The UDI Education Series:

The final FDA UDI Rule is due to be announced this Spring, and the question remains, how will the Joint Commission incorporate UDI guidelines for manufacturers into hospital practices?

The spirit of the FDA UDI Rule is to standardize medical device labeling in order to make it easier for the healthcare industry, including hospitals, to track medical devices. This leads us to believe the Joint Commission will require healthcare facilities to improve their methods and practices of tracking medical devices.

The tracking of food products was greatly improved through the UPC code initiative which standardized labeling; the FDA UDI Rule is expected to yield the same results. Inventory tracking in general leads to significantly improved recall management, usage data and other post market surveillance activities. These benefits will not only assist the FDA in better managing device regulations but will also significantly improve patient care as a whole.

It’s easy to imagine that the UPC code standardization for food products without the benefit of improved tracking systems in grocery stores and distribution networks making label standardization ineffective. As a result it is essential that healthcare facilities either voluntarily, or through proposed Joint Commission requirements, significantly improve their practices to fully realize the benefits of the new FDA UDI Rule.

Do you need help preparing for the UDI Rule? We’re available to answer your questions at 866-803-3720.

For over 2 years Champion Medical Technologies has been attending conferences, workshops and educating hospitals on the UDI initiative. Our market leading UDITracker® service with RecallConnect™ was specifically designed to help hospitals keep pace with regulatory changes. We’ve been preparing for this moment so you don’t have to.

Click here to read all of our posts in the UDI Education Series.

The post UDI Education Series: The FDA UDI Rule & The Joint Commission appeared first on Champion Medical Technologies.

Happy Nurses Week!

Today is the beginning of National Nurses Week, and here at Champion Medical Technologies, that means it is time to acknowledge the effort and dedication of our community of nurses. The theme for this years National Nurses Week, defined by the American Nurses Association, is “Delivering Quality and Innovation in Patient Care.” At Champion, we can relate to this theme because it is our mission too. We know the nurses who choose to use GraftTracker®, UDITracker® and RecallConnect® do so because they want to spend more time on patient care and less time on paperwork.

The American Nurses Association is offering a free continuing education webinar on “Innovation in Nursing Practice: Are You Leading the Charge?” on May 9 at 1 pm EST. The webinar’s focus is innovation in practice and process within organizations with a feature on innovations that improve patient outcomes.

About the American Nurses Association
ANA is the only full-service professional organization representing the interests of the nation’s 3.1 million registered nurses through its constituent and state nurses associations and its organizational affiliates. ANA advances the nursing profession by fostering high standards of nursing practice, promoting the rights of nurses in the workplace, projecting a positive and realistic view of nursing, and by lobbying the Congress and regulatory agencies on health care issues affecting nurses and the public.

The post Happy Nurses Week from Champion Medical Technologies appeared first on Champion Medical Technologies.

In an April 25th letter to the FDA the New Democrat Health Care Task Force-Reps. Allyson Schwartz (D-Pa.), Kurt Schrader (D-Ore.), and Bill Owens (D-N.Y.) inquired about the status of the final UDI Rule.

The lawmakers are concerned that recent public comments from FDA officials suggest that the agency will not finalize the UDI Rule by May 7, 2013. Delay of the UDI Rule will make patients, clinicians and hospitals wait longer for improvements in postmarket surveillance and medical device recalls.

The New Democrat Health Care Task Force supports the development of a national, integrated health system that promotes information distribution – this type of progress requires more accurate medical device implant tracking in patient care. Finalizing the UDI Rule has plenty of benefits (even ones desired by the FDA) such as improved postmarket surveillance and expedited medical device recalls. These benefits can only be achieved with the finalization of the UDI rule, which will authorize manufacturers to include unique identifiers on medical device packaging and applicable products.

The UDI Rule is also the kickoff point for many other healthcare initiatives, such as including UDI capture in electronic health records (EHR) and claim forms. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services’ (CMS) and the office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology’s (ONC) cannot include UDI capture as part of these regulations until the rule is passed.

How long will we have to wait to get enhanced implant tracking to improve our care? May 7th is just around the corner, so we won’t have to wait long to find out.

Click here to read the April 25th letter to the FDA from the New Democrat Health Care Task Force-Reps. Allyson Schwartz (D-Pa.), Kurt Schrader (D-Ore.), and Bill Owens (D-N.Y.)

The post UDI Rule Finalized by Legal Deadline? appeared first on Champion Medical Technologies.

We look forward to seeing you April 7 – 9, 2013 at OR Business Manager.

OR Business Manager Dates & Times:

Sunday, April 7 – 5:00 – 6:30 pm – Welcome Reception
Monday, April 8 – 8:00 am – 3:00 pm
Tuesday, April 9 – 7:30 am – noon

About the OR Business Manager Workshop:
The OR Business Manager Workshop is an intensive, interactive workshop designed for OR business managers to increase their knowledge of OR processes, to develop critical skills to drive effective business practices for surgical services, and to network with colleagues. The workshop is led by speakers experienced in managing the business of perioperative services, including an expert in the health care revenue cycle specific to perioperative services and an OR clinician. The focus of the workshop is on developing analytical/critical thinking skills as well as on understanding cost components and overall financial management of the OR. Attendees will have the opportunity to work on projects during small-group breakout sessions to problem-solve and develop strategic planning skills.

The post OR Business Manager Workshop 2013, Visit Champion Medical Technologies appeared first on Champion Medical Technologies.

Champion Medical Technologies in the Spotlight

While in New York ringing the closing bell at the NASDAQ, Champion Medical Technologies was interviewed for a print and video article by Kate Rogers of Fox Business News. Rogers asked CEO Peter Casady about the company and its innovative, award-winning recall alert service, RecallConnect^®. The Fox News interview was an opportunity to tell a broader audience about the challenge hospitals face doing manual medical device recall investigations and how RecallConnect® automates the recall alert process.

Follow this link to watch the video and read more: http://www.foxbusiness.com/business-leaders/2013/02/27/chicago-innovators-celebrate-at-nasdaq/#ixzz2MguffzL4

Kate Rogers of Fox News interviewing Champion Medical Technologies CEO Peter Casady in New York.

The post Champion Medical Technologies Interviewed by Fox News appeared first on Champion Medical Technologies.

Times Square lights up Champion Medical Technologies

Peter and Karrie Casady (far left), represented Champion Medical Technologies at the NASDAQ ceremony.

Monday February 25, 2013 was an exciting day for Champion Medical Technologies. As a Chicago Innovation Award 2012 winner for our real-time recall matching system, RecallConnect^®, we were invited to ring the closing NASDAQ bell. CEO, Peter Casady and his wife Karrie, represented Champion Medical Technologies at the ceremony.

Peter and Karrie Casady in front of the Times Square NASDAQ billboard featuring the Champion Medical Technologies logo.

About Chicago Innovation Awards:
Established in 2002, the Chicago Innovation Awards shine a bright light on the creative spirit of Chicago by focusing attention on the most significant new products and services introduced in the region. The winners each year are innovations that uniquely fill unmet needs, spark a competitive response in the marketplace, exceed market expectations, achieve financial success, and improve people’s lives. They emerge from the public, private, and nonprofit sectors. Most importantly, the Chicago Innovation Awards remind us that innovation is thriving in America’s heartland. The Chicago Innovation Awards has grown to be much more than just an award ceremony. Through many events over the course of the year, the Chicago Innovation Awards not only recognize nominees and winners, but also provide valuable connections through business networking and development opportunities, as well as teaching on best innovation practices through mentoring, scholarship, panel discussions, and education courses.

The post Champion Medical Technologies Rings NASDAQ Closing Bell appeared first on Champion Medical Technologies.

Photo Credit: NASDAQ Stock Exchange Quotes

Champion Medical Technologies and the Chicago Innovation Awards to Ring NASDAQ

Celebrating Innovation in the Chicago Region

Lake Zurich, IL – Champion Medical Technologies will join the Chicago Innovation Awards, the Chicago region’s foremost annual celebration of innovation, in New York City on Monday, February 25^th to close the NASDAQ Stock Market, the premier exchange for technology companies.  The event, arranged by the Chicago Innovation Awards, will emphasize the surge of innovation that is occurring in the Chicago region, and shine a spotlight on the organizations that make of its vibrant economy.

“This annual event is an excellent example of how the Chicago Innovation Awards celebrates the spirit of innovation in organizations across all industries, sizes and sectors,” said Tom Kuczmarski, Co-Founder of the Chicago Innovation Awards.

“We congratulate Champion Medical Technologies for winning the Chicago Innovation Awards, and applaud their commitment to innovation,” said Dan Miller, fellow Co-Founder.

Joining Champion Medical Technologies will be fellow winners of the 2012 Chicago Innovation Awards including BrightTag, BriteSeed, Catamaran, Coyote Logistics, Cummins Allison, Feeding America, Littelfuse, Medline Industries, MentorMob, Mobcart, Moneythink, New Futuro, Northwestern Global Health Foundation, OptionsCity Software, Polybrite, and SMS Assist.

“We’re looking forward to representing the city of Chicago in this exciting event. This is a great opportunity to show the country that the heartland is a thriving place for innovation and technology. We are thankful to the Chicago Innovation Awards for this honor and experience,” said Peter Casady, CEO of Champion Medical Technologies.

Champion’s winning innovation RecallConnect®, is a recall matching system that provides hospitals recall notifications electronically through CMT’s hospital subscription internet service and locates them in real-time to current and historic hospital inventory, including individual patients. RecallConnect® is an important innovation in healthcare because “the distressing reality is that we can identify and remove tainted peanut butter and dog food from the market before it reaches consumers, but healthcare patients are at risk of a recalled medical device used in their treatment because there is no way to quickly and reliably locate a recalled device,” said Blair Childs, Senior Vice President for Public Affairs of Premier Healthcare Alliance. RecallConnect® allows hospitals to locate recalled devices in seconds.

# # #

About Chicago Innovation Awards:
Established in 2002, the Chicago Innovation Awards shine a bright light on the creative spirit of Chicago by focusing attention on the most significant new products and services introduced in the region. The winners each year are innovations that uniquely fill unmet needs, spark a competitive response in the marketplace, exceed market expectations, achieve financial success, and improve people’s lives. They emerge from the public, private, and nonprofit sectors. Most importantly, the Chicago Innovation Awards remind us that innovation is thriving in America’s heartland. The Chicago Innovation Awards has grown to be much more than just an award ceremony. Through many events over the course of the year, the Chicago Innovation Awards not only recognize nominees and winners, but also provide valuable connections through business networking and development opportunities, as well as teaching on best innovation practices through mentoring, scholarship, panel discussions, and education courses.

About NASDAQ OMX Group:
The inventor of the electronic exchange, The NASDAQ OMX Group, Inc., fuels economies and provides transformative technologies for the entire lifecycle of a trade – from risk management to trade to surveillance to clearing. In the U.S. and Europe, we own and operate 26 markets including 3 clearinghouses and 5 central securities depositories supporting equities, options, fixed income, derivatives, commodities, futures and structured products. Able to process more than 1 million messages per second at sub-55 microsecond average speeds with 99.99% uptime, our technology drives more than 70 marketplaces in 50 developed and emerging countries into the future, powering 1 in 10 of the world’s securities transactions. Our award-winning data products and worldwide indexes are the benchmarks in the financial industry. Home to approximately 3,300 listed companies worth $6 trillion in market cap whose innovations shape our world, we give the ideas of tomorrow access to capital today. Welcome to where the world takes a big leap forward, daily. Welcome to the NASDAQ OMX Century. To learn more, visit www.nasdaqomx.com. Follow us on Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/NASDAQ) and Twitter (http://www.twitter.com/nasdaqomx). (Symbol: NDAQ and member of S&P 500)

The post Champion Medical Technologies will Ring NASDAQ Closing Bell appeared first on Champion Medical Technologies.

About Society for Information Management Chicago
The Chicago chapter of SIM is one of the largest chapters in the association with more than 200 members. SIM Chicago provides a unique opportunity to interact with thought leaders throughout the technology and business fields and to join peers in giving back to the industry and community.

About Chicago Innovation Awards
Established in 2002, the Chicago Innovation Awards shine a bright light on the creative spirit of Chicago by focusing attention on the most significant new products and services introduced in the region.

The post Chicago Innovation Excitement appeared first on Champion Medical Technologies.

We look forward to seeing you at AORN, the largest surgical tradeshow in the United States. We’ll have a free gift waiting for you!

AORN Exhibit Hall Dates & Times:

Monday, March 4 – 5:00 – 7:30 pm – Exhibit hall reception
Tuesday, March 5 – 9:00 am – 3:00 pm
Wednesday, March 6 – 10:00 am – 3:00 pm

About AORN 60th Congress:

Congress is the opportunity of the year to get energized and connected with 5,000 others in the perioperative field. It is the largest surgical products tradeshow in North America and offers over 100 education sessions, networking, and career building opportunities in six days.

The post Visit GraftTracker / UDITracker at 2013 AORN Congress – Booth 2951 appeared first on Champion Medical Technologies.

The UDI Education Series:

How does the UDI Rule improve Medical Device Recalls?

The current state-of-the-art method for investigating a medical device recall is typically a manual process which requires the Risk Management department and other hospital staff to check current inventory and patient implant records to determine exposure of the recall within the facility. The UDI Rule will streamline this process in the following ways:

• By providing a standardized identifier, hospitals can track inventory at the production identifier level (serial number, lot number, expiration date) for the first time.
• Because of this new standardization it should become easier for healthcare professionals to capture specific implant usage data by procedure and patient.
• Utilizing internet based UDI implant tracking services, hospitals will also be able to identify recalled devices in their inventory more efficiently.

For over 2 years Champion Medical Technologies has been attending UDI conferences, workshops and educating hospitals on the UDI initiative. Our market leading UDITracker® service with RecallConnect™ was specifically designed to help hospitals keep pace with regulatory changes. We’ve been preparing for this moment so you don’t have to.

The post The UDI Education Series: How does the UDI Rule improve Medical Device Recalls? appeared first on Champion Medical Technologies.