“Assessing the Clinical Effect of High Velocity Nasal Insufflation on Improving Ambulation in Patients with Dyspnea: A Feasibility Study”

Vapotherm, Inc. (NYSE: VAPO), a global medical technology company focused on the development and commercialization of its proprietary Hi-VNI® Technology, today announced that a paper published in the Journal of Clinical Respiratory Diseases and Care, titled “Assessing the Clinical Effect of High Velocity Nasal Insufflation on Improving Ambulation in Patients with Dyspnea: A Feasibility Study” demonstrated that use of Vapotherm Hi-VNI Technology during ambulation is feasible and showed that patients with dyspnea participating in this study who used Hi-VNI Technology as respiratory support walked farther and recovered faster when compared to standard oxygen treatment.The feasibility study was a prospective cross-over trial that compared oxygen treatment as usual (TAU) to treatment with Hi-VNI Technology—which delivers high velocity nasal insufflation (HVNI)—in 28 patients during ambulation in both inpatient and outpatient settings. The goal was to compare how far and for how long patients could ambulate on Hi-VNI Technology versus the standard TAU. Vital signs and recovery time were measured as secondary outcomes. 25 of the 28 patients were analyzed.Among the inpatients in this study, Hi-VNI Technology during ambulation was not only feasible, but also showed improved patient distance walked by 12.4% and duration of time walked by 8.5%. It also improved recovery time by 32.5%. Use was also feasible among outpatients undergoing ambulation, although outpatients performed worse than the inpatient subgroup studied.These results are very encouraging for further research as well as demonstrating feasibility of using Hi-VNI Technology in respiratory patient ambulation.While this study was comparing Hi-VNI Technology to oxygen support, previous studies have demonstrated that Hi-VNI Technology is comparable to noninvasive positive pressure ventilation (NiPPV) when treating patients in undifferentiated respiratory distress. The Vapotherm Transfer Unit is a self contained mobile means of delivering Hi-VNI Technology for patients on the move in the acute setting.

Guidewire Software Announces MirrorMe as New Solution Alliance Partner

MirrorMe, a provider of a mobile claim reporting solution, and Guidewire Software, Inc. (NYSE: GWRE), provider of the industry platform Property and Casualty (P&C) insurers rely upon, today announced that MirrorMe has joined Guidewire PartnerConnect™ as a Solution partner. The companies also announced that MirrorMe’s new plug-and-play Ready for Guidewire validated add-on, created using the Guidewire DevConnect™ developer environment, is now available to insurers in the Guidewire Marketplace.
MirrorMe’s Ready for Guidewire add-on for visual claim reporting enables insurers on Guidewire ClaimCenter™ to visually inspect damage claims remotely using MirrorMe Web Vision™. The company’s integration delivers access to an app-free solution for photo capture, document scanning, and live video allowing visibility into the claim and its supporting documentation at every stage of the claim lifecycle. Web Vision includes functionality for each stakeholder [or participant] in the claims process—customers, service shops, salvage companies, dealers, and claims adjusters.“Our partnership with Guidewire is a testament to our continued commitment to helping insurers improve every step of the customer experience,” said Robert Chea, founder and chief executive officer, MirrorMe. “Our app-free solution enables insurers to obtain the right data and evidence from policyholders and service providers, so they can efficiently make informed decisions and quickly settle claims.”

Integrated Training Curriculum to Serve the Full Life Cycle of Automotive Technicians

Advance Auto Parts, Inc. (NYSE: AAP), a leading automotive aftermarket parts provider, has launched a new learning management system designed to provide training programs that grow an automotive professional’s knowledge and skills throughout their entire career. Advance regularly serves more than 26,000 individuals in North America each year with training courses offered through the company’s Carquest Technical Institute (CTI) and Worldpac Training Institute (WTI) programs.Training from Advance now combines courses available online and in the classroom from CTI+WTI into an integrated training solution, giving aftermarket professionals access to a robust library of technical training and business management education. Career Pathways, which feature a structured set of online and classroom events to establish mastery of technical and business competencies, are currently targeted to the General Service Technician and Professional Technician, with Senior Technician, Master Technician, and a number of specialist programs coming by the end of the year.Shop owners can track the progress of their technicians and staff through Career Pathways specific to the type of work they perform at their shop. Training participants receive certifications within the CTI+WTI platform as they complete training programs and advance in their career.“The advancement of automotive technology requires that our industry has access to leading edge training to keep pace with modern vehicle systems,” said Rob Morrell, Senior Director of Customer Training at Worldpac. “CTI+WTI’s new learning management system enables national accounts and independent shops alike to help attract, retain and grow talent.” CTI+WTI have hosted more than 45,000 training events in the organizations’ 20-plus year histories. For more information, visit CTIonline.com or WTIonline.com.

AM Best Affirms Credit Ratings of General de Salud, Compañía de Seguros, S.A.

AM Best has affirmed the Financial Strength Rating of A- (Excellent), the Long-Term Issuer Credit Rating of “a-” and the Mexico National Scale Rating (NSR) of “aaa.MX”of General de Salud, Compañía de Seguros, S.A. (Gsalud) (Mexico City, Mexico). The outlook of these Credit Ratings (ratings) is stable.The ratings reflect Gsalud’s balance sheet strength, which AM Best categorizes as very strong, as well as its adequate operating performance, limited business profile and appropriate enterprise risk management (ERM).Gsalud’s balance sheet strength is supported by risk-adjusted capitalization at a very strong level, as measured by Best’s Capital Adequacy Ratio (BCAR), strong underwriting practices and a supportive reinsurance program. The ratings also recognize Gsalud’s affiliation and strategic importance to its ultimate parent, Peña Verde, S.A.B., the leading group in Mexico’s (re)insurance industry, which provides synergies and operating efficiencies. Offsetting these positive rating factors are Gsalud’s concentration in one business line that is within Mexico’s highly competitive health insurance market.Gsalud is a fully owned subsidiary of General de Seguros, S.A.B. (General de Seguros) and focused solely on health insurance. The company provides products mainly in the individual and collective health segments, as well as for major medical expenses. Gsalud has used the same distribution channels as General de Seguros, which involves agents, brokers and commercial offices.Gsalud’s very strong risk-adjusted capitalization is maintained despite its increased risk appetite, as reflected by a higher exposure to shares, which makes the company susceptible to equity risk, according to BCAR. Historically, the company’s strong underwriting practices have resulted in positive technical performance with no dependence on investment revenue to achieve positive bottom line. AM Best expects the company to maintain this trend. In 2018, underwriting practices coupled with investments results, sustained profitability as reflected in a 7.8% return on equity The company benefits from being integrated into the Peña Verde, S.A.B. group, gaining operational advantage through common systems, procedures and ERM practices. AM Best expects underwriting results to further reinforce the company’s operating performance, and thus capitalization levels. Factors that may trigger positive rating actions include a continued generation of underwriting earnings that strengthen risk-adjusted capitalization levels. The company’s current ratings could come under pressure should a lack of underwriting discipline result in overall profitability falling short of AM Best’s expectations, or if capitalization is no longer supportive of the current ratings.

Titan Medical Announces Filing of Final Prospectus

Titan Medical Inc. (“Titan” or the “Company”) (TSX:TMD) (Nasdaq:TMDI), a medical device company focused on the design, development and commercialization of a robotic surgical system for application in minimally invasive surgery (“MIS”), is pleased to announce today that it has filed and been receipted for a final short form prospectus (the “Final Prospectus”) in connection with the previously announced marketed offering (the “Offering”) of units of the Company (the “Units”) at a price of US $0.45 per Unit for minimum gross proceeds of US $15,000,000 and maximum gross proceeds of US $25,000,000. Each Unit is comprised of one common share of the Company (a “Common Share”) and one Common Share purchase warrant of the Company (a “Warrant”). Each Warrant is exercisable for one Common Share at a price of US $0.55, for a period of 5 years following the first closing of the Offering.The Offering will be undertaken on a best efforts basis pursuant to the terms and conditions of an agency agreement entered into between the Company and Bloom Burton Securities Inc. (the “Agent”). The Units will also be offered for sale in the United States, by or through one or more United States registered broker-dealers appointed by the Agent as sub-agents. In connection with the Offering, the Agent will be paid a cash commission equal to 7.0% of the gross proceeds of the Offering and it will be issued that number of non-transferable broker warrants exercisable for Common Shares equal to 7.0% of the number of Units sold in the Offering. The Agent has been granted the option to offer for sale additional Units (the “Over-Allotment Units”) at the price issued under the Offering and/or additional Warrants (the “Over-Allotment Warrants”) at a price of US $0.36 per Over-Allotment Warrant, exercisable in whole or in part at any time and from time to time from the date of the agency agreement up to 30 days following the first Closing Date, so long as the aggregate number of Over-Allotment Units and Over-Allotment Warrants does not exceed 15% of the number of Units issued under the Offering.The Final Prospectus has been filed in each of the provinces of Ontario, British Columbia and Alberta, and a corresponding registration statement on Form F-10 (the “Registration Statement”) will be filed with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission under the U.S.-Canada Multijurisdictional Disclosure System.
The net proceeds of the Offering will be used to fund continued development work in connection with the Company’s robotic surgical system, as well as for working capital and other general corporate purposes. Further details are disclosed in the Final Prospectus, available at http://www.sedar.com and the Registration Statement, available at http://www.sec.gov.

TrackVia Earns Verified HIPAA Compliance

TrackVia, the leading low-code workflow management platform, today announced that it has achieved verified HIPAA compliance with a letter of attestation. Enacted in 1996, the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act is a regulation designed to protect confidential healthcare information and safeguard consumers’ sensitive data from fraud and security breaches.
While many low-code software vendors claim to be “HIPAA compliant,” TrackVia completed the third-party audit to demonstrate its end-to-end compliance with the stringent HIPAA privacy and data security requirements.“Protecting patient data is a key priority for our customers in the healthcare sector, a sector where it’s critical to maintain exacting standards,” said Todd Benge, chief technology officer for TrackVia. “Third-party verification of TrackVia’s HIPAA compliance means healthcare customers can be assured that every piece of their data within TrackVia is fully and properly protected and accounted for at all times.”TrackVia’s low-code platform helps organizations quickly configure and deploy their own web and mobile applications to simplify data collection and streamline work processes. Common use cases in healthcare include medical record management and auditing, insurance processing, physician and nurse credentialing, safety and compliance audits, scheduling and more.

Kuwait Hospital Market Review & Forecast Report 2012-2022 – Rising Cases of Diabetes in GCC & Kuwait

The “Kuwait Hospital Market Outlook to 2022- By Public and Private Hospitals, By Inpatients and Outpatients, By General and Specialty Hospital and By Region (Al Asima, Hawalli, Al Farwaniya, Al Ahmadi, Al Jahra and Mubarak Al-Kabeer)” report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com’s offering.In terms of revenue, the Kuwait hospital market has registered a constant growth with positive CAGR in the last five years (2012-2017). The majority of the healthcare sector in Kuwait is controlled by the Ministry of Health. Private participation in the healthcare sector is considerably low. The healthcare services in public sector hospitals are at highly subsidized rates. Owing to this, the number of outpatients and inpatients in public sector hospitals is significantly higher than in the private sector. However, the majority of the revenues generated in the hospital market is from the private sector hospitals. This is due to the enormous difference in prices for healthcare services in public and private sector hospitals.The Kuwait Hospital Market is expected to grow at a positive CAGR from 2018-2022. Kuwait is a high income class country and the demand for high end luxurious stay at hospitals is increasing among Kuwaiti residents. The Kuwait hospital market is likely to witness the addition of numerous hospitals in the next five years, with a mix of publicly and privately owned hospitals. Specialty care hospitals for Maternity and Pediatrics, Infectious Disease and allied medicines including school health services & dentistry are likely to open in the future. The number of available hospital beds is also likely to grow significantly with the growth in the number of hospitals.The revenue generated from private sector hospitals will continue to dominate the hospital market in Kuwait as private participation is likely to increase and so is the cost of private healthcare. It is expected that in the next five years, a number of general hospitals will come up in Kuwait. However, owing to the rising incidences and need for specialized tertiary and quaternary care, the number of specialized hospitals will be more in comparison to general hospitals. It is anticipated that by 2022, the revenue generated from outpatients will be greater than the revenue from inpatients due to the anticipated rise in the number of outpatients seeking private healthcare.

Cubic Hosts Unconscious Bias Bus Tour to Raise Awareness on Importance of Diversity and Inclusion

“I took the pledge with CEO Action for Diversity and Inclusion because I believe it is imperative that we strive and work towards creating a diverse and inclusive workforce,” said Bradley H. Feldmann, chairman, president and chief executive officer. “With innovation as the backbone of everything we do at Cubic, we must foster a work environment that is diverse and inclusive in order to drive a culture of innovative thinking.” The Check Your Blind Spots tour was created by CEO Action for Diversity and Inclusion, the largest CEO-driven business commitment to improve diversity and inclusion within the workplace. Cubic is a proud signatory of the CEO Action coalition.

Integration of SDP with Blockchain Technology to Boost Growth

global software-defined perimeter (SDP) market is expected to post a CAGR over 34% during the period 2019-2023, according to the latest market research report by Technavio. There is an increase in the number of network attacks such as APTs, man-in-the-middle, and DDoS by hackers and cybercriminals. This is encouraging many enterprises to adopt software-defined perimeter (SDP) because SDP analyzes the incoming traffic and immediately blocks them in case they are malicious in nature. It also automates the process and creates a perimeter for the data center and cloud infrastructure. Thus, the increase in network attacks across the globe will boost the growth of the software-defined perimeter (SDP) market during the forecast period.