Premier says sale good for competition, expects fourth quarter
close
Few details have emerged in the weeks following the July 24 announcement that
Premier Inc. (San Diego) agreed to sell its Clinical Technology Services (CTS of
Charlotte, N.C.) business to managed services provider Aramark (Philadelphia).
The initial press release from Aramark on that date indicated it had agreed to pay
approximately $100 million in cash for CTS.
Repeated attempts to contact Aramark have been unsuccessful. A spokeswoman for the
company regularly indicated that Aramark holds fast to its corporate policy of not
commenting on pending acquisitions other than to issue a press release.
Larry Abramson, senior vice president for Supply Chain Solutions at Premier, told 24x7
that the two companies expect the deal to close “the fourth quarter of calendar year
‘02, the early part of it,” pending regulatory and other approvals. At that
point, the 600 CTS employees will become Aramark employees.
Kodak’s Health Imaging
division realigns
Eastman Kodak Co.’s Health Imaging division (Rochester, N.Y.) recently announced an
organizational realignment that the company said “will better drive its strategic
growth initiatives, leverage its technology and strengthen its overall performance.”The realignment comprises three key components: Strategic Products
Groups, Regional Operations and Global Functions.
Strategic Products Groups handle overall business
strategies and direction, marketing, and product development for specific product and
service categories within the division. Included in that category are Healthcare
Information Services — PACS (picture archiving and communications systems), RIS
(radiology information systems), professional services and healthcare decision-support
systems; and Equipment Services — customer equipment maintenance and asset
management. |
 Money Moves
The Web Worm has always been “funny about money”
and now he feels a little more comfortable with his position. Combining two favorite
underground past times — public television and the Internet — the Legless Laugh
Monger came across the Web site for the Money Moves PBS television program
(www.pbs.org/moneymoves) and it hasn’t left the bookmarks list since.
The Q&A section of the site is worth a look for
the financially challenged, and “Jack’s Two Cents” provides some
long-winded opinions on a variety of topics from show host and comedian Jack “Funny
about Money” Gallagher.
 But the “hot topics” section
provided the best medicine including at least one tragic tale of Greek proportions. Poor
George Collins of North Carolina lost two cars in a flood during Hurricane Floyd. After
all the turmoil, George researched and bought a new used car to replace the other two he
had lost. Of course, George eventually learns that this car, too, had been flood-damaged.
Poor old George learned from mechanic Van Whitmore that a car that has been flooded will
likely include a water line or discoloration around some of the components. And folding
back the mats and carpet can help a buyer spot moisture, dirt, sand, or mud.
But more importantly, he learned not to buy a used car from
a dealer in a flood-ravaged state! |
Money
Moves
http://www.pbs.org/moneymoves
|
International Spy Museum
What kid didn’t dream about being a spy at one age or another? The mystery. The
excitement. But today it seems like spies are more popular than ever. Sure, there was
always James Bond and Get Smart, but now we’ve got Austin Powers and Dr. Evil at
every cross-marketing turn, Spy Kids in the movie theaters and the International Spy
Museum inspiring future generations to get in the espionage biz.
That’s right. The International Spy Museum opened this summer in Washington, D.C.,
with E. Peter Earnest, a 36-year CIA veteran, as its executive director. The museum was
created by businessman Milton Maltz and occupies five, century-old buildings adjacent to
the FBI headquarters in the nation’s capital. Some of the more interesting exhibits
and plans at the museum include a listening station that picks up conversations via
several bugs throughout the museum and classes for elementary and secondary school
children “to increase students’ understanding of the impact of spying on
historic and current events.” It even plans to offer more advanced workshops and
lesson plans for teachers.
And if you can’t get there, then just surf on over to its on-line home at
www.spymuseum.org, which offers museum previews, museum job openings (for the real fans)
and fun stuff like on-line espionage games.
Grooooovvy, baby!
Survey Says: IT Managers earn big bucks
Where would you like to work as a healthcare information technology (IT) professional?
Well, if you’re a male in a senior management position with a consulting firm and
live in the mid-Atlantic states, focus on that criteria.
According to the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society’s (HIMSS of
Chicago) 2002 HIMSS Annual Compensation Survey, the best-compensated healthcare IT
professional fits that profile. It also helps if the person has worked in that position
for several years and is employed by a company with more than $500 million in annual
revenues.
The annual survey is sponsored by healthcare IT company SSI Group Inc. (Mobile, Ala.).
ASHE Logs Record Attendance
Approximately 3,000 healthcare engineers, facility managers, vendors and healthcare
professionals converged on Nashville, Tenn., for the American Society for Healthcare
Engineering’s (ASHE) 39th Annual Conference & Technical Exhibition in late July.
ASHE officials had predicted attendance in excess of 2,000 people, but according to
Susan G. Rubin, ASHE director of marketing and communications, the 2002 event turned out
to be “the largest meeting … in all terms.”
Keynote speaker Dr. Bob Arnot kicked off the conference on Monday, July 29, with his
presentation, “Emerging Diseases and the Threat of Bio-terrorism,” in which he
analyzed the truths and the myths associated with the country’s domestic security
concerns. Closing keynote speaker on Wednesday, July 31, was Bob Hirschfeld, who spoke on
computer technology and the way the digital age has changed how society works and plays.
TiM expands into Mid-Atlantic with ACE acquisition
Independent service organization (ISO) Technology in Medicine Inc. (TiM of
Holliston, Mass.) on Aug. 19 announced its acquisition of Authorized Clinical Engineering
Inc. (ACE of Mechanicsville, Va.).
TiM CEO Raymond Zambuto said the transaction was a “stock sale, so to speak”
without putting a dollar value on the deal. The acquisition had closed in June, but TiM
held off its announcement until all the paperwork had cleared, he added.
As part of the deal, TiM takes on ACE’s staff of four service employees and
approximately 30 clients, adding to TiM’s roster of 100-plus customers. TiM intends
to keep the ACE office in Virginia, although Zambuto indicated the street address could
change as business increases and TiM sets up a more formal shop area.
Bulbtronics begins doing business via the Web
Bulb, battery and lighting distributor Bulbtronics Inc. (Farmingdale, N.Y.) recently
launched an e-commerce initiative that will offer its healthcare customers product
information and purchasing options on-line at www.bulbtronics.com.
Users register, then search by keyword, product type or equipment to access
Bulbtronics’ full inventory of ophthalmic, microscope, surgical, endoscope and other
medical bulbs and batteries located in the company’s three warehouses. Customers can
create their own quotes, repeat an order, and reference and use their own internal part
numbers. Companies and buying groups also have access to detailed account and shipping
information.
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