Medical distribution companies send aid to relief efforts in Nepal
Henry Schein Inc committed $500,000 in product donations to support relief efforts for victims of the earthquake in Nepal. In addition, the company has opened the Henry Schein Cares Nepal Disaster Relief Fund through the Henry Schein Cares Foundation. Contributions made to this fund will be applied directly and completely to support relief organizations’ efforts. Henry Schein’s medical donations will include more than two million surgical masks, a million pairs of gloves, and thousands of bandages. The company will also donate thousands of toothbrushes and toothpaste in response to a specific request for these hygiene products.
Medline Industries Inc, in partnership with Project C.U.R.E., has sent nearly 4,000 bottles of Sterillium surgical hand rub to healthcare workers in Kathmandu, Nepal to help workers care for the sick and vulnerable. Additionally, through the Medline Foundation, monetary assistance is being provided to Nepal via donations to UNICEF and the American Red Cross.
BD (Becton, Dickson and Company) is contributing $700,000 in cash and product donations to assist those affected by the earthquake in Nepal. BD’s commitment will be shared among six of its trusted partners: AmeriCares, Direct Relief, Heart to Heart International, Project HOPE, Save the Children, and UNICEF. The commitment includes $50,000 in matching funds to match donations made by associates to AmeriCares and the U.S. Fund for UNICEF. Given its proximity to Nepal, AmeriCares India is playing a critical role to bring supplies, relief workers (including medical personnel and logistics experts) to Nepal and coordinate aid delivery. The agency is collaborating closely with BD India to provide emergency medical and primary care, ensure access to critical medicines and supplies and re-establish health services in impacted areas.
Midmark announces Jordan Gafford as sales representative
Midmark Corporation recently announced Jordan Gafford as sales representative for its diagnostic product line. In his new role, Gafford will be responsible for working in the medical and healthcare sector with customers and distribution partners in Kentucky, Indiana and a portion of Illinois, providing sales support and service. He will report directly to Jeff Daner, regional sales manager. Gafford brings substantial sales experience from Cintas Corporation, and was most recently a sales representative for Midmark’s animal health division, where he was awarded top growth performer in 2012. In this position, he successfully built relationships with distribution partners, initiating and closing capital equipment deals. He was also responsible for educating and training veterinarians on clinical and financial implementation of eight capital equipment lines.
FDA launches new website to track medical devices
The FDA launched its online Global Unique Device Identification Database, AccessGUDID, which allows consumers to track medical devices using unique identifiers through company-submitted information. The goal is for consumers, healthcare providers, and manufacturers to be able to identify and report side effects associated with a device. The website also aims to be an important resource when a recall is issued, hopefully allowing the issue to be handled more effectively. The FDA reports about 50,000 serious adverse events associated with medical devices each year, leading to roughly 3,000 deaths.
CMS launches star rating system for hospitals
CMS announced a star rating system for hospitals that is based on HCAHPS (Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems) scores. The patient experience ratings, in which a hospital earns anywhere from zero to five stars, come before an overall rating system expected to launch in 2016 that will be based on the full range of quality measures now published on the CMS Hospital Compare website. The hospital ratings will be updated quarterly. The first set of overall patient experience ratings are based on discharge data from July 2013 through June 2014. An official for the American Hospital Association (AHA) (Chicago, IL) stated that though star ratings could be an effective way to make quality information easier to understand, there is “a risk of oversimplifying the complexity of quality care or misinterpreting what is important to a particular patient.”
MTMC, Pelstar / Health o meter® Professional Scales collaborate to establish Strategic
Account Manager position
Nationwide sales organization, Med Tech / Med Care Associates (MTMC), and medical scale manufacturer, Pelstar LLC / Health o meter® Professional Scales, announced they are collaborating on a progressive sales strategy with the establishment of a Strategic Account Manager position at MTMC. The Strategic Account Manager will work closely with the MTMC and Health o meter® Professional Sales Teams to assist key accounts in the management of their supply chain activities. Working together on this new joint initiative allows end-users to take advantage of the highly skilled professional advisors at MTMC for the products and services of Health o meter Professional Scales and other MTMC product lines in a cost efficient and highly effective manner. To learn more about MTMC and Health o meter Professional Scales visit www.medtechassociates.com and www.homscales.com.