Scott Wooldridge is a Minneapolis-based journalist who has been covering the health care industry since 1998. After working as a reporter and editor for Minnesota Physician Publishing for more than a decade, Scott began working as a freelance writer in 2013 and founded the Business of Health Blog, a weekly look at the health care industry in Minnesota.
Investment in Minnesota life science companies saw a significant increase in the second quarter of 2014, according to a report from the state’s largest med-tech association. The Minnesota Life Science Investing Report, Q2 2014, finds a 65% increase in life science investments over the second quarter in 2013, with companies raising $110.5 million in 2Q, […]
The investment climate for the medtech industry has become more cautious, more focused on short-term results, and wary of increased government regulation. At the same time there are still plenty of opportunities for growth and success, a panel of CEOs and entrepreneurs said recently. The panel discussion was part of the MedTech Investing Conference, which […]
Munck Wilson Mandala Partner Greg Howison shared his perspective on some of the legal ramifications around AI, IP, connected devices and the data they generate, in response to emailed questions.
Medtech IPOs have performed well in recent years, even outpacing other areas of the health industry, a top analyst said recently. The comments came as part of the MedTech Investing Conference in Minneapolis last week. Other industry executives at the conference also described a generally positive climate for medtech IPOs. In his presentation “Overview of […]
An innovative surgical procedure that uses magnets to control acid reflux disease is effective and has few side effects, a new study shows. The LINX Reflux Management System uses laparoscopic surgery to implant a magnetic ring that helps tighten the esophagus and prevent stomach acid from causing heartburn and other symptoms. Acid reflux is linked […]
At a recent conference in Minneapolis, a panel discussing where the best medtech startup opportunities are located gave an answer sure to please the hometown crowd: the Midwest was singled out as a great location for starting new firms. “We love the Midwest,” said Jan Garfinkle, founder and managing director of Arboretum Ventures, a venture […]
Everyone knows how to stay healthy – eat less, move more. It’s actually making those changes to daily life that is the hard part. The same is not true for people living with diabetes or heart failure or kidney trouble. Treatment plans are complex and often hard to remember, particularly if you’re not feeling well. […]
At the Abarca Forward conference earlier this year, George Van Antwerp, managing director at Deloitte, discussed how social determinants of health and a personalized member experience can improve medication adherence and health outcomes.
MNsure, the health insurance exchange for Minnesota, is scrambling for help with its IT problems, as deadlines for enrollment loom and scrutiny of its troubled rollout continues. MNsure’s board met on Jan. 8 to discuss the latest developments, including an angry letter from Minnesota Governor Mark Dayton to IBM, one of the program’s vendors, and […]
A company that has created a unique new therapy for patients with advanced heart failure is hoping to spread the word about its product in 2014, after a year of clinical trials in both Europe and the United States. Sunshine Heart, based in Eden Prairie, MN, raised more than $61 million in 2013, after two […]
MNsure, the health insurance exchange for Minnesota, has a new leader after executive director April Todd-Malmlov resigned abruptly at an emergency board meeting Tuesday night. Todd-Malmlov had been under fire for taking a nearly-two-week vacation in Costa Rica in November, at a time when the health exchanges created by the Affordable Care Act were struggling […]
CoOportunity Health, a nonprofit health insurance cooperative based in Des Moines, Iowa, has had a front-row seat to the ups and downs of healthcare.gov, the federal exchange website that got off to a notoriously poor start. With the fixes to the federal website, CoOportunity officials report that the exchange enrollment numbers are improving rapidly. “We’ve […]
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Improved global supply chain management is becoming crucial to an industry squeezed by increased regulation and higher taxes, a panel of medical device experts said recently. The panel discussion, one of the keynote events of the LifeScience Alley 2013 Conference in Minneapolis, was an exploration of how some of the industry’s biggest brands are approaching […]
Few things are more challenging to medical device companies than the regulatory barriers that they must overcome to bring products to market. Recognizing that scientific innovators and federal regulators were too often talking past each other, a group of industry insiders joined forces with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in 2012 to form the […]
You’ve got a meeting with a potential investor. You’re ready to convince them that your innovative device or therapy is worth funding. What’s your pitch? That was the topic of a breakout session at the recent LifeScience Alley Conference in Minneapolis. “How to Pitch Your Great Idea” featured three experienced medical device executives, speaking before […]
A single technological concept that can produce cars, shoes, and human organs represents the “next industrial revolution,” said one of the field’s pioneers at a recent medical device conference. Jon Cobb, executive vice president of marketing for Stratasys, a Minnesota-based 3D printing company, talked about the rapidly-growing technology at Life Science Alley’s 2013 Conference, held […]