Healthcare Matters

The Jimmy Hoffa search continues…

(Note: This has little to do with healthcare much beyond the DNA testing that led to the current investigation. Sorry, too interesting not to include in this week’s round-up)

Police Take Soil Samples in Hoffa Search

Authorities drilled through concrete and removed wet soil samples in a modest Detroit-area neighborhood Friday in the latest effort to find the remains of Teamsters boss Jimmy Hoffa, who disappeared in 1975. There was no immediate sign of human remains, but test results could be ready by Monday, Roseville Police Chief James Berlin said.

Bizarre.

‘Melt in the body’ electronics devised

The devices can “melt away” once their job is done, according to research published in the journal Science. The technology has already been used to heat a wound to keep it free from infection by bacteria. The components are made of silicon and magnesium oxide, and placed in a protective layer of silk.

In other medical device news…

Medtronic to Buy Chinese Medical Supplier

Medtronic, a medical technology company based in Minneapolis and listed in New York, said on Thursday that it would pay $816 million in cash to acquire China Kanghui, a manufacturer of orthopedic devices based in the eastern Chinese city of Changzhou and also listed in New York. “China is one of the fastest growing medical device markets with significant scale opportunities,” Medtronic’s executive vice president, Chris O’Connell, said in a news release. “Kanghui brings Medtronic a broad product portfolio, a strong local R.&D. and manufacturing operation, a vast China distribution network and an exceptional management team.”

Spend Matters

SciQuest to Buy Spend Radar — Initial Analysis

Earlier this morning, SciQuest announced an agreement to acquire Chicago-based spend analysis provider Spend Radar. According to the press release, SciQuest has “entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Spend Radar LLC for about $8 million in cash and $2 million of stock. The company may also make additional payments of up to $7.5 million consisting of cash and stock if Spend Radar achieves certain revenue performance targets over the next 5 quarters. The transaction is expected to be complete on or about October 1, 2012.”

Spend Matters UK/Europe

ProcureCon Financial Services – is Procurement in the sector any fun?

It’s twelve years since I said goodbye to Financial Services, leaving my role as NatWest’s last ever CPO following the Royal Bank of Scotland takeover, with a healthy redundancy cheque, and share options that turned out to be worth about 27p. A couple of small consulting assignments with other banks have followed over the intervening years, but I haven’t had much contact really with the sector since Fred Goodwin made that first bold acquisition back in 2000.