18 Companies to Know More About

Here are brief notes on 18 companies that people in the ASC and hospital industry should know more about.

1. Broadlane. Broadlane is one of the largest group purchasing organizations (GPO) serving the ASC industry. Broadlane has on its Web site great testimonials regarding savings brought to ASCs. It also has a great piece on its site called an "equiptionary" which defines terms used for medical capital equipment. The company is a true leading GPO for ASCs. It has become a real leader in the ASC space.

2. McKesson Medical-Surgical. McKesson is a leader in a very wide variety of medical products and services such as those related to device reprocessing, medication safety, Mckesson brand medical and surgical equipment and disposables, with more than 150,000 products and equipment for ASCs. In addition, it provides healthcare IT solutions, work force maangement solutions, automation solutions, enterprise revenue management and more.

3. Spine Surgical Innovation. SSI is the exclusive dealer for the Holmed Swivel Port System, uniquely marketed by SSI. It is becoming one of leading companies in distribution for spine surgery. It has a great culture focused on making surgical instruments and systems safe. Contact Chris Zorn at (800) 350-8188 to learn more.

4. B. Braun Medical. B. Braun is enjoying a period where some of its best products are winning reward after reward in its sectors. It won awards this summer as it was ranked best in "klas" for smart pumps and it earns the highest customer ratings per the "Best in Klas" medical equipment report. It also has announced upgraded ambulatory and pain management pumps and launched smart pump solutions.

5. Provation Medical. Provation has automated procedure documentation systems such as those for GI which are renowned for increasing revenue recovery and being hyper efficient. It also has an outstanding EHR product and suite. It has great testimonials as to saving huge amounts in transcription costs and increasing throughput.

6. Acclarent. Acclarent brands itself and it is true as a company focused on innovative treatment solutions for the next generation of ENT treatment options. It focuses heavily on balloon sinuplasty and has had a string of successes as professional societies and peer reviewed journals write glowing notes re their devices. Contact Robert Wood at (650) 687-5888.

7. Galil Medical. Galil is an amazing story about growth in a niche specialty area in healthcare. It focuses on minimally invasive cryotherapy solutions such as cryoablation. This year, the American Urological Association recognized cryotherapy as a treatment option for prostate cancer.

8. CTQ Solutions. CTQ — which stands for "Critical to Quality" — truly meets its name. We have several clients that use the EdgeSurvey or EdgePhysician and rave about what outstanding tools for surveying the company offers. Founded by Scott Palmer and run now by Paul Faraclas, this is truly an outstanding company and resource.

9. Medline. Medline is a huge and focused medical manufacturer. Founded in 1910 by the Mills family, which is a Chicago institution, it carries more than 100,000 products. It is known for having outstanding management. It heavily sells through its own sales force and through GPOs like Broadlane, Amerinet, MedAssets and others.

10. MediGain. MediGain is a fascinating story and incredibly well conceived. It has a central amount of its operations in Dallas and then outsources much of its work to overseas locations it manages extremely closely and intelligently. It has become an incredible source and has a hugely growing client base to show for it. It outsources billing, collections, Medicare and Medicaid coding, and transcription for ASCs, hospitals and clinics. For more information, call (214) 952-6602.

11. Northern Scientific. Founded by Kurt Wehrmann. Northern Scientific, based in Minnesota, is a leading provider and seller of used medical equipment such as surgical lighting and tables. In today’s economy, buying used is often the right decision. Northern is known for terrific service.

12. Progessive Dynamics. Progressive Dynamics is a leading provider of warming blankets. It is really focused in this specific area and has outstanding testimonials from ASCs and hospitals on its Web site.

13. Transmotion Medical. This company focuses extremely well on a unique line of medical chairs. It is highly regarding and a company worth learning a lot more about.

14. PharmAsc-e Consultants. This company is a leader in waste management for pharmacies and in helping handle regulatory compliance. Its president is a lawyer by background.

15. Pentax Medical. Pentax boasts an outstanding intelligent suite of GI products, scopes and imaging. It is one of the two market leaders in GI and an outstanding company.

16. MEDtegrity. MEDtegrity is an alliance of the largest independent linen suppliers. It is a cost-effective and consistent provider. It is not company owned but an alliance of owned and operated providers. Call (888) 546-3650 for more information.

17. Alcon Laboratories. Alcon is a true leader in the world of eye health. It is the world’s largest eye company. It has an incredible and rich history of truly being out in front in solutions and research and driving leadership for ophthalmic surgical products.

18. Kimberly-Clark. Kimberly-Clark is a truly inspiring success story as it has transformed itself over the last ten to fifteen years into a true leader in the medical field. Its president — Joanne Bauer — was recently named to Modern Healthcare’s top 25 women in healthcare. Kimberly-Clark manufactures and markets surgical drapes, gowns, surgical supplies, face masks, patient care products, medical and industrial gloves, surgical supplies, sterilization wrap and pouches.