Industry players can arm themselves with huge competitive advantages if they make the most of technology and vendors that add significant value into our industry

PORTLAND, Maine (PRWEB)
January 30, 2020

ClaimVantage, an international provider of life, health, and absence management solutions, is featured in the Willis Towers Watson InsurTech Quarterly Briefing for Q4 2019, which focuses on assessing the role and value of technology within the insurance Claims and Settlement process. Three of the top five insurance companies in the US and two of the top five in Australia, use ClaimVantage Claim Management software to digitize their claim departments.

Throughout 2019, Willis Towers Watson focused on four functional chain categories for each of their quarterly InsurTech briefings: Pricing and Underwriting, Quoting, Policy Administration, and Claims and Settlement. Of the 760 InsurTech companies analyzed, over 92% of them focus on the first three elements, with a high percentage concentrating on the distribution of insurance products, rather than on the B2B back-end systems.

Although only 8% of InsurTech companies focus on Claims and Settlement, this is where (re)insurers demonstrate their true calling. Policyholders believe that although having insurance is important, insurers are reluctant to pay out on claims. Making the claim process as seamless and effective as possible builds trust with claimants, improving customer engagement. The more quickly a claim is settled, the less time and effort claim professionals need to spend on it, highlighting the importance of decreasing claim durations. Not only does this improve customer satisfaction, but it improves capital management and employee productivity.

The ClaimVantage Solution digitally transforms claim management; From claim intake, auto-adjudication of low-risk claims, claimant engagement through the Customer Portal, through to payment. Moving from a legacy system to a customer-centric, scalable centralized platform improves operational efficiency, provides better access to data to make data-driven decisions, and changes focus from a task management exercise to strategic risk management.

The report recognizes that overhauling a working claim system is a daunting task, and suggest using an incremental approach to digital transformation. ClaimVantage takes a phased approach to implement its claim management solution. With a focus on change management key to project success, conducting workshops ahead of project kick-off is key to planning an effective project. Starting with the minimum viable product, the solution is delivered in phases, which reduces risk, while getting the system up and running as quickly as possible. A solution built natively on the cloud, agile delivery is a cornerstone of the ClaimVantage implementation team approach.

Read more in the Willis Tower Watson InsurTech Quarterly Briefing for Q4 2019.

About ClaimVantage

ClaimVantage offers industry-leading life, health, and absence claim management software solutions for insurance carriers, Third-Party Administrators (TPAs), and large employers. ClaimVantage provides cloud-based, automated claims processing solutions that drive efficiency, accuracy, and productivity, helping its customers to deliver superior customer service.

With its North American headquarters in Portland, Maine, and European headquarters in Dublin, Ireland, ClaimVantage also has teams in EMEA and APAC.

For more information about ClaimVantage, visit http://www.claimvantage.com.

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2020 GRC Emotional Footprint Awards

TORONTO (PRWEB)
January 30, 2020

SoftwareReviews, a division of world-class IT research and consulting firm Info-Tech Research Group, has published its 2020 Electronic Health Records (EHR) Data Quadrant Awards, naming three gold medalists based on excellent user reviews. The following vendors are leaders according to software users’ answers to some very interesting questions focused on user satisfaction, which have been crafted by seasoned IT industry analysts and backed by 22 years of IT research:

• 
  Epic (EpicCare)
• Allscripts Healthcare Solutions Inc. (McKesson Paragon EHR)
• Athenahealth (AthenaClinicals)

What makes the SoftwareReviews Data Quadrant different is the inclusion of aggregated emotional response ratings in the areas of service, negotiation, product impact, conflict resolution, and strategy and innovation. These ratings create a powerful indicator of overall user feeling toward the vendor and its product from the software users’ point of view. SoftwareReviews calls this insight the Net Emotional Footprint.

EpicCare ranked highest among software users, earning the number-one spot in the areas of breadth of features, quality of features, ease of data integration, charting, healthcare reporting and analytics, patient portal, customer relationship management, as well as product strategy and rate of improvement. McKesson Paragon EHR users were exceedingly satisfied, giving the vendor top scores in many areas, including business value created, ease of IT administration, ease of customization, ease of implementation, claims processing, clinical flow, lab integration, and telemedicine. AthenaClinicals performed consistently well according to software users, taking the number-one spot for appointment management.

About SoftwareReviews Data Quadrant Awards and Software Reports

SoftwareReviews Data Quadrant Awards recognize outstanding vendors in the technology marketplace as evaluated by their users annually. Top vendors in a software category are eligible to receive Data Quadrant Gold Medals, provided their net-promoter scores meet the threshold for sufficiently high user satisfaction across four areas of evaluation: vendor capabilities, product features, likeliness to recommend, and vendor experience. In-depth product evaluation reports are available at http://www.softwarereviews.com.

About SoftwareReviews

SoftwareReviews is a division of Info-Tech Research Group, a world-class IT research and consulting firm established in 1997. Backed by two decades of IT research and advisory experience, SoftwareReviews is a leading source of expertise and insight into the enterprise software landscape and client-vendor relationships.

By collecting real data from IT and business professionals, the SoftwareReviews methodology produces the most detailed and authentic insights into the experience of evaluating and purchasing enterprise software.

For more information, please contact:

Leanne O’Brien

Director, Communications & PR

lobrien@infotech.com

1-888-670-8889 ext. 3409

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Carol Colannino, PhD, research assistant professor in the SIUE STEM Center.

“Our research team plans to develop evidence-based practices and policies that field school directors can implement to prevent sexual harassment and make field schools safer and more inclusive for undergraduate students aspiring to become archaeologists.”

EDWARDSVILLE, Ill. (PRWEB)
January 30, 2020

The National Science Foundation (NSF) has awarded Southern Illinois University Edwardsville $300,000 in support of research aimed at preventing sexual harassment from occurring during undergraduate field-based courses. The endeavor is in partnership with researchers from the Arkansas Archeological Survey and Mississippi State University.

“Several studies have demonstrated high rates of sexual harassment that take place while scientists and students conduct research in the field,” explained principal investigator Carol Colaninno, PhD, research assistant professor in the SIUE STEM Center. “The issue plagues disciplines dependent on field-based research such as biology, ecology, geology and archaeology.

“Our research team plans to develop evidence-based practices and policies that field school directors can implement to prevent sexual harassment and make field schools safer and more inclusive for undergraduate students aspiring to become archaeologists.”

The researchers are all members of the Southeastern Archaeological Conference (SEAC) and include:

• Emily Beahm, PhD, research station archeologist with the Arkansas Archeological Survey, University of Arkansas-Winthrop Rockefeller Institute Station
• Carol Colannino, PhD, research assistant professor in the SIUE STEM Center
• Carl Drexler, PhD, research assistant professor with the University of Arkansas and station archeologist with the Arkansas Archeological Survey – Southern Arkansas University research station
• Shawn Lambert, PhD, assistant professor at Mississippi State University and research fellow at the Cobb Institute of Archaeology

“As a discipline, we require students to participate in a field-based course where we now know sexual harassment is more likely to occur, compared to a traditional classroom setting,” explained Beahm. “Unfortunately, our discipline has done little to understand what field directors do to prevent sexual harassment from occurring at their field school, and if field directors can improve upon their current practices. Our team is passionate to see this research conducted and to be able to provide recommendations that can improve archaeological learning.”

The researchers note that sexual harassment may be one factor contributing to the leaky pipeline among field-based sciences and STEM during undergraduate education, resulting in a loss of diverse intellectual thought.

“Research demonstrates that students who have been historically underrepresented in STEM, including women, students of color, students who identify as LGBTQ+, and students with diverse abilities, have an increased likelihood to experience harassment compared to those individuals who do not identify with these groups,” said Lambert.

“If students, particularly those who identify with groups underrepresented in STEM,” continued Drexler, “are harassed or assaulted, they may decide to leave the scientific community altogether. When this occurs, science loses the diversity of intellectual thought and personal experiences that these students who have brought to the field, and their potential to serve as role models and mentors to the next generation of diverse scholars.”

During the three-year grant period, the research team will conduct a landscape analysis, work with field directors and students, and then develop recommended practices, and finally, help implement them documenting how these practices help create a safer and more inclusive field learning environment.

Field directors interested in the project, can find more information at siuestemcenter.org/safe-field-schools. Questions can be sent to safefieldschools@gmail.com.

The Southern Illinois University Edwardsville Center for STEM Research, Education and Outreach comprises an independent group of researchers and educators, innovating ways to engage students and the public in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM). Within the SIUE Graduate School, the Center brings together research faculty, graduate students and practitioners to conduct education research. The Center contributes educational expertise to SIUE undergraduate classes and provides professional development for K-12 teachers. The Center boasts a significant library of equipment and resources, which are available for loan at no cost to campus and regional instructors. For more information, visit siue.edu/stem/ or contact STEM Center Director Sharon Locke at (618) 650-3065 or stemcenter@siue.edu.

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Dr. McKibben’s first-hand knowledge and experience in pediatric therapies, pediatric trials, preventative medicine, and clinical regulatory strategy, both at the FDA and in the Industry, make her an excellent addition to our team of Expert Consultants.

ROCHELLE, Va. (PRWEB)
January 29, 2020

NDA Partners Chairman Carl Peck, MD, announced today that Dr. Linda McKibben, a former Pediatric Medical Officer/Clinical Reviewer in the Division of Vaccines and Related Products at the FDA Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research (CBER), has joined the firm as an Expert Consultant. Dr. McKibben’s expertise includes pediatric therapies, pediatric trials, preventative medicine, public health, health policy, and clinical regulatory strategy.

Prior to joining the FDA, Dr. McKibben served in multiple roles at the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as Senior Advisor for Health Services Research at the National Center for Infectious Diseases (NCID), Senior Medical Officer in the Office of HealthCare Partnerships (OHP), and Medical Epidemiologist at the National Center for Prevention of Injuries (NCIPC). She has also served as a Senior Policy Analyst/Medical Director of Altarum Institute (Alexandria, Virginia), and Vice President of Health Policy at The Lewin Group (Falls Church, Virginia).

Most recently, she served as a Clinical Trials Medical Consultant for Ripple Effect Communications, where she supported the Deputy Director of Extramural Research at NIH’s National Institute for Child Health and Human Development, and as a Medical Consultant in the Integrated Product Development Division of PAREXEL Consulting.

According to Dr. Carl Peck, “Dr. McKibben’s first-hand knowledge and experience in pediatric therapies, pediatric trials, preventative medicine, and clinical regulatory strategy, both at the FDA and in the Industry, make her an excellent addition to our team of Expert Consultants. We are very pleased to welcome her to NDA Partners.”

Dr. McKibben earned her medical degree from the Medical College of Georgia, Doctor of Public Health degree in Health Policy from the University of Michigan, Master of Public Health degree from Harvard University, School of Public Health, and bachelor’s degree in microbiology/pre-medicine from the University of Georgia. She is a fellow of the American Academy of Pediatrics and board certified in preventative medicine.

About NDA Partners

NDA Partners is a life sciences management consulting and contract development organization (CDO) focused on providing product development and regulatory services to the pharmaceutical, biotechnology, and medical device industries worldwide. The highly experienced Principals and Expert Consultants in NDA Partners include three former FDA Center Directors; the former Chief Executive Officer and Chief Science Officer at the United States Pharmacopeial Convention (USP); an international team of more than 100 former pharmaceutical industry and regulatory agency senior executives; and an extensive roster of highly proficient experts in specialized areas including nonclinical development, toxicology, pharmacokinetics, CMC, medical device design control and quality systems, clinical development, regulatory submissions, and development program management. Services include product development and regulatory strategy, expert consulting, high-impact project teams, and contract management of client product development programs.

Contact

Earle Martin, Chief Executive Officer

Office: 540-738-2550

MartinEarle@ndapartners.com

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Sun City Center Ambulatory Surgery Center

TAMPA, Fla. (PRWEB)
January 29, 2020

To meet an exploding demand for outpatient medical services in southern Hillsborough County, Physician Partners of America (PPOA) is pleased to announce the grand opening of its newest multi-specialty facility, Sun City Center Ambulatory Surgery Center.

The state-of-the-art, purpose-built center is located at 916 Cypress Village Blvd., Ruskin, FL 33573, adjacent to the heart of Sun City Center and close to new developments.

Sun City Ambulatory Surgery Center offers a more convenient alternative to local patients, who would otherwise have to travel to larger cities like Tampa for outpatient procedures and endure overnight stays far from home.

It features two operating rooms, one procedure suite, six pre- and post-operative bays, clean and comfortable waiting rooms and ample, free parking.

As one of the nation’s premier managers of outpatient surgical centers, PPOA offers doctors ultra-modern facilities and amenities, a veteran staff, and a business model that eliminates administrative burdens.

Sun City Ambulatory Surgery Center is Medicare-certified and AAAHC-accredited, which means it adheres to top patient care standards.

It was built to accommodate a wide range of medical specialties including interventional pain and spine procedures, cardiology, ENT, GI, general surgery, gynecology, ophthalmology, orthopedics and podiatry.

Interested physicians can arrange a tour or book appointments by calling toll free 1-855-568-DOCS (3627).

About PPOA:

Started in 2013 and headquartered in Tampa, Fla., Physician Partners of America (PPOA), is a national healthcare organization focused on strengthening the doctor-patient relationship and improving patient outcomes. PPOA, and its affiliates share a common vision of ensuring the wellbeing of patients and providing their physician partners the opportunity to focus on the practice of medicine. This model allows physicians to be physicians, caring about patients and their needs in the face of ever more complex administrative requirements. For more information about Physician Partners of America, visit http://www.physicianpartnersoa.com.

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The DNA vaccine manufacturing platform developed by VGXI is an ideal countermeasure against emerging diseases like the current coronavirus outbreak. These vaccines have an extensive safety profile and production can be rapidly scaled-up in response to an epidemic.

THE WOODLANDS, Texas (PRWEB)
January 29, 2020

VGXI, a world leading contract manufacturer of clinical grade DNA plasmid, announced it will start production of a DNA vaccine against the novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) that has recently emerged in Wuhan, China under an agreement executed with Inovio Pharmaceuticals. A grant of up to $9 million from the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) will fund the vaccine development, manufacturing, and early stage clinical testing as part of the collaborative effort led by Inovio.

“The DNA vaccine manufacturing platform developed by VGXI is an ideal countermeasure against emerging diseases like the current coronavirus outbreak,” stated VGXI CEO Young Park. “These vaccines have an extensive safety profile and production can be rapidly scaled-up in response to an epidemic. Furthermore, the manufacturing process does not involve production of viral particles or viral proteins, unlike traditional vaccines.”

As of January 29, 2020, over 6,000 cases and 130 deaths from the 2019-nCoV virus have been confirmed across mainland China, with other cases identified in over a dozen countries worldwide including 5 in the US. Travel restrictions are currently in place for nearly 60 million people in China in an effort to control the disease spread. Similar to other viruses in the coronavirus family, 2019-nCoV causes flu-like symptoms with severe respiratory illness and viral pneumonia in some cases.

VGXI has demonstrated its ability to support urgent vaccine development timelines in response to recent outbreaks including Ebola, Zika, and a different coronavirus, Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) in collaboration with its partners including Inovio and GeneOne Life Science. Preparations are already underway at VGXI’s facility in The Woodlands, Texas to begin manufacturing of the DNA vaccine against the 2019-nCoV virus.

ABOUT VGXI, INC.

VGXI, Inc. is a leading provider of manufacturing and development services for DNA vaccines and gene therapies. The company has a reputation of success in manufacturing DNA products under cGMP conditions for clinical trials in the US, EU, Asia, Canada, and Australia, and its cGMP and non-GMP products have passed rigorous reviews by several international regulatory agencies. VGXI’s ability to work with unique requirements and create custom manufacturing solutions is based on its patented manufacturing process, flexible cGMP production facility, and experienced development team. VGXI, Inc. is a wholly-owned subsidiary CDMO of GeneOne Life Science, Inc. To learn more, visit http://www.vgxii.com.

ABOUT GENEONE LIFE SCIENCE

GeneOne Life Science Inc. (“GeneOne” KOSPI: 011000) is an international DNA vaccine and product developer, and leading contract manufacturer of DNA plasmid-based agents for pre-clinical and clinical trials for global companies and institutions. It researches and develops DNA vaccines and products to prevent and treat incurable diseases in South Korea and internationally. The company is headquartered in Seoul, South Korea. VGXI, Inc., GeneOne’s wholly-owned manufacturing subsidiary located in Texas, is the largest pure-play cGMP DNA plasmid manufacturing facility in the world. For more information, visit http://www.genels.com/en.

ABOUT CEPI

CEPI is an innovative partnership between public, private, philanthropic, and civil organizations launched in Davos in 2017 to develop vaccines to stop future epidemics. CEPI has received multi-year funding from Norway, Germany, Japan, Canada, Australia, and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and Wellcome. CEPI has also received single-year investments from the government of Belgium and the United Kingdom. The European Commission foresees substantial financial contributions to support relevant projects through EC mechanisms. CEPI has reached over US$ 750 million of its $1 billion funding target. Since its launch in January 2017, CEPI has announced three calls for proposals. The first call was for candidate vaccines against Lassa virus, Middle East Respiratory Syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV), and Nipah virus. The second call was for the development of platforms that can be used for rapid vaccine development against unknown pathogens. The third call is for candidate vaccines against Rift Valley fever and Chikungunya viruses. To date, CEPI has committed to investing over $310 million in 12 vaccine candidates (five against Lassa virus, four against MERS-CoV, three against Nipah virus) and two vaccine platforms to develop vaccines against Disease X.

ABOUT INOVIO PHARMACEUTICALS, INC.

Inovio (NASDAQ:INO) is a biotechnology company focused on rapidly bringing to market precisely designed DNA medicines to treat, cure and/or protect people from diseases associated with HPV, cancer, and infectious diseases. Inovio is the first and only company to have clinically demonstrated that a DNA medicine can be delivered directly into cells in the body via a proprietary smart device to safely produce a robust immune response to destroy and clear high-risk HPV 16 and 18, which are responsible for 70% of cervical cancer, 90% of anal cancer and 69% of vulvar cancer. In addition to HPV, Inovio’s optimized plasmid design and delivery technology has been demonstrated to consistently activate robust and fully functional T cell and antibody responses against targeted cancers and pathogens. Inovio’s most advanced clinical program, VGX-3100, is in Phase 3 development for the treatment of HPV-related cervical pre-cancer. Also in development are Phase 2 immuno-oncology programs targeting HPV-related cancers and GBM, as well as externally funded platform development programs in Zika, MERS, Lassa, and HIV. Partners and collaborators include ApolloBio Corporation, AstraZeneca, The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI), Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, GeneOne Life Science, HIV Vaccines Trial Network, Medical CBRN Defense Consortium (MCDC), National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, Regeneron, Roche/Genentech, University of Pennsylvania, Walter Reed Army Institute of Research, and The Wistar Institute. For more information, visit http://www.inovio.com.

CAUTIONARY FACTORS THAT MAY AFFECT FUTURE RESULTS

Materials in this press release contain information that includes or is based upon forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements relate to expectations or forecasts of future events. These statements can be identified by the fact that they do not relate strictly to historical or current facts. They include words such as “anticipate,” “estimate,” “expect,” “project,” “intend,” “plan,” “believe,” and other words and terms of similar meaning in connection with a discussion of potential future events, circumstances or future operating or financial performance. In particular, these include statements relating to future actions, prospective products or product approvals, future performance or results of current and anticipated products, sales efforts, expenses, the outcome of contingencies such as legal proceedings, and financial results. Any or all of our forward-looking statements here or in other publications may turn out to be incorrect. They can be affected by inaccurate assumptions or by known or unknown risks and uncertainties. Many such factors will be important in determining our actual future results. Consequently, no forward-looking statement can be guaranteed, and forward-looking statements may be adversely affected by factors, including general market conditions, competitive product development, product availability, current and future branded and generic competition, federal and state regulations and legislation, manufacturing issues, timing of the elimination of trade buying, patent positions, litigations and investigations. Our actual results may vary materially, and there are no guarantees about the performance or valuation of GeneOne stock. It is also important to read the disclosure notice contained in many of the individual GeneOne documents available on the website, as many contain important information on such cautionary factors as of the date of the individual document. We undertake no obligation to correct or update any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. You are advised, however, to consult any further disclosures we make on related subjects in our reports.

Ricci Whitlow, President, Clinical Supply Services at Catalent

The clinical supply business is a key component of Catalent’s business strategy, and Ricci rejoins the company following the launch of new initiatives that are helping to guide sponsors in optimizing their clinical trial supply planning and will provide them with new direct-to-patient supply options

SOMERSET, N.J. (PRWEB)
January 29, 2020

Catalent, the leading global provider of advanced delivery technologies, development, and manufacturing solutions for drugs, biologics, gene therapies, and consumer health products, today announced the appointment of Ricci Whitlow as President, Clinical Supply Services. Ms. Whitlow succeeds Paul Hegwood, who, following a period of transition, plans to retire in March 2020 after a career of nearly 45 years in operations, business development, and engineering roles.

Ms. Whitlow’s position will continue to report to Alessandro Maselli, the company’s President and Chief Operating Officer. As President of the business unit, she will have global responsibility for all aspects of Catalent’s clinical supply business, which, in fiscal 2019, generated $321.4 million in revenue and $84.4 million in Segment EBITDA. Catalent’s clinical supply network includes nine cGMP-certified clinical packaging, storage, and distribution facilities across North America, Europe and Asia, and more than 50 strategically located depots around the world, providing local and regional options for clinical storage, distribution, expiry update and relabeling services, and clinical returns management.

Ms. Whitlow has over 25 years’ experience in commercial, operations, and general management roles within the pharmaceutical biologics and medical device industry, and she rejoins Catalent after two-and-a-half years, having previously held the position of VP Operations, overseeing nine manufacturing facilities across North and South America. Her most recent position was with OptiNose, where she served as Senior Vice President of Technical and Corporate Operations, and she has also worked for LifeCell and Johnson & Johnson during her career. Ms. Whitlow holds a master’s degree in business administration from the TRIUM program of NYU Stern School of Business, London School of Economics and HEC Paris; as well as a Bachelor of Science in Industrial Engineering from Texas A&M University. She is also a certified Six Sigma green belt.

“The clinical supply business is a key component of Catalent’s business strategy, and Ricci rejoins the company following the launch of new initiatives that are helping to guide sponsors in optimizing their clinical trial supply planning and will provide them with new direct-to-patient supply options,” commented Mr. Maselli. “Ricci’s expertise in operations and manufacturing, as well as her previous experience at Catalent, make her the ideal person to strengthen and grow this business as the needs of global trials evolve.” He added, “We would like to thank Paul for his service to Catalent, and particularly for his tireless work as a strong advocate for the company’s ‘Patient First’ philosophy. We wish him all the best in his retirement.”

To find out more about Catalent’s clinical supply services, visit http://www.clinical.catalent.com.

About Catalent

Catalent is the leading global provider of advanced delivery technologies, development, and manufacturing solutions for drugs, biologics, gene therapies, and consumer health products. With over 85 years serving the industry, Catalent has proven expertise in bringing more customer products to market faster, enhancing product performance and ensuring reliable global clinical and commercial product supply. Catalent employs over 13,000 people, including over 2,400 scientists and technicians, at more than 35 facilities, and in fiscal year 2019 generated over $2.5 billion in annual revenue. Catalent is headquartered in Somerset, New Jersey. For more information, visit http://www.catalent.com

More products. Better treatments. Reliably supplied.™

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