Newswatch: February 2006

On the Move

Five new members have been appointed to serve on the National Advisory Council for the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ of Rockville, Md). The Council consists of 21 members from the private sector and seven ex-officio members from other federal health agencies. The five new Council members are Dale W. Bratzler, DO, MPH; Patricia Flatley Brennan, RN, PhD; Ada Sue Hinshaw, PhD, RN; Carlos Roberto Jaen, MD, PhD; and Munr Kazmir, MD. In addition, the terms of two current Council members were extended: Brent C. James, MD, and the Honorable Newt Gingrich, PhD.

To develop and implement strategies that promote both ultrasound accreditation of laboratories and credentialing of sonographers, the American Institute of Ultrasound in Medicine (AIUM of Laurel, Md), the American Registry for Diagnostic Medical Sonography (ARDMS of Rockville, Md), and the Intersocietal Commission for the Accreditation of Vascular Laboratories (ICAVL of Columbia, Md) frequently work through collaborative efforts. To further strengthen these efforts, the three organizations have named Heidi Adams as the director of external affairs. Adams will be responsible for monitoring and analyzing private-payor policies along with Medicare and Medicaid regulations, and their impact on the quality and availability of diagnostic ultrasound services.

Avreo (Charleston, SC) has named Bryan Poteet as VP of sales, a position through which he will spearhead sales and dealer development. Poteet brings 12 years of PACS sales, configuration, and implementation experience in addition to 16 years of general patient care technology expertise to his position. Most recently, he was a new business sales executive for McKesson Provider Technologies Inc, where he was responsible for the sales of RIS and PACS for the south central United States.

Janine Broda

Compressus Inc (Washington) has appointed Janine Broda as VP and general manager of its medical-imaging solutions business. Broda assumes responsibility for developing and maintaining business relationships for the company's medical-imaging solutions. Broda brings more than 25 years of experience in the healthcare industry, with expertise in sales, marketing, and customer service. Additionally, she has managed major software and hardware acquisitions for large HMOs and GPOs, the US military, and various government agencies.

Richard Atkin has been named president of a key business of Misys Healthcare Systems (Raleigh, NC): the hospital systems group, which supports more than 1,000 hospitals and hundreds of laboratories worldwide. Previously, Atkin was the president and CEO of Datex-Ohmeda Inc.

Toshiba America Medical Systems Inc (TAMS of Tustin, Calif) has appointed Ted Nemetz as VP of the company's technology services business unit. Nemetz will lead TAMS' extensive service organization, including field operations, service marketing, logistics, technical support, and the business unit's financial operations.

VirtualScopics Inc (Rochester, NY) has appointed two new board members. The first is former chairman, CEO, and president of Eastman Kodak Co, Colby Chandler. The second is Charles Phelps, MD, provost at the University of Rochester and noted economist.

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"The addition of Chandler and Phelps brings great intellectual depth and business experience to VirtualScopics' board," said Bob Klimasewski, president and CEO of VirtualScopics. "Their experience and expertise is directly aligned with VirtualScopics' strategic direction, which will make a significant contribution to our business success."