Archive to aid doctor access to scanned medical images

Maine doctors will have access to patient X-rays, mammograms and other medical images regardless of their location as part of a new electronic archive described as a first-in-the-nation initiative.

The archive is expected to free health care providers from the hassle and cost of copying scans to CDs when a doctor wants to review patient medical images taken by another provider.

Piloted by HealthInfoNet, the state’s health information exchange, the archive is being tested by three health care organizations.

Officials told the Bangor Daily News that the archive is expected to save $6 million over seven years by sparing providers the cost of storing and transporting medical image records, plus the expense of paying staff to hunt for them.

L.L. Bean to sell tote bags made out of Fenway tarp

L.L. Bean is coming out with a line of tote bags made out of a tarp that covered the infield at Fenway Park during rain delays.

The Freeport retailer and Fenway Park are both celebrating their 100th anniversary this year.

In recognition of the milestone, the company is manufacturing 2,012 individually numbered tote bags made out of the tarp, with green handles and a diamond-shaped patch recognizing L.L. Bean’s 100th anniversary. The company says the bags allow baseball fans to own a piece of Fenway Park and L.L. Bean history.

The bags sell for $59.95 each and go on sale at 9 a.m. Tuesday. Sales are limited to one per person.

Best Buy founder to resign from board amid turmoil

The founder and outgoing chairman of Best Buy is resigning from the board and may sell off his 20.1 percent stake in the beleaguered electronic retailer.

It’s the latest news to hit the Minneapolis company, which is facing increasing competition from online retailers and a CEO scandal.

Richard Schulze, 71, has been with the company since its inception in 1966 and is its largest shareholder. He initially announced in May that he would step down June 21 at the company’s annual meeting, after an investigation found he knew that the then-CEO was having an inappropriate relationship with a female staffer.

Pfizer Inc. starts to spin off its animal health business

Drugmaker Pfizer Inc. said Thursday that it’s taking the first steps to spin off its animal health business into a separate company, a long-anticipated move that’s part of a makeover to divest nonpharmaceutical businesses and boost returns to frustrated shareholders.

Pfizer said it is preparing to submit a regulatory filing for a possible initial public offering of a minority stake in the new company, to be called Zoetis. Pfizer said it will provide more details when it reports its second-quarter results in August.

— From news service reports

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