Natick

A medical device made by Boston Scientific of Natick that's used to treat severe forms of asthma has been shown to be safe and effective, according to data published online in a medical journal.

With its purchase by Tenet Healthcare Corp. pending, Vanguard Health Systems, the parent company of Saint Vincent Hospital and MetroWest Medical Center, reported a slight drop in net income for its recently completed fourth quarter, but a jump for the fiscal year.

Minuteman Health, the state's only member-governed health insurance plan, received its license to operate from the Massachusetts Division of Insurance (DOI) and had its premium rates approved so it can sell plans in 2014.

With a new CEO on board and federal health care reform requirements prompting U.S. hospitals to connect to information health care exchanges, Natick-based Interbit Data sees ample opportunity to grow.

Boston Scientific is offering more than $1 billion in debt notes to help pay earlier debt that was borrowed at a higher interest rate, the Natick-based medical device manufacturer announced.

A health care IT industry veteran with more than two decades in the field has been appointed president of Natick-based Interbit Data, the company announced.

Tufts Medical Center and Vanguard Health Systems New England, the parent of Saint Vincent Hospital and MetroWest Medical Center, have signed an affiliation agreement to enhance and expand cardiovascular services to patients in Central and Eastern Massachusetts, according to a statement from Tufts.

Natick-based Cognex Corp. announced record quarterly revenue of $86.5 million for its second quarter, a 3-percent increase over the same period last year.

Medbox Inc., a California-based company that's capitalizing on medical marijuana dispensary regulations in Massachusetts and other states, is “jumping into a different ball game” in its bid to become a fully-reporting company with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), CEO Vincent Mehdizadeh said this week.

When it comes to demand for rental housing, as Boston goes, so goes MetroWest, and developers are planning new apartment complexes throughout the region to take advantage of a rental boom.