Researchers from the University of Nebraska Medical Center and Wake Forest University are collaborating with San Francisco-based Omada Health to explore the effectiveness of a virtual diabetes prevention program.

The PREDICTS (“Preventing Diabetes with Digital Health and Coaching for Translation and Scalability”) randomized control trial will include approximately 500 participants with verified clinical eligibility for Omada’s CDC-recognized diabetes prevention program, according to an announcement. Omada Health is best known for its digitally-enabled intensive behavioral counseling, enabling individuals at elevated risk of chronic conditions like type 2 diabetes and heart disease to change the habits that put them most at risk, the organization’s officials attest.

Read More: https://www.healthcare-informatics.com/news-item/mobile/healthcare-organizations-partner-study-effectiveness-virtual-diabetes-prevention

What if health care were designed so that in-person visits were the second, third, or even last option for meeting routine patient needs, rather than the first? This question seems to elicit two basic responses — sometimes expressed in the same breath: “The idea will upset many physicians, who are already under duress” and “I wish my health care worked that way.”

Face-to-face interactions will certainly always have a central role in health care, and many patients prefer to see their physician in person. But a system focused on high-quality nonvisit care would work better for many others — and quite possibly for physicians as well. Virtually all physicians already use nonvisit interactions to some extent, but their improvised approaches could be vastly improved if health systems were designed with such care as the explicit goal.

Progress in this direction is already under way. At Kaiser Permanente, for example, 52% of the more than 100 million patient encounters each year are now “virtual visits.” The organization has been able to innovate in this area in part because it spends about 25% of its annual $3.8 billion capital budget on information technology. Nevertheless, these virtual visits only scratch the surface of what’s possible with today’s technology.

Read More: ​http://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMp1710735?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=hot_off_the_presses_sean_duffy_in_the_new_england_journal_of_medicine&utm_term=2018-01-10&#article

Stroke, a leading cause of serious, long-term disability in the United States, ranks as the fifth leading cause of death in South Carolina.
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In an effort to decrease the risk of stroke for patients who might not be a candidate for other stroke treatments, McLeod offers a new minimally invasive procedure to treat carotid artery disease.

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Carotid endarterectomy is a procedure performed by a vascular surgeon to treat carotid artery disease. During this procedure, the vascular surgeon exposes the carotid artery through an incision on the side of the neck. The artery, after being clamped on both sides of the blockage, is then opened to access the plaque. The plaque is removed from inside the artery and the artery then sewn back together.

This is an effective treatment for decreasing the risk of stroke. However, some patients have medical conditions that place them at high risk for carotid endarterectomy.

For these patients, a new procedure called transcarotid arterial revascularization (TCAR) is now available. During the procedure, the surgeon makes a very small, one-inch incision just above the collarbone to gain access to the blocked artery while the patient is under local anesthesia. TCAR is a more viable option for patients who have medical conditions that would prohibit them from undergoing an open procedure like the carotid endarterectomy.

Read More: http://www.scnow.com/living/health/article_b174abf0-f496-11e7-ae78-f7dfd6771828.html

Year-end 2017 Cash Balance of $103.1 Million
Presentation of Clinical Data on Phase 1 programs expected in 2018

REDWOOD CITY, Calif., Jan. 04, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- OncoMed Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ:OMED), a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on discovering and developing novel anti-cancer therapeutics, today announced its 2018 pipeline outlook and pre-announced its 2017 year-end cash balance, as well as an update on the rosmantuzumab (anti-RSPO3, OMP131-R10) clinical program.

OncoMed is advancing navicixizumab, anti-TIGIT, and GITRL-Fc programs, as well as on-going immuno-oncology discovery efforts to meaningful inflection points in 2018. Enrollment is robust in all ongoing clinical trials, and OncoMed anticipates reporting navicixizumab and anti-TIGIT data in 2018 as appropriate pending progress of on-going studies. 

OncoMed ended 2017 with approximately $103.1 million in cash. OncoMed's current cash is estimated to be sufficient to fund operations through at least the third quarter of 2019, without taking into account future potential milestone payments from partners. Full-year net cash burn for 2017 was approximately $81.5 million, in accordance with the company's 2017 guidance. OncoMed estimates 2018 operating cash burn to be less than $55 million, before considering potential milestones/opt-ins.

Read More: http://www.oncomed.com/invest/releasedetail.cfm?releaseid=1053386

​Board of Directors has initiated search to identify successor
Office of the President continues to perform the duties of President and CEO
Perry Karsen appointed as Chairman of the Board

REDWOOD CITY, Calif., Jan. 04, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- OncoMed Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ:OMED), a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on discovering and developing novel anti-cancer therapeutics, today announced that Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer Paul J. Hastings resigned from OncoMed to pursue new career opportunities, effective January 1st, 2018.

The board of directors has retained an executive search firm and has initiated a search for a fulltime successor. In the interim, The Office of the President, comprised of Executive Vice President, Research and Development, John Lewicki, and Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, Sunil Patel, will continue to perform the duties of President and CEO. In addition, the Board of Directors has appointed Perry Karsen as Chairman of the Board while Jack Lasersohn, formerly Lead Director, remains a Board Member.

"After twelve fulfilling and successful years of service, it is time for me to step-down from my responsibilities at OncoMed and move to the next stage of professional opportunities available to me," said Mr. Hastings. "I look forward to watching the company and its high caliber team continue to grow and evolve into a late-stage development organization serving the needs of patients with cancer."

Read More: http://www.oncomed.com/invest/releasedetail.cfm?ReleaseID=1053387