The buzz at this year's annual meeting of the American Academy of Ophthalmology focused on two things: the presbyopia-correcting intraocular lens market, and the controversy surrounding the drugs Lucentis and Avastin for treating wet age-related macular degeneration.

Patient safety dominated the discussions at the 2007 annual meeting of the American Society of Anesthesiologists. Although medtech manufacturers have long focused on improving safety, that movement is being further fueled by a growing number of performance measures and documentation requirements. In addition, pay-for-performance initiatives are gaining in popularity as health care buyers seek ways to drive quality improvements, putting more pressure on hospitals and physicians to provide and document quality care in order to maximize their reimbursements.

The road to building a national system of electronic medical records took a hit at the end of 2007 when a Harvard study came close to declaring that regional health information organizations (RHIOS), an essential component of EMRs, were are major failure. But the bleak picture that this study presents should only be considered as a single part of a much larger undertaking.

A roundup of recent medtech strategic alliances, mergers & acquisitions and financings.