The combination of the unique single cartridge reagent system and extended measuring range up to 80,000 U/mL will allow even laboratories with lower volumes to economically run CA 19-9 in-house and reduce send out costs and turnaround time.

MALVERN, Pa. (PRWEB)
December 17, 2019

Fujirebio Diagnostics, Inc., a consolidated subsidiary of Miraca Holdings Inc., has received U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) clearance of the company’s Lumipulse® G1200 CA19-9-N assay for testing on its LUMIPULSE® G1200 immunoassay platform.

The assay is to be used as an aid in the management of patients diagnosed with cancer of the exocrine pancreas who have detectable levels of CA 19-9 at some point in their disease.

The LUMIPULSE® G1200 CA19-9-N immunoassay

• Has an extended measuring range to 80,000 U/ml with auto dilution capability
• Minimizes waste through the single dose cartridge system
• Offers excellent precision with a CV of ≤5.7 %

“The combination of the unique single cartridge reagent system and extended measuring range up to 80,000 U/mL will allow laboratories, even those with lower volumes, to economically run CA 19-9 in-house, eliminate send-out costs and reduce turnaround time,” says Matthew Bell, Vice President Sales and Marketing at Fujirebio, US.

About Fujirebio Diagnostics, Inc.

Fujirebio Diagnostics, Inc., a subsidiary of Fujirebio Holdings, Inc., is the premier cancer diagnostics company and industry leader in cancer biomarker assays. The company pioneered and introduced the CA125 test, the first FDA-approved ovarian cancer biomarker over 25 years ago. Fujirebio Diagnostics specializes in the clinical development, manufacturing and commercialization of in-vitro diagnostic (IVD) products for the management of human disease states, with an emphasis in oncology. For more information about Fujirebio Diagnostics, please call +1 610-240-3800 or visit us at http://www.fujirebio-us.com.

About Fujirebio

Fujirebio is a global leader in the field of high quality in vitro diagnostics (IVD) testing. It has more than 50 years’ accumulated experience in the conception, development, production and worldwide commercialization of robust IVD products. Fujirebio has a strong and long-lasting tradition of collaborating with experts in the worldwide clinical community in the development of high-quality routine and truly novel biomarkers that cover a variety of disease states. Its IVD product lines span the range from specialized manual and automated testing to fully automated routine clinical laboratory testing solutions.

Fujirebio is today a member of Miraca Group (Miraca Holdings Inc. listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange – TYO: 4544) and employs more than 1,200 people in Asia, Europe and America.

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“All In VETS will bring to bear cutting-edge processes, systems and software that are designed to empower everyone across the broad spectrum of Veteran care and services,” said Allison A. Hickey, CEO and President of All In Solutions, LLC.

JUNO BEACH, Fla. (PRWEB)
December 17, 2019

Document Storage Systems, Inc. (DSS), a leading provider of health information technology (HIT) solutions, and All in Solutions, LLC (AIS), a CVE-certified, SDVOSB, Woman Owned Small Business (WOSB), have formed a joint venture (JV) to support veterans’ healthcare. All In VETS, LLC will drive federal health innovation and pair it with leadership experience across the United States military and government agencies.

The two companies have more than twenty-five years of VA experience – including executives with VA leadership experience who understand and have lived first-hand the issues and challenges of IT transformation and modernization across all benefit lines of service. All In VETS also leverages two decades of IT systems and support to VA’s clinical operations. The JV will provide Information Technology (IT) solutions, managed service delivery (MSD), product and software development, and problem-exploration and solutioning.

“All In VETS will bring to bear cutting-edge processes, systems and software that are designed to empower everyone across the broad spectrum of Veteran care and services,” said Allison A. Hickey, CEO and President of All In Solutions, LLC. “We are a team of experienced healthcare leaders and innovators dedicated to delivering the care and support our Veterans deserve.”

The core value of All In VETS is to place Veterans, their families, caregivers and providers, and survivors at the center of everything. The team will first explore, discover, and document the needs of the Veteran and end user to design, build, test, and deploy the right capability with the best outcome, and always with the “human” in the center of the approach. Even the All In VETS logo depicts this approach with the “Veteran” at the center of the combined company shields.

“The VA employs hundreds of thousands of hardworking people committed to delivering the care and support our Veterans deserve,” said Mark Byers, president and CEO of DSS. “Too often the system requires heroic efforts from these caregivers to accomplish the mission. We’re committed to giving the VA the systems and solutions they need to achieve their highest potential.”

Earlier this year DSS and AIS received approval to partner under the Small Business Administration (SBA)’s All Small Mentor-Protégé Program (ASMPP). The SBA Mentor-Protégé program is a business development initiative, which enables small and large companies to build strong, mutually beneficial relationships with shared benefits and growth opportunities. As a mentor, DSS will provide business development, technical, and management assistance to AIS.

About Document Storage Systems, Inc. (DSS)

DSS is a leading software and services company that creates and delivers advanced health information technology (HIT) solutions. For 25 years, healthcare organizations have benefited from our technical and service integration expertise. DSS has extensive experience working with federal, private and public healthcare facilities to modernize their legacy systems and to improve efficiencies for clinical and administrative users through breakthrough technology. For more information about DSS, visit http://www.dssinc.com.

About All in Solutions, LLC (AIS)

All In Solutions, LLC (AIS) is a CVE-certified, Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business (SDVOSB) and Woman Owned Small Business (WOSB) specializing in problem exploration and solutioning, IT Solutions, and Managed Service Delivery (MSD). For more information on AIS, please visit https://www.allin-solutions.com/.

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“The 6.7 percent increase in the Part B premium is the largest since 2006 for a year in which a COLA is payable,” Johnson says.

WASHINGTON (PRWEB)
December 17, 2019

Medicare Part B premiums are getting set to make one of the biggest jumps in 14 years, according to new analysis from The Senior Citizens League (TSCL). While the Social Security cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) will increase benefits by 1.6 percent in 2020, Medicare Part B premiums are climbing by 6.7 percent, “more than four times faster than the COLA,” says Medicare and Social Security policy analyst, Mary Johnson.

The standard monthly Medicare Part B premium, which covers doctors and outpatient services, will increase by $9.10 from $135.50 in 2019, to $144.60 in 2020. At the same time, the COLA will increase an average Social Security benefit of $1,460 by only $23.40. After deduction for the Part B premium, that would leave just $14.30 per month for someone with average benefits to cover all other rising costs, including other rising Medicare premiums for prescription drugs or supplemental coverage.

“The 6.7 percent increase in the Part B premium is the largest since 2006 for a year in which a COLA is payable,” Johnson says. There have been bigger jumps in Part B premiums as recently as 2016 and 2017, but those were two years in which there was no or almost no COLA paid. This situation can cause unusually high Part B premium spikes.

In 2016 the COLA was zero and Part B premiums rose by 16.1 percent. In 2017 the COLA was just 0.3 percentage point, and Part B premiums rose by 10 percent. “Those premium spikes were due in large part to the cost-shifting effect created when no COLA was payable,” Johnson notes.

When there is no or a very low COLA, a special provision of law known as “hold harmless” protects beneficiaries when the dollar amount of their COLA is lower than the dollar amount of their Part B increase. The Part B premium is adjusted to prevent a reduction in Social Security benefits from one year to the next. “But when this provision occurs on a program-wide basis — as it did in 2016 and 2017, the entire increase in Medicare Part B for the year is shifted to the people who are not protected by hold harmless, Johnson notes. Instead of the Part B increase being spread over all Medicare beneficiaries, the total cost increase is borne by only 30 percent of Medicare beneficiaries who are not protected by the hold harmless provisions. They include:

• people who are still working and pay Medicare Part B by check,
• low – income Medicare beneficiaries whose Part B is paid for by state Medicaid programs, and,
• beneficiaries with incomes in 2019 are $85,000 (single) $170,000 (couple) or more and who pay an income-related surcharge.

Because Medicare Part B premiums are automatically deducted from Social Security benefits, retirees find it difficult to fully anticipate the squeeze that rising Medicare Part B (and other Medicare premiums) can put on benefits and their budgets. In the past 15 years the percentage of the Social Security COLA increase has been lower than Medicare Part B premium increase 9 times.

All beneficiaries get a notification letter from the Social Security Administration explaining the amount of their benefits and the amount that will be deducted for Part B and any other deductions. “Those with the lowest benefits – less than $570 per month in 2020 — are at risk of seeing their Medicare Part B premium consume their entire COLA,” Johnson notes.

Medicare costs take a significant portion of retirees’ Social Security benefits. A survey conducted by The Senior Citizens League found that more than 51 percent of survey participants report spending at least $376 per month on total healthcare costs (including premiums and out-of-pocket costs) and more than one – in- five spend $1,000 or more per month.

To learn more, visit http://www.SeniorsLeague.org.

###

With 1.2 million supporters, The Senior Citizens League is one of the nation’s largest nonpartisan seniors’ groups. Its mission is to promote and assist members and supporters, to educate and alert senior citizens about their rights and freedoms as U.S. Citizens, and to protect and defend the benefits senior citizens have earned and paid for. The Senior Citizens League is a proud affiliate of The Retired Enlisted Association. Visit http://www.SeniorsLeague.org for more information.

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The 2019 SHN Architecture & Design Awards has surpassed our expectations, said George Yedinak, founder of Senior Housing News.

CHICAGO (PRWEB)
December 16, 2019

Senior Housing News, an Aging Media Network publication, is pleased to announce the winners of the 6th annual Senior Housing News (SHN) Architecture & Design Awards, sponsored exclusively by senior living furniture provider Kwalu. (http://www.shnawards.com)

More than 100 communities across the country and globe submitted new construction and renovation projects, vying for top honors across nine categories: Affordable, Assisted Living, Continuing Care Retirement Community (CCRC), Hospice, Independent Living, International, Renovation / Repositioning, Skilled Nursing / Post-Acute Care and Standalone Memory Care.

Introducing the 2019 winners by category:

Affordable

Winner: Rotary Terrace – South San Francisco, CA

Second Place: Normandy Square – Madison, WI

Third Place: The Vintage at the Crossings – Reno, NV

Assisted Living

Winner: The Village at White River Junction – White River Junction, VT

Second Place: Balfour at Littleton – Littleton, CO

Third Place (tie): Arbor Terrace Fulton – Fulton, MD

Third Place (tie): The Trousdale Assisted Living and Memory Care Facility – Burlingame, CA

Hospice

Winner: Faith Presbyterian Hospice – Dallas, TX

Second Place: Care Dimensions – Lincoln, MA

Independent Living

Winner: Warwick Woodlands – Lititz, PA

Second Place: Sterling Estates Of West Cobb – Marietta, GA

Third Place: Parc at Traditions – Bryan, Texas

International

Winner: Sun City Tachikawa – Tokyo, Japan

Second Place: San Sereno – Johannesburg, South Africa

Third Place: Amica Georgetown – Georgetown, Ontario, Canada

Life Plan / CCRC

Winner: Ventana by Buckner – Dallas, TX

Second Place: The Club at Briarcliff – Briarcliff, NY

Third Place: Oak Trace Senior Living Community – Downers Grove, IL

Renovation/Repositioning

Winner: Anthology of the Plaza – Kansas City, MO

Second Place: San Sereno – Johannesburg, South Africa

Third Place: Grandview Terrace – Sun City West, AZ

Skilled Nursing/Post Acute Care

Winner: Disney Celebration Care Center – Celebration, FL

Second Place: Katherine and Charles Hover Green House Homes – Longmont, CO

Third Place (tie): Gardens at Terracina Health & Rehabilitation – Naples, FL

Third Place (tie): Gunnison Valley Health Senior Center – Gunnison, CO

Stand Alone Memory Care

Winner: Adelaide of Newton Centre – Newton, MA

Second Place: Sterling Estates of West Cobb – Marietta, GA

Third Place: North Shore Place – Northbrook, IL

“The 2019 SHN Architecture & Design Awards has surpassed our expectations,” said George Yedinak, founder of Senior Housing News. “It’s a privilege to showcase these projects from around the world. The owners, operators and developers continue to implement cutting-edge work from world-class architects, designers and engineers.”

For more information on this year’s winners and nominees, visit http://www.shnawards.com.

About the SHN Architecture & Design Awards

The Senior Housing News Architecture & Design Awards recognize cutting-edge design, excellence and innovation in senior living. The annual awards contest celebrates unique projects and companies that are improving the lives of seniors through innovative design. Visit http://www.shnawards.com for more information.

About Kwalu

Kwalu is the leading provider of furniture to senior living in the U.S. Its products are Designed to Last® and will continue to look like new, year after year – which is so important right now, given the trend of residents’ rising acuity levels and the resultant ongoing beating the furniture takes from walkers and wheelchairs and the like.

When attracting new residents and maintaining high satisfaction levels for existing residents is important, Kwalu’s senior living furniture can make the difference.

About Aging Media Network / Senior Housing News

Aging Media Network is an innovative publishing company based in Chicago, Illinois, and is the publisher of Senior Housing News, Reverse Mortgage Daily, Home Health Care News, Hospice News and Skilled Nursing News.

Senior Housing News (SHN) is the leading independent source for news and information covering senior housing and senior living. With a global reach of more than 30,000 industry professionals, SHN boasts an audience that includes senior housing operators, developers, banking institutions, real estate investment trusts, private equity and service providers catering to the industry. Visit http://www.seniorhousingnews.com for more information.

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“As leaders in their respective areas, bringing these companies closer together within the Avante family will provide the unified operation with greater efficiency and scale in order to meet our customers’ growing needs,” Inacker said.

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (PRWEB)
December 16, 2019

Avante Health Solutions (“Avante”) is pleased to announce the continued integration of Avante Diagnostic Imaging (formerly Transtate Equipment Company and Equipment Maintenance Solutions) and Avante Oncology Services (formerly Oncology Services International) with Mr. Andy Wheeler serving as President of the unified operation.

This expanded role will become effective January 1, 2020 and will provide continuity of management as the combined businesses continue to work more closely with one another.

The two operations, along with Avante Ultrasound, moved into Avante’s new, state-of-art facility located in Charlotte, North Carolina in mid-2019. The 160,000 square-foot facility provides extended space for each division and fosters a collaborative work environment among the teams.

Steve Inacker, President and COO of Avante, stated that the shared focus on quality and customer service drove the need for a more integrated operation.

“As leaders in their respective areas, bringing these companies closer together within the Avante family will provide the unified operation with greater efficiency and scale in order to meet our customers’ growing needs,” Inacker said.

With field service engineers and parts depots strategically located throughout the United States, Mr. Wheeler noted that the combined Diagnostic Imaging and Oncology Services operations offer a complete suite of products and services not currently available in the market.

“The talent, resources, and passion of these groups are unmatched in our space,” Wheeler said. “Together we will be better positioned to provide innovative solutions that exceed our customers’ expectations. I am excited and humbled to serve the amazing employees as we build and grow a combined operation together.”

About Avante Health Solutions

Avante Health Solutions is successfully deploying a strategy of acquiring, partnering and growing with medical, surgical, and diagnostic imaging equipment companies to become a major industry player in North America and internationally. Avante’s healthcare equipment and service business is focused on the complete lifecycle of medical, surgical, diagnostic imaging, cath/angio, MRI/CT, and oncology equipment, including sales, install, service, repair, sourcing and refurbishing. Through organic growth and targeted acquisitions, Avante provides a breadth of service and product offerings to a variety of customers located throughout North America and around the world.

By working together, the Avante companies and its respective management teams offer customers a broader range of products and services on a national basis while maintaining control at the local level. For more information, please visit: http://www.avantehs.com.

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Interventional cardiologist Carl Dietrich Reimers, MD, FACC, FSCAI, will serve as the Cardiac Catheterization Lab’s on-site medical director

When someone has a cardiac event, rapid treatment is necessary to prevent irreparable damage to the heart. Access to high-quality cardiac care locally will enhance the health and well-being of our community.

MOUNT KISCO, N.Y. (PRWEB)
December 16, 2019

The New York State Public Health and Health Planning Council (PHHPC) has approved certification for Northern Westchester Hospital (NWH) to offer interventional cardiology services to residents who would otherwise have to travel long distances during cardiac events when every second counts. The addition of percutaneous coronary interventions and electrophysiology, and the construction of a cardiac catheterization lab to the hospital’s already existing cardiology services, will improve access to residents of upper Westchester County to a Comprehensive Cardiac Center. The Center’s Cardiac Catheterization Lab, a joint program with Lenox Hill Hospital, will serve as a regional center of excellence for interventional and procedural cardiac care.

“This is a significant milestone for cardiac care in our community, where residents have had limited access to this life-saving medical care,” said NWH’s executive director Derek Anderson. “When someone has a cardiac event, rapid treatment is necessary to prevent irreparable damage to the heart. Access to high-quality cardiac care locally will enhance the health and well-being of our community.”

“The opportunity to bring our community greater access to this level of care has been a long-time priority and is the culmination of efforts to expand our cardiac program,” says outgoing hospital president and CEO Joel Seligman. “Since Northern Westchester and Lenox Hill Hospitals are both members of the Northwell Health system, our patients will receive care from some of the nation’s top cardiac physicians who have extensive training in high-risk cases.” Seligman added, “We are extremely thankful to Seema Boesky, long-time supporter of NWH, who has made a generous gift to NWH, one of the largest in the hospital’s history, which will enable us to operationalize the Cardiac Cath Lab and advance the level of care we provide to the community.”

The Center, which the hospital hopes to open in the first half of 2020, will provide diagnostic as well as interventional coronary angiography and stent placement for elective, urgent and emergency-level patients. In addition to the Cardiac Catheterization Laboratory, the Center will feature an outpatient facility and specialized cardiac care for women. The 1,709-square-foot facility will be located on the second floor of NWH’s Wallace Pavilion and will be open 24-hours, seven days a week. It will add to NWH’s existing cardiology programs aimed at preventing, diagnosing and treating a full range of cardiovascular disease including an outpatient rehabilitation program located at NWH’s facility at Chappaqua Crossing.

Heart attacks are the result of blockages in blood vessels that carry oxygen and vital nutrients to the heart. When they last more than a few minutes, these blockages can cause permanent damage to heart muscle and tissue. The new facility will offer patients the gold standard of care, which in interventional cardiology means opening the artery within 90 minutes of first medical contact.

Carl Dietrich Reimers, MD, FACC, FSCAI an interventional cardiologist, and vice chairman, cardiology at Lenox Hill Hospital, and assistant professor of Cardiology at the Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell, will serve as the Cardiac Catheterization Lab’s on-site medical director. Garvey Rene, MD, FACC, FSCAI, of CareMount Medical, will serve as Associate Director, and Pat Soriano, DNP, RN, MSN, APRN-BC, will be managing the Center.

According to Dr. Reimers, interventional cardiologists will work at both NWH and Lenox Hill, rotating through both hospitals to maintain the highest level of skill and quality.

A leader in heart care, the cardiac program at Lenox Hill Hospital has been ranked among the top 5% of hospitals in the nation by Healthgrades for overall cardiac services for six years in a row. Its cardiology program was also recognized in U.S. News & World Report’s 2019-20 Best Hospital Rankings.

About Northern Westchester Hospital

Northern Westchester Hospital (NWH), a member of Northwell Health, provides quality, patient-centered care that is close to home through a unique combination of medical expertise, leading-edge technology, and a commitment to humanity. Over 650 highly-skilled physicians, state-of-the-art technology and professional staff of caregivers are all in place to ensure that you and your family receive treatment in a caring, respectful and nurturing environment. NWH has established extensive internal quality measurements that surpass the standards defined by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) and the Hospital Quality Alliance (HQA) National Hospital Quality Measures. Our high-quality standards help to ensure that the treatment you receive at NWH is among the best in the nation. For more information, please visit http://www.nwhc.net and connect with us on Facebook.

About Northwell Health

Northwell Health is New York State’s largest health care provider and private employer, with 23 hospitals, about 750 outpatient facilities and more than 13,600 affiliated physicians. We care for over two million people annually in the New York metro area and beyond, thanks to philanthropic support from our communities. Our 70,000 employees – 16,000-plus nurses and 4,000 employed doctors, including members of Northwell Health Physician Partners – are working to change health care for the better. We’re making breakthroughs in medicine at the Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research. We’re training the next generation of medical professionals at the visionary Donald and Barbara Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell and the Hofstra Northwell School of Graduate Nursing and Physician Assistant Studies. For information on our more than 100 medical specialties, visit Northwell.edu and follow us @NorthwellHealth on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn.

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“These StudyJet courses have provided the knowledge needed to expand and manage our practice growth.” Dr. Aaron Skinner

CLEARWATER, Fla. (PRWEB)
December 16, 2019

The demand for taking courses online has grown rapidly over the past few years and according to the Physician Virtual Communication Survey, the demand is expected to triple by 2025. 84 percent of the physicians polled said they’d prefer to do courses and CME’s online.

Ulan Nutritional Systems embraced this trend and, after evaluating all the available systems and platforms, one year ago acquired the rights to use the StudyJet eLearning platform developed in Russia.

There are many advantages to eLearning for practitioners:

• 
  They can do the courses at a convenient time
• They don’t have to travel or leave their practice
• Practice staff can get trained without travel and time away

There are also drawbacks to online learning– studying alone without any tutoring or supervision, can be challenging. Students study some material, answer some questions, do multiple-choice quizzes, etc. The problem is, they often go past words or concepts they don’t understand, go blank, get drowsy, drift off into some daydream. There is no-one to catch them when this happens or help them if they have questions. Often, they end up abandoning the course. The average completion rate for self-study online courses is between 4% and 27%.

The StudyJet platform takes a different approach. All courses are supervised by a tutor who is online with the students as they study. The tutor is not teaching the course, but is there to observe, assist if they have any difficulties, and give feedback on exercises, and answer questions. It’s the perfect combination of live one-on-one interaction and self-paced study delivered online.

Ulan Nutritional Systems offers practice management courses on the StudyJet platform, as most practitioners have extensive knowledge in their field but have never been trained to run a business.

“These StudyJet courses have provided the knowledge needed to expand and manage our growth,” says Dr. Aaron Skinner. “I’ve been able to put my staff on the courses too, which I would not have been able to do if they had to travel to Florida. It’s had a very positive impact on our practice.”

“The Office Manager course gave me the tools I needed to focus on making sure each post is operating smoothly and following detailed procedures,” says Nora Benshoof, the office manager at MetroEast Natural Healing Center. “Our patient numbers have soared without increased stress for the team. We are continually exceeding our goals.”

“We’re delighted with the results our practitioners are getting after doing these courses online,” says Lisa Dunn, COO of Ulan Nutritional Systems. “The decision to become the first US company to use StudyJet has been a huge success.”

For more information on Ulan Nutritional Systems practice management training, the courses currently available, and the StudyJet platform, visit https://unsinc.info/studyjet-training/

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