Healthstream ( Nsadaq - HSTM ) -- Expands Laerdal Medical Partnership

Healthstream (HSTM $7.40) acquired a 50% stake in Laerdal's "Advanced Video System."  The two companies formed an equal partnership in 2010 to develop a simulation based health care education business.  Healthstream paid $3.5 million in cash to Laerdal so the video technology would be added to the partnership.  The video system uses up to four cameras to record students (hospital workers) as they perform various procedures on patient simulators (computerized mannequins).  The partnership originally was established to develop a next generation instruction system that combined Healthstream's courseware with Laerdal's mannequins.  As students perform different actions the results are transmitted over the Internet and evaluated.  The video provides additional feedback, showing the students and instructors exactly where they went right and wrong.  Healthstream and Laerdal are in the early stages of rolling out the new product line.  So the video business is not expected to generate a direct boost to results this year.  The technology's availablity promises to reinforce overall demand as more courses become available in the future.  For now we are maintaining our current estimates.  (Please click on the "Labels" button below to bring up all the reports on file about Healthstream.)

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