News

PHS West Donates to Team Red, White and Blue-- July 16,2011
PHS West, a provider of custom material handling solutions for supply, equipment transport and storage, announces its support of Team Red, White and Blue (RWB). PHS West recently donated $500.00 to this worthy organization.

PHS West Forms Strategic Alliance With Kelby Ergo Design
PHS West, a manufacturer of material transport equipment, and Kelby Ergo Design an ergonomic and productivity consulting firm announces the formation of a strategic alliance between the companies. The mission of the alliance is to help customers reduce injury risks while improving productivity relating to material transport.

PHS West Inc Announces FDA 510(k) Clearance for Patient Transport System
With FDA 510(k) clearance, PHS West’s Ergo-Express® PTC1 Motorized Patient Mover can be used in all areas of patient transport for hospitals and clinics.

PHS West to celebrate its 15th Anniversary
PHS West, a provider of custom solutions for supply, equipment transport and storage, will be celebrating its 15th year anniversary this coming August. PHS West provides material handling solutions for hospitals, manufacturing companies, restaurants, hotels, and office complexes.

Industry News

Preventing equine stomach ulcers -- November 27, 2011
April Knudson, DVM, is an Equine Specialist with Merial Veterinary Services. She has a special interest in sport horse lameness and internal medicine.

2011 National Ergonomics Conference Will Open in Las Vegas With a Sold Out Exhibit Hall, Hewlett Packard, NIOSH and VPPPA Leaders to Keynote --November 21, 2011
LAS VEGAS, Nov. 21, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- The 17th Annual National Ergonomics Conference and Exposition (ErgoExpo) will be at Caesars Palace, Las Vegas, November 29 – December 2.

6 Recommendations to Prevent Cross-Contamination in Endoscope Processing --November 17. 2011
The FDA, CDC and Department of Veterans Affairs provide the following six general recommendations to prevent cross-contamination in endoscope processing.

The ergonomics challenge -- November 14, 2011
When ergonomists study a workplace, they look at everything that affects how a task is performed, including worker posture, forces used in a task, repetition, lighting, equipment location, room temperature, and the size and layout of the work field.

Why You Need a Better Office Chair -- November 4, 2011
Sitting all day can cause backaches, neck pain, and other problems. We wondered whether a new kind of chair could help, so we put five models to the test.

How to Recruit and Retain Top-Quality Nurses -- November 1, 2011
Finding and hiring the best nursing talent for an ambulatory surgery center has always been — and always will be — a challenge, says Greg Zoch, partner and managing director at Kaye/Bassman International, a recruiting and search firm based out of Dallas.

Companies & Markets: China to be the Fastest Growing Endoscopy Devices Market Among Emerging Economies -- October 25, 2011
Endoscopy Devices Market in Emerging Economies (India, China, Brazil) - Growing Investments in Hospitals to be the Major Growth Driver. The endoscopy devices market in the emerging economies of China, India and Brazil grew at a Compounded Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 4%, 3% and 3%.

DR CINDY Pan explains what causes reflux and how it can be managed -- October 24. 2011

Doctor at centre of dirty clinic probe sued Ottawa Hospital in 2009 --October 20,2011
OTTAWA — The doctor whose endoscopy clinic is facing a public-health probe is involved in a $3.3-million lawsuit alleging negligence at The Ottawa Hospital, court documents show

Questions to ask your endoscopist --October 19, 2011
Sanitation practices involving endoscopes have been highlighted by recent revelations that an Ottawa private clinic didn't always follow proper infection prevent and cleaning protocols.

Study Finds Narrow Band Imaging Faster, More Effective than Chromoendoscopy in IBD Patients -- October 13, 2011
A study published in the October issue of GIE: Gastrointestinal Endoscopy found that narrow band imaging is less time-consuming and equally effective as chromoendoscopy to detect dysplasia in patients with long-standing IBD, a news release said.

Calif. law protects nurses from injury - October 9, 2011
SACRAMENTO, Oct. 9 (UPI) -- California's Gov. Jerry Brown said he would sign a law to protect registered nurses and other employees from disabling injuries from lifting patients.

Work-relevant MSDs and the older workforce -- October 1, 2011
Organisations must ensure that they are able to provide a healthy and productive environment for older workers, says Kathy Lewis.

Endoscopy unit turning patient heads -- September 27, 2011
There has been a transformation of the endoscopy unit at Medicine Hat Regional Hospital into a state of the art facility that patients are overwhelming impressed with.

Ready to Try a Sit Stand Desk? 4 Tips from Anthro -- September 22, 2011
PORTLAND, Ore., Sep 22, 2011 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- For decades now Anthro Corporation, a maker of a wide variety of adjustable height desks, has been preaching that ergonomics can improve workplace productivity, reduce absenteeism, and boost morale. But when they were profiled in a New York Times article about the benefits of standing on the job -- and with the company poised to introduce the new Steve's Station(TM) family of sit-stand workstations in Fall, 2011 -- it inspired the Portland, Oregon-area firm to really put their principles -- and products -- through the paces.

Coeds Cope With Technology-Induced Thumb Pain -- September 17, 2011
More and more of us are suffering from sore thumbs. Ergonomics experts say too much texting and typing on iPads and other tablets can cause pain in the hands, shoulders, neck and back. College students talk about coping with the strain of all their high-tech gadgets.

Obese patients prompt hospitals to adopt new equipment, protocols September 14, 2011
La Crosse, Wis. — In her job as a nurse for Gundersen Lutheran Hospital, one of the things Patti Anderson does most is move patients. Sometimes she moves them on stretchers. Other times she uses beds or wheelchairs.

10 Best Practices to Market Colonoscopies September 13, 2011
Nancy Nikolovski, administrator of Physicians Endoscopy Center in Houston, offers 10 best practices on how to market colonoscopies at GI/endoscopy centers.

Surgeon Develops Minimally Invasive Procedure to Treat GERD -- September 2 2011
Darren Rohan, MD, a thoracic surgeon at HealthAlliance of the Hudson Valley in New York, has developed a minimally invasive procedure to treat gastroesophageal reflux disease, according to an MD News report.

Dr. Aman Ali: What are the causes of stomach pain? -- August 31, 2011
Stomach or gastric pain and discomfort, also known as dyspepsia, is an uncomfortable feeling in the upper middle part of your abdomen and sometimes referred to as indigestion.

Heartburn Medications May Have Serious Side Effect --August 28, 2011
Heartburn sufferers, take warning. The medications that you take to treat your heartburn, called proton pump inhibitors, or more commonly known as drugs such as Prilosec, Nexium or Prevacid, may have a serious side effect.

Packaging professionals can increase their contributions to the bottom line with the Material Handling Equation -- August 17,2011
The Material Handling Equation is Material + Move = Method: consider the characteristics of the material, along with the characteristics of the move, in order to choose a method for moving the material

iPad neck - ergonomics experts warn of tablet injury -- August 11, 2011
THE rise of the iPad could prove to be a serious pain in the neck if its ergonomic failings are not addressed, experts warn.

The Value of Flexibility in DC Networks --August 8th, 2011
In the past I have written about the value of flexibility as a driver for what type of material handling you select for your warehouse

Three new cancer tests are on their way -- August 4th, 2011
Funded by the Medical Research Council – and based on a Japanese test first used 40 years ago – the new procedure uses a capsule attached to a piece of string

UB Neurosurgery Faculty Offer Brain Endoscopy Course -- July 21,2011
BUFFALO, N.Y. -- Neurosurgical residents, fellows and attending neurosurgeons interested in minimally invasive endoscopic surgery of the brain will gather in Buffalo

Do you work? How to prevent job from causing you harm -- July 21,2011
If you're a member of the American workforce, chances are you're at risk for acquiring a repetitive strain injury someplace in your body.

CDC releases infection prevention guide for outpatient clinics -- July 13, 2011
More than three-quarters of all operations in the U.S. are now done in outpatient clinics, not hospitals. But many of those clinics don’t adhere to standard infection-prevention practices.

CDC releases safety guide for outpatient clinics -- July 13, 2011
Medical care in outpatient settings has surged in recent years, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, yet in many cases adherence to standard infection prevention practices in outpatient settings is lacking.

Robotic Material Handling: Cases, Bags, Dairy -- July 8, 2011
Robotics are gaining greater acceptance within the packaging machinery industry. Easily integrated with a wide variety of packaging equipment, robots provide a unique solution which yield simple, flexible and highly reliable results.

Logistics New: Where Does the Intelligence Belong in Automated Material Handling Systems? -- July 7th, 2011
Almost Always Just in the WMS, Fralick Says, not the WCS, but at Least Makes Sure there isn't Some in Both

Medicare Proposes 0.9% ASC Fee Increase, Linking Payments to Quality-- July 4th, 2011
CMS has released its 2012 proposed payment rule for ambulatory surgery centers and hospital outpatient departments, which calls for a proposed ASC Medicare across the board fee increase of 0.9 percent beginning Jan. 1, 2012, and the establishment of a requirement for ASC quality reporting, according to an ASC Association news release and CMS.

23 Safe Work Practices for Preventing Sharps Injuries -- July 1st, 2011
To promote safe work practices, healthcare personnel need to have an awareness of the risk of injury throughout the time a sharp is exposed and use a combination of strategies to protect themselves and their co-workers throughout the handling of the device.

We All Need Good Computer Ergonomics -- June 19.2011
Having trouble with finding good posture in front of the computer? You’re not alone, but there are ways to fix it.

Esophageal Cancer Risk Lower Than Previously Thought -- June 16, 2011
Esophageal cancer risk associated with the condition known as Barrett's esophagus may be lower than scientists previously thought.

Men three times more likely to face esophageal cancer -- June 10, 2011
Two major risk factors for esophageal cancer — age and gender — can’t be changed. Most people in the United States who are diagnosed with this illness are 65 or older. And a disproportionate number are men.

Disposable endoscopes poised to make market debut next year --June 10, 2011
There have been gloves and shavers for one-off use for a long time. In future, there will also be disposable endoscopes for minimally invasive operations on the human body. A new micro- camera is what makes this possible. It is as large as a grain of salt, supplies razor-sharp pictures and can be manufactured at very little cost.

Material Handling Growth to Continue -- JUne 7,2011
Material handling equipment orders grew more than 22% in 2010, and are forecasted to grow 11-12% in 2011/2012, according to the latest Material Handling Equipment Manufacturing (MHEM) Forecast from Material Handling Industry of America (MHIA).

9 Reasons Not To Ignore Heartburn Symptoms -- May 28, 2011
For most Americans, heartburn is just an occasional problem. Sixty million people get it at least once a month.

Improved Endoscopy Method Increases Detection of Esophageal Pre-Cancer by Over 40 Percent -- May 22, 2011
Two studies published in Digestive Diseases and Sciences have demonstrated that an improved method for performing the standard upper endoscopy examination done on over eight million Americans with heartburn each year increases the detection of pre-cancerous cells in the esophagus by over 40 percent.

10 Proven Ways to Profit From Gastroenterology in 2011 -- May 17, 2011
Here are 10 proven ways to profit from gastroenterology in 2011....

DDW: Self-Propelled Endoscope Allows Colon Observation -- May 10.2011
self-propelling capsule endoscope allows the observation of the colon from the anus and may be an effective alternative approach for colonoscopy in the future, according to research presented at Digestive Disease Week 2011, held from May 7 to 10 in Chicago.

2011 NATIONAL ERGONOMICS CONFERENCE AND EXPO (ERGOEXPO) ANNOUNCES HP, CDC, VPPPA LEADERS TO KEYNOTE May 8th,2011
Momentum is building for the 17th Annual National Ergonomics Conference and Exposition (ErgoExpo), the largest ergonomics event in the nation, held at Caesars Palace, Las Vegas, November 29 – December 2, 2011.

New FDA Guidance Aims to Reduce Infections From Endoscopes May 2, 2011
The FDA has released a draft guidance on properly cleaning and labeling reprocessed endoscopes to reduce the number of infections.

Girls are less likely than boys to be placed on kidney transplant wait list, study finds --April 21,2011
A large study of children awaiting transplantation conducted by researchers at the UC Davis School of Medicine has found that girls are significantly less likely than boys to be placed on the waiting list to receive a new kidney.

4 Best Practices for GI/Endoscopy Infection Control-- April 20,2011
Here are four best practices for maintaining good infection control at GI/Endoscopy-driven surgery centers.

Nursing the effectiveness of Interactive Voice Response -- April 18, 2011
More and more businesses are seeing the benefits of an Interactive Voice Response (IVR) system, and the advantages are proving fruitful especially for workplaces such as hospitals.

FDA Report: Benzocaine Sprays Associated With Methemoglobinemia -- April 8,2011
Methemoglobinemia may be associated with benzocaine sprays, according to a U.S. Food and Drug Administration report.

ACC: Hydration System Cuts Contrast Nephropathy --April 7,2011
NEW ORLEANS -- A perioperative hydration management system reduces contrast-induced nephropathy during image-guided cardiology procedures in high-risk patients, researchers found

Perioscopy and ultrasonic efficiency -- April 4, 2011
Why is it that medicine has embraced endoscopy and dentistry lags behind, especially when we now have the ability to scope into deep pockets? John Y. Kwan, DDS, president and CEO of Perioscopy Inc., is a champion of this voyage to find a minimally invasive way to visualize the subgingival pocket environment.

Stanford Releases New Risk Management Methodology -- March 31, 2011
Stanford Hospital & Clinics has released a new risk management methodology called value-driven enterprise risk management, according to a release from Stanford

WorkSmart stretching for the workplace-- March 21,2011
How many of you would like to reduce your daily stress level and muscle tension, while at the same time increasing your energy level? Would you like to have less muscle pain and joint stiffness as you age?

Colorectal Screenings can be Lifesavers -- March 20,2011
While colon cancer still claims nearly 50,000 lives each year in the United States, more patients than ever before are surviving the disease. One of the main reasons for that progress is that more and more individuals are undergoing the appropriate screenings.

Researcher develops medical technology to detect and treat disease -- March 18,2011
professor of electrical and computer engineering, Victor Yang envisions technological leaps in multiple medical specialties through his collaboration with researchers at Toronto hospitals. Credit: James Kachan.

9 Key Legal Issues Facing Endoscopy Centers--March 11,2011
Between healthcare reform, increased enforcement under the Anti-Kickback Statute, less patience on the part of physician leaders for underperforming ambulatory surgery centers, reduced reimbursement from Medicare, increased interest in pathology and anesthesiology relationships, and increased pressure from payors on out-of-network arrangements, it is a very interesting time to write about the legal issues facing endoscopy centers.

Microcameras May Lead to Disposable Endoscopes--March 11,2011
The development of new microcameras may lead to disposable endoscopes, according to a news release from Fraunhofer Institute for Reliability and Microintegration (IZM) in Berlin, Germany, which has developed the devices with Awaiba GmbH.

Why designers should pay more attention to ergonomic issues
Far from being unimportant compared with a product or machine's function, good ergonomics can deliver a number of business benefits. Jon Severn discussed the need for good ergonomics with Gary Davis, a qualified ergonomist and industrial designer, a fellow of the Ergonomics Society, a Registered European Ergonomist, and founder of Davis Associates in 1986.

India faces acute shortage of dialysis units
New Delhi, March 4, (IANS): India gets 1.5 lakh (150,000) patients with kidney failures every year and a majority of them die within five years due to the acute shortage of dialysis units in the country, an expert said Friday.

Cancer marches on while lists grow
A year ago, the waiting list for endoscopy in this region became so dangerously long (two years) it was decided the procedure would be rationed to serve only the patients most in need — those requiring diagnostic procedures because they were already ...

Younger people seek specialized medical care 
We have a lot of residents on dialysis.” According to statistics from the Centers for Medicare and ... And now it's more acute rehab and acute care. ...

Study: Muscle Biofeedback Assessment Reduces Injuries, Improves Worker Productivity
According to a new study, surface electromyography (SEMG), a biofeedback instrument used to measure muscle tension, can help create an ergonomic analysis of ...

Dialysis care is rarely routine
Undoubtedly a major acute-care hospital that does not provide care for seriously ill patients who require life support is indeed novel. The care of dialysis ...