Hycor Marketing New Blood Test
Hycor Biomedical Inc. recently introduced a new product called HY-TEC 288, which tests for autoimmune diseases (such as rheumatoid arthritis) and allergies at the same time. With a single blood sample, the hardware/software package can test for up to eight different autoimmune indicators and more than 900 specific allergies. Clinical laboratories can test up to 50 patient samples and process up to 288 allergy test results per run.
First-quarter sales for the Garden Grove company were $4.6 million, compared with sales of $4.7 million for the same period last year. Hycor makes and markets medical diagnostic products in the U.S. and internationally.
PacifiCare Out at UCI
UCI Medical Center patients with PacifiCare coverage (including this reporter) are getting the boot. That’s because PacifiCare isn’t paying UCI enough money to cover costs, let alone make a profit, said Susan Rayburn, the medical center’s vice president of external affairs. The contract officially ends July 1 and PacifiCare members were notified by letter two weeks ago.
“All we wanted to do was cover the cost,” Rayburn said.
Cheryl Brady, a spokeswoman for Cypress-based PacifiCare of California, said other medical groups and hospitals in Orange County are successful under comparable rates. Further, “PacifiCare/Secure Horizons has been working with UCI since 1993 and we made every effort to continue our relationship. We are disheartened that UCI chose to terminate their relationship,” she said in a faxed statement.
PacifiCare’s Secure Horizon members (senior patients) were sent letters last week notifying them of UCI’s cancellation of Secure Horizon coverage and that they, too, will need to find another medical provider.
The losses for UCI look like this, according to Rayburn: Last fiscal year, UCI had 3,055 PacifiCare members and lost $776,000 on them. Year-to-date, it has 3,495 members who have piled up a loss of $957,000.
“So the loss is increasing,” Rayburn said.
Under Secure Horizons, UCI had 194 members and lost $296,275 last year. Year-to-date, it lost $454,000 on 294 members.
UCI has had a few calls regarding the cancellation of its PacifiCare contract, but expects to get most of its calls from the seniors enrolled in the Secure Horizons plan.
St. Joseph R & D; Unit Gets Grant
St. Joseph Health System’s research and development department was awarded a $340,000 grant in April from UniHealth Foundation to fund a research program to develop disease management techniques for diabetes patients.
The 18-month grant builds upon an earlier diabetes-control study that was a collaboration between Yorba Park Medical Group and La Amistad Community Health Clinic in Orange. The grant is the first for the R & D; department.
Excess-Iron Disease Topic of Study
UCI College of Medicine researchers received a $4 million grant from the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute to establish a center to study a disorder called hemochromatosis, which is caused by high levels of iron in the body. The genetic disease can lead to diabetes, arthritis, congestive heart failure and cirrhosis of the liver or liver cancer. It affects nearly 1.5 million white Americans. To date, few studies have been conducted on other ethnic groups but the five-year study will encompass whites, African-Americans, Asians and Hispanics.
OC’s Dark Side
In beautiful Orange County 2,570 children were reported abused in February, according to the Orange County Social Services Agency Child Abuse Registry’s monthly statistical report. The ethnic breakdown: Hispanics 49.92%; non-Hispanic whites 36.7%; African-Americans, 4.9%; Asians, 1.79%; other, 6.92%. OC’s largest cities, Santa Ana and Anaheim, accounted for 946 of the reports, while Irvine, Costa Mesa, Huntington Beach, Garden Grove and Orange all had 80 or more reports each.
On that note, the Orange County Child Abuse Prevention Center is looking for volunteers. Contact Ray Stanton, volunteer coordinator at (949) 722-1107, Ext. 19.
Bits and Pieces:
The Mental Health Association of Orange County, a nonprofit agency, is hosting its sixth annual “Meeting of the Minds” mental health resource fair and conference this Tuesday. More than 500 mental-health professionals are expected to attend the event at the Disneyland Hotel. The keynote speaker is author Judith Viorst. For more information, call (714) 547-7559 … Kaiser Permanente Orange County opened its new San Juan Capistrano Medical Offices last month at 30400 Camino Capistrano … Newport Beach’s Physiciansite.com launched a new membership campaign last month. The site offers services for physicians, such as credentialing.
