Diagnostics & Healthcare News

Although the convenience of having packages delivered directly to our doors within hours of purchase is still a ways away, on-demand delivery of medical supplies is becoming a reality. Earlier this month, Google was awarded a patent for a dispatch system that would fly lifesaving medical equipment to where it was needed on the spot.…

3M has announced a “smart inhaler” that not only connects wirelessly to a smartphone app but has a tiny screen that teaches patients how to use the device. The 3M Intelligent Control inhaler is the latest entrant into a field that’s become crowded with companies working to increase chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) patient compliance…

Point-of-care diagnostics maker Alere ($ALR) is struggling under the weight of foreign corruption probes. And Abbott ($ABT) CEO Miles White doesn’t know if he wants to bear the load. On a Q1 earnings call, the med tech helmsman declined to affirm his commitment to closing Abbott’s previously announced deal for Alere, saying that it was…

Scientists at the California NanoSystems Institute at UCLA have developed a new technique for identifying cancer cells in blood samples faster and more accurately than the current standard methods. In one common approach to testing for cancer, doctors add biochemicals to blood samples. Those biochemicals attach biological “labels” to the cancer cells, and those labels…

While care transformation continues to lead the list of concerns for hospital and health system executives, The Advisory Board Company’s Annual Health Care CEO Survey found meeting consumer expectations and patient engagement join the top concerns. The study found 47 percent of executive respondents said that they were extremely interested in addressing the challenge of rising…

Minneapolis-based tech-savvy payer Bright Healthhas raised $80 million in a round led by Bessemer Venture Partners and New Enterprise Associates (NEA), with participation from Flare Capital Partners. Bright Health is led by a team of experienced healthcare executives. The company’s CEO Bob Sheehy was previously the CEO of UnitedHealthcare. Kyle Rolfing, Bright Health’s president, is…

Nexstim Plc (NXTMH:HEX, NXTMS:STO), a medical technology company aiming to improve rehabilitation for stroke patients with the use of non-invasive brain stimulation, today announces the appointment of John Liedtky as VP of Commercialization, General Manager US, effective from 1 April 2016. Mr. Liedtky will also join Nexstim Management Team and will be responsible of Pre-Surgical…

Diagnosing a patient with a concussion is often based solely on a doctor’s evaluation and the presence of classic symptoms, such as headache, confusion, lack of coordination, memory loss, nausea, vomiting, dizziness, tinnitus and excessive sleepiness. Sometimes, however, these symptoms don’t emerge until several days after the injury. That means patients may be unaware of how serious…

The FBI is investigating a possible ransomware attack against Columbia, Maryland-based MedStar Health. MedStar’s electronic health records system and e-mail remained down Monday evening, according to the Washington Post. If the breach does turn out to be ransomware, it would be the largest such attack on a U.S. healthcare network. MedStar has 10 hospitals and more than 250 outpatient centers…

Battle-weary Toshiba is barreling toward the finish line in a sale of its medical device unit, and fellow Japanese device maker Fujifilm could emerge the winner in a potential $6 billion deal. The second round of bidding for Toshiba’s medical equipment unit closes Friday and the company will select a bidder as early as next week…