Strong Showing of Healthcare Firms on FSB 100

Fortune Small Business is out with its annual FSB 100, a list of the most successful small public companies in the U.S. Almost a quarter of the list (21 companies) is made up of healthcare-related enterprises. Here’s a look at who made the cut and what makes them worthy:

Palomar Medical Technologies, ranked number 8, is a Burlington, MA-based firm that makes pulsed light and laser systems for aesthetic applications such as permanent hair reduction, leg veins, acne, pigmented lesion removal, wrinkle reduction, vascular treatments and tattoo removal.

Somanetics (13), of Troy, MI, makes the INVOS Cerebral Oximeter, a non-invasive patient monitoring system that continuously measures changes in blood oxygen levels in the brain.

United Therapeutics (22), based in Silver Spring, MD, makes drugs for cardiovascular, cancer and infectious diseases. It also works in telemedicine, through its Medicomp subsidiary. Its FDA-approved heart monitor, CardioPAL SAVI, is the first ambulatory device to detect the p-wave, a portion of the ECG that represents atrial activity.

LifeCell (37), of Branchbur, NJ, makes biological products for the repair and replacement of damaged or inadequate human tissue. Its proprietary tissue-matrix technology removes all cells from the tissue without damaging the essential biochemical and structural components necessary for normal-tissue regeneration.

Quality Systems (41). This Irvine, CA, subsidiary of NextGen Healthcare Information Systems makes practice-management, medical-records and e-business applications for medical and dental group practices.

A.D.A.M. (42) is a health information company located in Atlanta, GA, that makes physician-reviewed text, medical illustrations, multimedia, interactive tools and technology. One example is A.D.A.M. DecisionAssist, an interactive tool that helps consumers make important healthcare decisions, such as whether to have a particular surgery, proceed with a test or take certain medications.

Lifecore Biomedical (43), based in Chaska, MN, develops dental implant systems, tissue regeneration products, and medical grade hyaluronan, a naturally occurring polysaccharide that is widely distributed in the extracellar matrix of connective issues in animals and humans. Lifecore’s oral restorative products are surgically placed into the jawbone, which maintains underlying bone structure and provides fixation of restorations.

Pioneer Behavioral Health (49), based in Peabody, MA, offers inpatient and outpatient behavioral healthcare services, clinical research, and Internet- and phone-based referral services across the U.S.

Rochester Medical (51) is a Stewartville, MN, urology company that makes latex-free catheters and adhesives for incontinence.

MEDTOX Scientific (54), based in St. Paul, MN, develops drug-testing devices for use in pharmaceutical drug development, hospital care, and corrections and rehabilitation programs.

Vital Images (55), of Minnetonka, MN, is a medical imaging company that develops 3D software used for clinical diagnosis, disease screening and therapy planning. The software applies computer graphics and image processing to data supplied by CT, MRI and PET scanners.

Meridian Bioscience (58) is a Cincinnati, OH, company that develops diagnostic test kits for certain respiratory, gastrointestinal, viral and parasitic infectious diseases.

Spectranetics (62), of Colorado Springs, CO, makes single-use medical devices, for use in conjunction with its proprietary excimer laser system, for cardiovascular surgical procedures.

IntegraMed America (73), of Purchase, NY, provides services to medical practices that specialize in infertility. Services include finance, administration, information systems, marketing and research. The company also sells pharmaceutical products and offers treatment-financing programs for patients.

SonoSite (76). This Bothell, WA, company makes hand-carried ultrasound systems that are approximately the size and weight of a laptop computer. Read here about other emerging med tech companies located in the northernmost counties of Seattle.

Providence Service (82), located in Tuscon, AZ, provides counseling and support services in home- and community-based settings. The company’s social workers go into people’s homes to help with things like drug addiction and domestic violence.

Novamed (90) is a Chicago-based company that acquires and develops ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs) in partnership with physicians. The firm divested its practice management business in 2002 to focus exclusively on ASCs.

Streamline Health Solutions (92) is a Cincinnati, OH-based workflow- and document-management provider specializing in streamlining business processes for healthcare professionals. The company’s goal is to bridge the productivity gap between paper-based processes and transaction-based healthcare information systems.

Psychemedics (93) is an Acton, MA-based company whose technology analyzes hair samples to test for drug use. Comparison studies have shown Psychemedics’ tests to be 5-10 times more effective than urinalysis in identifying drug users.

American Medical Alert (99) provides remote health monitoring devices and 24/7 communication services for senior, disabled and chronically ill patients. An aging population has well positioned this Oceanside, NY, company. Fortune Small Business, in its July/August FSB 100 issue, highlighted the firm’s as a “small stock to bank on.”

Computer Programs & Systems (100), located in Mobile, AL, makes software for managing electronic medical records. Its systems tie together hospitals’ key departments and improve the availability and communication of patient information.

Now in its seventh year, the FSB 100 ranks public companies with revenues of less than $200 million and a stock price of more than $1, based on their percentage growth in earnings, revenue and stock performance over the past three years.