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.
Sparta Systems Wins Supply & Demand Chain Executive’s 13th Annual “Pros to Know” Award
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.
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.