Tag Archives: Dialysis

Blood Vessels for Dialysis

February 4, 2014 Roy A. Ackerman, Ph.D., E.A. 2 Comments

A new Japanese medical firm, Cyfuse Biomedical (Tokyo, Japan), is embarking on a most unique application of 3D printing. The goal of their research effort is to create new blood vessels. Koji Kuchiishi is the CEO of the firm; his previous endeavors include mobile phone design (at Panasonic), a patent associate, and a stint as a McKinsey consultant. His firm has significant venture backing (JAFCO, the largest Japanese Venture Capital firm and the University of Tokyo Edge Capital Fund, among others). Cyfuse’s developments are “protected” by patents in the US, China, Singapore, and Japan.

Continue reading Blood Vessels for Dialysis →

Share this:

Dialysis, Medicine

A real artificial kidney?

December 26, 2013 Roy A. Ackerman, Ph.D., E.A. 6 Comments

A real artificial kidney… Come on, you know that sounds funny. But, oh, so critical. Because transplantation needs kidney donors that are compatible- and we- not just America, but the world- find kidneys in short supply, and compatibility an even tougher hurdle.

Continue reading A real artificial kidney? →

Share this:

Business Management, Dialysis, Medicine

Are you ready?

November 14, 2013 Roy A. Ackerman, Ph.D., E.A. 10 Comments

Every business is different. Yet, every business has many, many similar components. Serving as the CEO for jewelry manufacturing venture is different from serving as the CEO for a dialysis clinic- and different still from being the managing director for a law firm. Right now, I am considering whether I wish to help start- and then manage a new health care clinic- one with a business model that will be radically different than what is normally seen.

Continue reading Are you ready? →

Share this:

Dialysis, Medicine

Kidney Week 2013

November 5, 2013 Roy A. Ackerman, Ph.D., E.A.

It’s Kidney Week. OK. It’s kidney 5 days… Starting today and ending on the 10^th. A ‘week’ to make all of us more aware of one of our biggest killers- certainly one of our most expensive diseases- that is, often, undetected. Why is that so? Because most subjects (they are not yet patients) exhibit no symptoms, until a crisis has developed.

Continue reading Kidney Week 2013 →

Share this:

Business Management, Dialysis, Medicine

The Sky is Falling! Really?

September 30, 2013 Roy A. Ackerman, Ph.D., E.A. 12 Comments

Here it comes again! On 1 July, CMMS (the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services) proposed cutting the payment of dialysis allocations by 12%. (For those of you not well versed in math- that’s about a 1/8 cut.) But, that’s not quite right, since they also offered a 2.6% increase in the “bundle” payment rate, so the cut comes to about $ 24 less per treatment.

Continue reading The Sky is Falling! Really? →

Share this:

Dialysis, Economy

Dialysis Boondoggle

February 25, 2013 Roy A. Ackerman, Ph.D., E.A. 4 Comments

I wrote earlier about how one company managed to get a bonus slipped into the Fiscal Cliff bill. One that “made them” $ ½ billion. Well, they are about to take a big hit, if no one tries to overrule Medicare (or slip another ‘mickey’ to the American public in another bill).

Continue reading Dialysis Boondoggle →

Share this:

Economy, Medicine

Three Pillars

November 6, 2012 Roy A. Ackerman, Ph.D., E.A. 19 Comments

Without changing America- dramatically- we have to recognize that the three pillars of our society are going to have to be modified. We are not going to replace one of those pillars in this generation. (I would hope we do so within 30 years, however.). What are those three pillars? Housing, Manufacturing, and Healthcare. Given these facts, it’s not surprising that our economy is limping along- despite our stated efforts.

Continue reading Three Pillars →

Share this:

Business Management, Dialysis

Dialysis is the FDA hotbed, once again

April 25, 2012 Roy A. Ackerman, Ph.D., E.A. 8 Comments

There’s a new program at the US Food and Drug Administration. One designed to afford innovative devices a speedier review process. This Innovation Pathway 2.0 program is designed for pre-market evaluations of medical devices, expediting the process without reducing the need or quality of safety and effectiveness reviews. And some 30 years ago, there was a similar process for smaller companies- it worked, then, too. (I know, we used it- twice!)

Continue reading Dialysis is the FDA hotbed, once again →

Share this:

Dialysis

Silent Killer

April 24, 2012 Roy A. Ackerman, Ph.D., E.A. 23 Comments

One of the biggest components of the US Healthcare costs is kidney failure. About 1/9 of Americans (26 million) suffer from chronic kidney disease. $ 40 billion a year in costs. Almost 400,000 of Americans undergo dialysis thrice weekly.

Continue reading Silent Killer →

Share this:

Dialysis

AWAK. What’s that? A VA hope for the future…

November 16, 2011 Roy A. Ackerman, Ph.D., E.A. 6 Comments

The Veterans Administration is trying hard to fulfill its mission of caring for vets. Given the last 10 years of war, with its high casualty rate for both troops and reserves, this mission is going to be more difficult in the future. One of the ways the VA hopes to deal with these newer problems is to seek out new ideas. The VA Innovation Initiative (VAi2) is one such concept, where employees, private sector firms, entrepreneurs, and academicians are invited to submit innovations that will help augment access to VA services, or improve the services offered themselves.

Continue reading AWAK. What’s that? A VA hope for the future… →

Share this: