Health Care Briefs, Sept. 2015

WORCESTER — W. Patrick Hughes, the president and CEO of Fallon Health, will retire Nov. 1, the health insurer's board of directors announced. Hughes, 68, who has led Fallon for five years, will be replaced by Richard Burke, the organization's president of senior care services and government programs, as interim CEO, according to a statement from Fallon. The company said the board will begin to discuss plans to find a permanent successor when it meets next. The statement from Fallon's board commended Hughes for his leadership since 2010, in areas such as membership, service, quality, employee engagement, brand reputation, and product and network expansion, at a time of great industry disruption.

GARDNER — Heywood Hospital's Golf Classic at the Oak Hill Country Club in Fitchburg raised $100,000, allowing Heywood Healthcare to continue to move forward with plans for The Quabbin Retreat, the proposed site for Heywood Healthcare’s new behavioral health and addiction service facility. Now in its 23rd year, the event has underwritten of Heywood initiatives and services such as oncology, surgical day care, endoscopy, the Diabetes Center of Excellence and capital projects.

WORCESTER — Two groups of scientists at the University of Massachusetts Medical School have each received $1 million in grant money raised during last summer's viral Ice Bucket Challenge campaign, funds that will support ALS research projects that the school's chancellor called "pivotal work." Medical School Chancellor Michael Collins said the money from the ALS Association comes at a time when the federal government has stepped back its own research funding, requiring faculty members to devote more of their time to writing grant proposals. In one of the ALS efforts, researchers will compare the DNA of 15,000 ALS patients with that of 7,500 people who do not have the disease, which causes nerve cells to die and leads to paralysis. In the other, scientists are working with mice to block genes that trigger the death of the animals' nerve cells.

MARLBOROUGH — Marlborough-based Sunovion Pharmaceuticals received federal approval for its drug Aptiom as a monotherapy for the treatment of partial-onset epileptic seizures, the company announced. The drug was first approved in 2013, but a recent decision by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to approve the company's supplemental new drug application makes Aptiom the first once-daily, non-extended release antiepileptic drug (AED). The drug can be used alone or in conjunction with other AEDs. The new approval gives health care providers greater flexibility, said Dr. Antony Loebel, executive vice president and chief medical officer at Sunovion.

MARLBOROUGH —A three-year contract has been negotiated for 198 nurses at the Marlborough Hospital, representing the last Massachusetts Nurses Association (MNA)-represented hospital to settle a contract, the association announced. The tentative agreement improves the ratio of registered nurses to patients, according to the MNA, and includes the creation of a Marlborough RN Staffing Committee that will issue recommendations to hospital management regarding staffing concerns. It also includes a 4.5 -percent wage increase over the life of the contract. The MNA expects the contract, which was the result of 10 months of negotiations, to be ratified by mid-September, and to expire in Nov. of 2017.

WORCESTER — Cambridge-based biopharmaceutical company Enumeral Biomedical Holdings has announced a research study agreement with the University of Massachusetts Medical School to aid the company in developing new cancer therapies. Under the agreement, which also includes UMass Memorial Health Care as the medical school's clinical partner, UMass Medical School (UMMS) will provide Enumeral with tissue and blood samples from melanoma patients being treated with the drug Yervoy, a drug made by Bristol-Myers Squibb. Enumeral will fund these tissue collection activities and the company will have access to the samples for research use in in-vitro studies using its platform, which is designed to identify promising new drugs relevant to cancer, infectious and inflammatory diseases, according to the Enumeral's website.

WORCESTER — UMass Memorial Health Care said in June that it would invest $700 million to upgrade its electronic health records (EHR) system to improve the accuracy and availability of patient data. It chose privately held Verona, Wis.-based Epic Systems Corp. At stake for UMass Memorial and other health systems is not only efficient use of staff and better patient outcomes. Those factors are now tied to reimbursement from the federal Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), the nation's largest single health-care payer, which is pressing for pay for performance. Where CMS goes, private insurers, and ultimately, health-savvy consumers, may be expected to follow. In a July 20 blog post, UMass Memorial CEO Eric Dickson cited the move as "one of the most important contracts" he had signed since taking office in 2013, citing Epic's industry standing and the support of UMass Memorial staff for choosing Epic.

DEVENS — Behavioral health services provider Health Partners New England is building a 104-bed treatment facility in Devens after buying more than seven acres of land from MassDevelopment, the two organizations announced. Health Partners, based in Winchester, said the 75,000-square-foot facility being built on Patton Road, will provide patients with short-term care. It will open in the fall of 2016 and create more than 200 jobs, the company said in a statement released by MassDevelopment, the state's economic development agency. Dr. Michael Krupa, Health Partners' founder, said the organization began to take interest in the property last year after talking with officials of MassDevelopment and the Devens Enterprise Commission, the regulatory and permitting authority for Devens, which MassDevelopment manages.

MILFORD — The $25-million fundraising goal to upgrade Milford Regional Medical Center's facilities has received a matching challenge gift for its “Excellence” campaign from an anonymous donor, the Milford Regional Healthcare Foundation announced. The campaign has already raised $23 million to support the medical center's building project. The dollar-for-dollar challenge gift means that if the foundation raises another $1 million in donations, it will have reached the $25-million goal. The initiative will result in a new emergency department, intensive care unit and private patient rooms, the foundation said. The two-story structure is expected to open this fall.

HOLLISTON — Life sciences firm Harvard Apparatus Regenerative Technology of Holliston will work with a Connecticut hospital to develop a way to fix or replace a child's esophagus to treat life-threatening conditions, the Holliston firm announced. Harvard Apparatus (HART) which develops bioengineered organs for life-threatening conditions, will work with Connecticut Children's Medical Center in Hartford. One of the conditions to be treated is esophageal atresia, a statement from HART said — a rare disorder in which a child is born without a portion of his or her esophagus.

WORCESTER — UMass Memorial Health Care has renewed and expanded its contract with an Atlanta-based services provider to help manage its supply chain and procurement operations, the firm announced. The firm, MedAssets, said UMass Memorial agreed to a multiyear deal that will also include consulting, sourcing services and spending analytics. MedAssets said UMass Memorial, Central Massachusetts' primary health care system and the region's largest employer, has saved an average of $5 million a year since 2006 by working with MedAssets.

WORCESTER — Worcester Polytechnic Institute has landed a grant for genetic research from the National Institutes of Health that will take aim at cancer cells, the school announced. The grant, $747,000, will help fund a three-year project that will explore the molecular mechanisms associated with the genetic mutations and chromosome instability observed in all cancer cells, according to a statement from WPI. The goal is to turn the genetic tables against cancer by learning more about the molecular basis of cancer cells' uncontrolled growth so that knowledge could improve the effectiveness of cancer treatments and the lives of cancer patients.

MARLBOROUGH and ISRAEL—ReWalk Robotics of Marlborough saw a revenue jump of more than 20 percent, but declared a $5.8-million loss as the manufacturer of robotic exoskeletons for those with spinal cord-injuries seeks more customers. ReWalk, with headquarters in Israel, took in $610,000 during the second quarter, which ended June 30, it said. That was up from $500,000 in the same quarter last year. It turned a $60,000 gross profit, a turnaround from a $225,000 loss. For the first half of 2015, ReWalk took in $1.25 million in revenue, up nearly 32 percent over last year. In other ReWalk news, 5h3 company’s founder, Dr. Amit Goffer, will retire in November and not seek re-election to the board of directors, the company announced in August. Dr. Goffer will step down as president and chief technology officer. His resignation will take effect Nov. 18. Goffer founded ReWalk in 2001, following an accident that left him a quadriplegic. He pioneered the invention and development of the ReWalk Robotics wearable exoskeleton, enabling individuals with lower-limb paralysis to walk again.

AYER — Health care workers at Nashoba Valley Medical Center, in Ayer, who voted to form a union with 1199 SEIU, will receive a pay increase and other benefit enhancements as part of a new union contract agreement reached with Steward Health Care. The agreement on behalf of the 170 workers includes a 3-percent wage increase, more predictability with scheduling, improved overtime and vacation pay, and access to college tuition and training benefits through the 1199 SEIU Training & Upgrading Fund, the union announced. The workers include medical assistants, receptionists, clerical staff, and facility technicians.

MARLBOROUGH — Marlborough-based Boston Scientific Corp. has completed its acquisition of American Medical Systems' (AMS) Men's Health and Prostate Health businesses for $1.6 billion. The transaction includes AMS' products for treating male urologic conditions, according to Boston Scientific. These technologies complement the Boston Scientific urology portfolio, enabling further innovation for the company across five common urologic diseases that account for half of all urologic surgical procedures, the company said. The AMS women's health business is not part of the transaction. The AMS units will be combined with Boston Scientific's Urology and Women's Health businesses. The joint businesses will become the Boston Scientific Urology and Pelvic Health business.

LITTLETON — Mevion Medical Systems of Littleton is set to receive up to $200 million in financing as part of a joint venture in China. The radiation therapy company announced that it will form a joint venture in the world's most populous nation to produce, sell and service proton therapy systems for the Chinese market. The partnership with HOPU Investments, YuanMing Capital, other Chinese investors, as well as existing investors, will also net the company up to $200 million in the investment agreement. "We see real value in advancing accessibility to this important therapy in China and elsewhere," Sunny Li, senior managing director and head of technology investments of HOPU Investments, said in a statement.

LEOMINSTER – Nurses at HealthAlliance Hospital in Leominster have ratified a new, two-year labor contract that improves staffing ratios and adds new positions, according to their union, the Massachusetts Nurses Association. The nurses and the hospital, part of the UMass Memorial Health Care system, had reached a tentative agreement June 30, a week after nurses at the hospital authorized a one-day strike after the two sides had failed to come to terms on a new deal. The nurses picketed twice in the last year, following the expiration of their previous contract in May 2014. A sticking point for the nurses had been staffing levels, with the nurses arguing that the limit of six patients to one nurse at the time was too high.

WORCESTER – Fallon Health of Worcester will cut 45 jobs as the health insurance provider shuts down its Fallon Total Care program this September. A spokeswoman for Fallon confirmed that it had informed state labor officials in a filing that it would cut 45 jobs. The exact number of jobs that will be lost will not be known until the program officially ends, as the company works to find other positions for affected employees, spokeswoman Carrie Wattu said. "We're providing additional support for those employees who need help transitioning to other internal and external positions," she said. Fallon announced in June that it would end Total Care, which has served members eligible for both Medicaid and Medicare since October 2013.

WORCESTER — Two CareWell Urgent Care centers in Worcester, affiliated with UMass Memorial Health Care, have opened, joining a growing sector of the health care industry in Central Massachusetts. CareWell, based in Quincy, and UMass Memorial announced their affiliation for three urgent care centers. A third is expected to open in Northborough in October. Additional affiliated sites throughout Central Massachusetts will open over the next 12 to 18 months, both organizations said. The Worcester sites are at 500 Lincoln St. and 348 Greenwood St. CareWell clinics will be able to refer patients to UMass Memorial specialists and primary care physicians when necessary, a statement from the company read.

WORCESTER —The state's Health Policy Commission has signed off on UMass Memorial Medical Center's plan to buy a minority stake in Quest Diagnostics' Massachusetts subsidiary. Matthew Kitsos, a spokesman for the commission, said it has decided to not pursue a cost and market review of the medical center's plan to buy a nearly 19-percent ownership share in the subsidiary, Quest Diagnostics Massachusetts LLC. That essentially clears the way for the Worcester-based hospital, part of UMass Memorial Health Care, to make the deal, he said. Documents filed with the commission in May said the deal would allow the medical center to nominate one of the subsidiary's five directors. A separate statement from UMass Memorial at the time said the organization expected the transaction to be completed this summer. The Quest subsidiary conducts "substantially all" of the clinical diagnostics testing for the hospital, the document filed by UMass Memorial said.

GARDNER — OmniVision Technologies is partnering with optical instruments maker Precision Optics Corp. (POC) of Gardner and Tokyo-based Fujikura to develop a tiny camera module for medical applications. California-based OmniVision is a developer of advanced digital imaging solutions. The company said it is teaming with Precision Optics and Fujikura to develop the 160K CMOS imaging sensor (CIS) module. The collaboration will work on developing an "ultra-small camera module with best image quality, low power consumption and ease of integration for reusable endoscopes and other medical applications," the statement said.

HOLLISTON — Clinical research company Veristat of Holliston has opened a new office in the Bay Area that will house the company's West Coast operations, it announced. Veristat, which is expected to move its headquarters to Southborough later this year, said the new office, in San Bruno, Calif., will provide a full range of clinical services to clients that are developing therapies in all areas of biotechnology, pharmaceuticals, diagnostics and medical devices. Veristat's service offerings include biostatistics, statistical programming, medical writing, clinical monitoring and data management.

WORCESTER — More than 2,200 unionized nurses at two UMass Memorial Medical Center campuses have voted to ratify one-year contracts after negotiations that the union called "relatively smooth." Massachusetts Nurses Association (MNA), announced the votes June 15. It said the approval of the contracts for the 2,214 member nurses at the University and Memorial campuses in Worcester came after "just a handful" of negotiating sessions. That comes in stark contrast to contract negotiations two years ago, when nurses had voted to stage a one-day strike amid contentious talks. Just before the planned strike, the hospitals' management and the union agreed to a contract. This latest settlement followed two years of contentious talks between the nurses and the medical center's administration.