CMS: Physician Groups in P4P Demo Increase Care Quality and Savings

       The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) announces that all participating physician groups improved the clinical management of patients with diabetes in the first year of the three-year Medicare Physician Group Practice (PGP) Demonstration. This demonstration rewards providers for coordinating and managing the overall healthcare needs of Medicare patients with chronic conditions.
       “With healthcare costs continuing to grow and the Medicare population expanding, it is critical that we find ways to control costs while improving the quality of care,” says Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Mike Leavitt. “This project [shows] that paying for quality of care instead of volume of services helps the program, physicians, and patients.”
       Under the demonstration, which began in April of 2005, physician groups continue to be paid on a fee-for-service basis and can share in savings generated from enhancements in care management. All ten of the participating physician groups achieved benchmark or target performance on at least seven of the ten clinical quality measures.
       A unique feature of this demonstration is that the groups have the flexibility to redesign care processes for patients with chronic illness and complex healthcare needs and invest in care management initiatives. This helps Medicare beneficiaries maintain their health and avoid further illness and admissions to the hospital at no additional cost and with no reductions in benefits. If these efforts save money for the Medicare program, the physician groups can share in a portion of those savings.
       The PGP demonstration has fostered a nationwide learning collaborative for the groups who voluntarily participated in this demonstration as a result of their leadership in their communities and profession. CMS is working with the groups to identify successful healthcare redesign and care management models developed under the demonstration that can be spread across the healthcare system.

SANUWAVE Wound Healing Device Receives CE Mark Approval

       SANUWAVE, Inc., a leading provider and developer of extracorporeal shock wave technology (ESWT) and pulsed acoustic cellular expression (PACE), announces its dermaPACE device recently received European Community CE mark approval to treat acute and chronic defects of the skin and subcutaneous soft tissue, such as in the treatment of pressure ulcers, diabetic foot ulcers, burns, and traumatic and surgical wounds.
       An abstract presented during the Wound Care Congress in Colorado Springs, Colorado, in October of 2006 documented the treatment of nine diabetic patients with chronic leg ulcers of greater than six months duration treated with dermaPACE. The patients received a series of four PACE treatments over two weeks and were followed for three months. Results of this pilot study showed that all wounds improved using the dermaPACE, and 75% of the wounds achieved greater than 92% closure during the study period. It is estimated that there are two million chronic and/or complex wounds occurring annually that could benefit from dermaPACE in the European Community.
       “This regulatory approval represents a significant milestone accomplishment for SANUWAVE,” says President and CEO Christopher M. Cashman. “Hard-to-heal wounds are a global economic burden on healthcare systems, insurers, and individual financial accounts, not to mention the emotional drain on each person affected. We are pleased to offer a new emerging care option for these patients that helps alleviate the mental, physical, and financial stresses associated with these skin maladies.”
       For more information, visit www.sanuwave.com.

MDI Tech Acquires REPS Software

       MDI Technologies, Inc., announces that it recently acquired all outstanding shares of Ideal Software, Inc., a U.S. company doing business as REPS Software. Located in Tampa, Florida, REPS Software develops and sells CRM/lead management and clinical software to the senior living and assisted living industries.
       “The reputation of REPS Software products in our industry is exceptional, and we’re pleased to add it to our product line,” says Polly Kirkwood, MDI’s Director of Sales and Marketing. “We are excited to offer this option to our existing client base as a new tool to help them grow their businesses.”
       REPS Software provides a powerful lead management, marketing, and referral source-tracking software package developed specifically for senior living communities. This software is currently used in more than 1,700 senior living and active adult communities across the United States.
       MDI Technologies, Inc., is a leading provider of clinical, financial, and administrative software designed specifically for the senior living market. MDI’s software is currently in use in more than 1,900 facilities across the United States.
       For more information, visit www.mditech.com or call 800-552-9845.