MTR is proud to announce that Marisa Andreozzi has joined MTR’s full time staff as a Marketing Analyst. Marisa began working for Medical Technology Resources in June of 2007 as a marketing intern. She graduated magna cum laude from The Ohio State University in August, 2008, with a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration with an emphasis in Marketing. Marisa was employed as an intern at two other firms prior to arriving at MTR.

Marisa is the go-to person for the entire pump rental fleet. She also is directly involved in the oncology consulting portion of the business in addition to editing and updating the MTR website and blog. Please feel free to introduce yourself to Marisa! Her e-mail address is mandreozzi@mtrhealth.com.

Popularity: 8% [?]

The majority of the population is made aware of breast, colon, and lung cancer - many people get yearly tests to make sure they do not have these types of cancer.  But have you heard of oral, leukemia, or endometrial cancers?  These are 3 very common cancers, but the symptoms are typically overlooked because these cancers are not as well known. 

The risk of oral cancer is 1 in 98.  People between the ages of 55 and 65 are especially vulnerable.  75% of oral cancers are caused by smoking and drinking alcohol.  Be aware of any sores, tenderness, pain, etc in your mouth or on your lips.  Unfortunately, most people ignore these symptoms as common pains and the cancer goes undetected, making oral cancer much more fatal than it should be.

Leukemia is known as affecting children more than adults, but people between the ages of 55 and 74 are also vulnerable.  It is crucial to be aware of the symptoms of leukemia – bleeding gums, bruising easily, flu-like symptoms, fatigue, and joint pain.  If any of these symptoms persist for more than two weeks, you should consult your doctor.

The risk of endometrial cancer, also known as uterine cancer, is 1 in 40.  This is the fourth most common type of cancer in women – 90% of the cases happen in women over the age of 50.  Women who are obese and who have a family history of uterine cancer are extremely susceptible.  Luckily, the most common symptom of uterine cancer is unusual bleeding.  Most women immediately go to their doctor and the cancer is usually caught in its earliest stages.

It is extremely important to be aware of all types of cancers, especially the ones that are caused by certain behavioral and biological traits.  MTR strives to post important oncology information for everyone on this blog, so please keep watching!

Popularity: 16% [?]

MTR would like to welcome another new territory manager to the team.  Irene Winters joins MTR as the New England Territory Manager.  Her territory consists of Massachusetts, Connecticut, Rhode Island andNew Hampshire.

 Irene graduated from the University of Massachusetts @ Amherst.  She began her successful career as a copier sales specialist with Northeast Copier Systems.  Irene also worked for Healthpoint in the alternate site sales arena  with specific responsibility in nursing homes and long term care pharmacies.

 Irene enjoys going to Patriots games , the Boston Red Sox, traveling, and time spent with friends & family.  If you’re in Irene’s New England territory, please send her an e-mail and introduce yourself.  You can contact her at iwinters@mtrhealth.com  Welcome to the team Irene!

Popularity: 21% [?]

MTR is proud to announce Stuart Smith as our new Carolinas Territory Manager. His territory consists of North and South Carolina and Eastern Tennessee.

Stuart is a graduate of The University of South Carolina. He has been in medical sales for the past 19 years, most recently as an IV Catheter rep with Johnson & Johnson and a Safety Specialist with Smiths Medical. He resides in Charlotte with his wife of 24 years, Debbie, and their five children. Stuart plans to extend his career record of sales accomplishments and top level customer service with MTR. Please feel free to get in touch with Stuart if you are located in his geography. You can contact him at ssmith@mtrhealth.com. Welcome to the team Stuart!

Popularity: 17% [?]

It was a perfect day last Saturday for the Make A Wish Walk. Team “Tyler & MTR” walked 3 miles in support of Tyler and Make A Wish. MTR staff, family, and friends all came out for the event. We had a total of 16 people on our team – see picture below.

We have reached 75% of our set goal. Donations are still being accepted up till August 29^th. Directions on donating are listed below. Help us make Tyler’s wish of going on a Caribbean cruise with his family come true!

Thank you so much to everyone who came out for the walk and gave a donation! It is greatly appreciated and we hope to do it again next year!

Popularity: 18% [?]

Last year, MTR granted the wishes of two children. It was such a fulfilling experience that we decided to participate in the Make a Wish Walk for Wishes by forming a team. “Team Tyler & MTR” has a goal to raise $6,000 to grant the wish of a child. This is the average amount it takes to grant a child’s wish.

With $6,000, MTR will be able to grant the wish of Tyler who is battling Burkitt’s Lymphoma. Burkitt’s is a dangerous non-Hodgkins Lymphoma that generally strikes people between the ages of 12-30. Tyler is currently undergoing a difficult chemo regimen. He hopes that he will be able to fulfill his wish by going on a Caribbean Cruise with his family in December.

The 3-mile family friendly walk will be held at Creekside Park in Gahanna on August 16th at 9:30 am. It will begin and end at Creekside and will wind through the beautiful trails of Gahanna’s parks. At the end of the walk, everyone is welcome to join us to celebrate The 25^th Anniversary of the Make-A-Wish Foundation of Greater Ohio, Kentucky, and Indiana. The party will include family entertainment for all ages including live music, mascots, activities, and a light meal for all event participants and volunteers. We hope you will be able to join us!

If you are interested in helping MTR reach its goal, please make checks payable to Make-a-Wish Foundation and send by August 29th to:

Medical Technology Resources

6321 Busch Blvd.

Columbus, OH 43229

You can also go to “MY TEAM” homepage and donate online via credit card. Just follow these simple steps:

1. Go to www.makeawishohio.org
2. Click on Walk for Wishes- Register or Sponsor
3. Scroll down and click on the link under The 9th Annual Medical Mutual of Ohio® Walk For Wishes- Columbus, Ohio
4. On the right side of the page, click on “Team Tyler & MTR” in the “Team Rank” box or click ‘more>>’ to find
5. Follow instructions to make donation
6. Congratulations! You just helped a wish come true!

We will post a blog after the walk to let everyone know if we meet our goal!

Popularity: 20% [?]

MTR is very happy to announce that Brianne Julian, our Marketing and Sales Support Specialist, has been promoted to Territory Manager of Ohio/Western PA. Her sales territory will also include West Virginia and all of Ohio except for Cincinnati. Brianne grew up in the Ohio Valley located in eastern Ohio, birthplace of Dean Martin. Brianne graduated from The Ohio State University in March, 2007, with a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration with a specialization in Marketing. Brianne actually began as a Marketing Intern at MTR in September, 2006. Upon graduation, she was hired as MTR’s Marketing and Sales Support Specialist. She had a multitude of responsibilities with an emphasis on website sales. If you are located in Brianne’s territory and would like MTR to help you with your IV equipment and disposable needs, please contact Brianne at bjulian@mtrhealth.com

Popularity: 24% [?]

On July 15, 2008, Congress passed H. R 6331, which is officially titled “Medicare Improvements for Patients and Providers Act of 2008.”  President Bush actually vetoed the bill, but both the House and the Senate overturned it.  You can see a summary of the law here.

This law includes a passage about revamping quality measures:

–Requires all suppliers to be accredited by Oct. 1, 2009. Ensure that all suppliers, whether they are billing Medicare directly or are a subcontractor to another supplier, be subject to accreditation.
–Requires contracting suppliers to disclose all subcontracting relationships to CMS.
–Excludes physicians and other practitioners from DMEPOS accreditation requirements until CMS develops provider-specific standards. Allow CMS to waive physician accreditation if the agency determines they are subject to other mandatory quality requirements.
–Establishes a separate ombudsman within CMS to handle supplier and beneficiary issues related to the competitive bidding program.

This law is significant because it is will exclude physicians and therefore oncology practices from undergoing this extensive accreditation process. 

MTR passed the ACHC accreditation process this past spring on March 12, 2008.  We are here to answer any questions you have regarding this bill and the quality measures.  Please feel free to call our toll-free number: 1-888-250-5699.

Stay tuned to MTR’s blog to get the latest information on any future amendments to this bill!

Popularity: 35% [?]

MTR would like to congratulate Josh Prati on his promotion from the Director of Sales to the Vice President of Sales. As mentioned in previous blogs, MTR is expanding its sales force into Indiana, Boston, North and South Carolina along with other markets across the country. Mr. Prati will be overseeing the entire sales force and will also manage key, targeted national accounts.

Mr. Prati graduated from The Ohio State University in 1998 with a Bachelor of Science degree. He has worked in the healthcare industry for the past 10 years. His experience includes time spent with Apria Healthcare and B.Braun Medical. During his time in both organizations, Mr. Prati served in roles as Sr. Territory Manager along with National Field Training responsibilities.

Mr. Prati joined MTR as Director of Sales and Operations in April of 2006 and has been instrumental in the growth and development of MTR’s Oncology Consulting Model. Mr. Prati continues to drive profitable revenues through the expansion of MTR’s National Sales force.

MTR is delighted to announce this promotion and is encouraged by the consistent top line growth and profitable gains in the IV infusion market.

Popularity: 27% [?]

For those who are affected by the implementation of USP 797, consider calling Medical Technology Resources!  MTR will be stocking the key products that meet the USP 797 requirements.  For those of you who are unfamiliar, USP 797 is a far-reaching regulation that governs a wide range of pharmacy policies and procedures. It is designed both to cut down on infections transmitted to patients through pharmaceutical products and to better protect any staff working in pharmacies in the course of their exposure to pharmaceuticals.  Pharmacies must follow the regulations that USP 797 enforces and MTR will be stocking Texwipe products in order to assist pharmacies in conforming to these regulations.  To see more information on USP 797, visit http://www.usp797.org/.  If you’re interested in purchasing any Texwipe disposable products, please call 1-888-250-5699 or e-mail sales@mtrhealth.com.  We will be more than willing to answer all of your questions!

Popularity: 46% [?]