Fort Wayne-based PearlDiver Technologies Inc. is poised for growth in 2010 on a number of fronts, said Rob Young, vice president of business development.
The startup, begun in 2007 and largely dedicated to gathering and analyzing HIPAA-compliant patient records, expects to expand beyond orthopedics to offer data and analysis for a number of medical specialties.
The company, which has relied heavily on insurance information to compile data, also expects to begin mining state all-payer data (or discharge data) available through state health departments and associations. That, Young said, will help drive the company’s database from 500 million records to nearly 1 billion by year’s end.
PearlDiver, he said, also anticipates hiring two or three more people to the six-person Fort Wayne headquarters. Four other PearlDiver employees are based in Colorado Springs, Colo.
“This is a key year for us,” Young said. “This has the potential for being a significant year for the growth and evolution of the company.”
The timing is also fortuitous as the nation focuses on efficient, cost-effective health care. Young said his company provides medical clinicians, suppliers and others in the health field with information that ultimately can enhance treatments, outcomes and cost.
Suzanne Ratzloff, president of Health Research International, a Lakewood, Ohio, consulting company that specializes in forecasting new medical technologies, said worries about health care reform-related taxes on medical device suppliers and other consumables will lead businesses to seek the very best market data available.
She said her company and PearlDiver offer that kind of meticulous quality.
“I think the industry is going to use fewer (market intelligence) resources, but they’re going to want it to be better and more sophisticated,” she said. “This is going to push the cream to the top. So we’re excited. And a company like PearlDiver is excited.”
Charles Schneider, vice president of reimbursement for Washington, D.C.-based Musculoskeletal Clinical Regulatory Advisors, said the information his company has acquired from PearlDiver has provided a strategic advantage in reimbursement, quality assurance, and marketing.
The PearlDiver data, he said, “allows you to use your marketing dollars in a very strategic and efficient manner.”
Grand Wayne Center will host symposium
The eighth-annual Parkview Research Symposium will be from 7 a.m. to 12:45 p.m. Feb. 6 at the Grand Wayne Center.
Among the topics: Translation medicine, improving cardiovascular outcomes and antithrombotic therapy.
The keynote speaker will be Dr. James Tcheng, a medical knowledge architect with Duke Health Technology Solutions.
Fourth-quarter sales rise at Zimmer
A strong fourth quarter helped lift the annual earnings of Warsaw-based Zimmer Holdings.
The orthopedics manufacturer reported earnings per share of 74 cents, or $1.12 adjusted, on net sales of $1.11 billion for the fourth quarter, an increase of 7.5 percent reported and 2.5 percent constant currency from the prior-year period.
For the full year, Zimmer reported earnings per share of $3.32, or $3.94 adjusted, a decrease of 2.7 percent from 2008. Net sales were $4.1 billion, a decrease of 0.6 percent reported and an increase of 0.9 percent adjusted, from the prior year.
If you have items of interest for the health care column, please contact Rick Farrant by e-mail at rfarrant@fwbusiness.com This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it , by phone at (260) 426-2640, ext. 308, or by mail at Greater Fort Wayne Business Weekly, 826 Ewing St., Fort Wayne, IN 46802. |