Premier Works Convention for Orders; PacifiCare Unimpressed by United HealthCare Plan
The words “scalpel” and “suture” need not be synonymous with treating gum disease anymore, say Drs. Delwin McCarthy and Robert Gregg, co-founders of Millennium Dental Technologies in Cerritos. McCarthy and Gregg, Orange County residents who both also share a practice in Huntington Beach, developed the PerioLase, a laser designed to get rid of gum infection without the need to cut and scrape. The laser was approved by the FDA on April 1, and now is used by some 50 dentists nationwide.
Here’s how it works: A flexible quartz fiber thinner than a paper clip is inserted into the affected area and the laser zaps away diseased tissue. Gregg likens it to pulling lint off your socks rather than pulling your whole foot off. And it costs less too, he said. Traditional gum surgery costs around $1,500 per quadrant, compared with $1,000 per quadrant with the laser version. It’s a “leave the dentist’s chair and go eat lunch” laser alternative, Gregg said.
Founded five years ago, Millennium is a distributor of dental equipment such as an ultrasound teeth-cleaning system, and is partnering with Sony to develop a tiny video camera for use in dental exams and procedures.
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Speaking of lasers :
Premier Laser Systems Inc. of Irvine and its 51% owned subsidiary, Ophthalmic Imaging Systems of Sacramento, said they received more than $2.4 million in orders at the Annual American Academy of Ophthalmology Conference in Orlando a few weeks ago.
OIS, a publicly held company, makes ophthalmic digital imaging systems and analysis software to treat age-related macular degeneration. Last month, OIS accepted Premier’s offer for the 49% of the company it does not already own.
Kaiser Permanente Southern California is rated No. 8 in Newsweek magazine’s national survey of the best HMOs. The rankings are based on data from the Health Plan Employer Data and Information Set (HEDIS), which is maintained by the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) in Washington.
The survey of HMOs and managed care health plans was done in conjunction with HealthGrades.com. Three other California HMOs that made it on the list of 100: Kaiser Permanente Northern California (no. 33), Health Net (no. 99) and United HealthCare of California (no.100).
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We’ve been doing this for years, was the response from Cypress-based PacifiCare of California following the Nov. 9 announcement by Minneapolis-based United HealthCare that it is letting its physicians have the last word when it comes to patient referrals. PacifiCare officials said its Express Referrals program, which was launched in 1996, allows primary-care doctors to send a patient directly to a specialist.
Cardiac Science Inc. of Irvine introduced its new defibrillator-monitor, called Powerheart, at the American Heart Association’s 72nd Scientific Sessions in Atlanta. The Powerheart continuously monitors a patient and when it detects life-threatening abnormal heartbeat rhythm, it delivers automatic defibrillation shocks without hospital staff.
The device is an external version of an implantable cardioverter defibrillator.
Bits and pieces:
Physicansite.com, a e-commerce site for physicians launched in September, will partner with medibuy.com, San Diego, as its medical supplies provider David Pyott, CEO of Irvine-based Allergan Inc., was elected to the board of Avery Denison Corp., Pasadena Allergan also won a top award at the Financial Times Pharmaceuticals’ Global Pharmaceutical Industry Award 1999 ceremony in New York City on Nov. 1. The Irvine-based company won in the category of Innovation in Supply Chain Management PacificCare Dental & Vision won an award for best in consumer health information programs and materials at the sixth annual National Health Information Awards. The award was given by the Health Information Resource Center, a national private sector clearing house for consumer health information programs and materials Anaheim Memorial Medical Center raised $90,000 at its annual fund-raising event recently. Proceeds will help fund the completion of the new MemorialCare Breast Center at Anaheim, which is scheduled to open in the spring PharmaPrint Inc. has completed its first phase of testing on soy to analyze its biological potential and health benefits. Possible benefits include improved cardiovascular function and bone formation and the prevention of breast cancer St. Joseph’s Hospital Foundation of Orange will host its 16th Annual “Light Up a Life” Christmas tree lighting on Dec. 5 at 5:30 p.m. at the St. Joseph Hospital Park. The annual celebration honors past and present patients of the hospital’s hospice program by selling lights on the 75-foot-tall evergreen tree donated six years ago by an Orange County resident.
ColorMax Technologies Inc., manufacturers of products to help those with color blindness, recently moved its office to a new facility at 14251 Chambers Road in Tustin. The 12,000-square-foot facility was previously occupied by Lockheed Martin Corp. PMI Dental Health Plan (Delta Dental’s HMO affiliate) is using the web to attract seniors and individual and family members for its two new programs tailored for the two groups. The dental HMO programs for individuals will be available only in California. The site: www.deltadentalca.org.
