ArthroCare Sept 2010 Newsletter

in this issue

Employee News .............2

Product News ..............14

IT Notes ........................15

Wellness News .............16

Other News ..................17

Events ...........................18

Contacts .......................20

2010 Supplier Eventpg 10

Active Employeespg 17

ArthroCare® NewsS E p t E m b E r 2 0 1 0

ENt Awards the Sales Forcepg 6

2 ArthroCare News For Internal Use Only

employee news

Anniversaries

united states

5 YEARSChris Bohlman

Del Bradford

Taylor Durke

Sylvie Akiel-Fu

David Gamble

Lisa Kovalski

Jennifer Louie-Monzon

Arshdeep Sandhu

Shannon Weisenberger

7 YEARSJim Giblin

Trish Howell

Ivy Lee

Monica Martinez

Tri Nguyen

Hesper Pan

Ray Veslenio

costa rica

5 YEARSMaria Isabel Arce

Juan Carlos Chacon

Laura Alicia Cortes

Jose Granados

Matthew Herman

Laura Hernandez

Jeison William Jimenez

Jose Alfredo Jimenez

Carlos Manuel Leandro

Luis Humberto Loria

Josue Martinez

Liliana Murillo

Raquel Vanessa Perez

Blanca Lorena Rojas

Catalina Rojas

Maria Graciela Rojas

Frank Gerardo Vargas

Maria Rocio Vargas

7 YEARSRebecca Patricia Aguilar

Cesar Barrientos

Jairo Andres Carmona

Francini Esquivel

Mauricio Garita

Jose Johnny Gomez

Jose Leanardo Hernandez

Walter Gustavo Lopez

Edwin Luis Mayorga

Michael Montero

Francisco Solis

Jaritza Mayela Zamora

10 YEARSScott McIntyre

15 YEARSJosefa Ceja

September 2010 3For Internal Use Only

employee news

New Hire Job Title Location

Andy Phillips Senior Manager, Order Entry Austin

Anthony Molesphini Product Support Specialist I Austin

Anuar Solis Product Support Specialist III Austin

Celina Ramirez Customer Service Representative III Austin

Clifron Doak Senior Accountant II Austin

Edward Zahradnik Customer Service Specialist III Austin

Javier Rubio Staff Quality Systems Project Manager Austin

Jennifer Wright Order Entry Representative III Austin

Jerry Molina Staff Process Development Engineer Austin

Josette Sfeir Product Support Manager Austin

Latasha Daniels Order Entry Representative III Austin

Levar Jenkins Product Support Specialist II Austin

Liliya Spinazzola Customer Service Specialist III Austin

Lucretia Lopez Order Entry Representative III Austin

Michael Greene Customer Service Specialist III Austin

Morgan Gatlin Senior Internal Auditor Austin

Shane Johnston Senior ABAP Developer Austin

Shelley Klappenback Customer Service Manager Austin

Terry Mattson Customer Service Director Austin

Erick Jesus Montano Accounting Assistant Costa Rica

Esteban Jose Rivera Junior Planner/Buyer Costa Rica

Mayra Graciela Mora Nurse Costa Rica

Jordan Webb Territory Manager Field

Kristopher Drewery Territory Manager Field

Natalie McClintock Territory Associate Field

Todd Lervick Territory Manager Field

Kelly Townsend Research Associate - Clinical Sunnyvale

Linda Duncan Supplier Engineer Sunnyvale

Daniela Mundt-Garcia Senior Visual Designer Sunnyvale

New Hires

10 YEARSScott McIntyre

15 YEARSJosefa Ceja


employee news

New Hire Spotlight

Gwen Chapman joined ArthroCare’s Legal department in June 2010 as Corporate Counsel, International and recently promoted to Vice President, Compliance Officer. In this role, Gwen will have global responsibility of our compliance and will continue to support our international operations with legal. Gwen comes to us from the law firm of Fulbright & Jaworksi where she did a significant amount of work as outside counsel for ArthroCare. Gwen will also lead the Compliance department on an interim basis. Gwen is based in the Austin office and reports to David Fitzgerald.

Tara Waterman, M.D. joined ArthroCare as the Medical Affairs Director in July 2010. As the Medical Affairs Director, Tara will play a significant role in the clinical and commercial development of marketed products by providing the leadership, strategic insight, direction and implementation for all worldwide clinical and medical affairs to drive rapid product usage, and adoption for ArthoCare’s medical products and technology. Additionally, she will provide clinical and medical affairs leadership to customers, payers, and the company´s sales, and reimbursement personnel and the creation and dissemination of clinical information in the form of abstracts, publications and clinical presentations. Tara will interact with key opinion leaders to promote adoption of the technology with the goal of maximizing patient benefit from ArthroCare products through their safe and appropriate use. Tara comes to ArthroCare with over 10 years of experience in the health care industry, four of the past years being in medical devices. Prior to ArthroCare, she worked in the Clinical and Medical Affairs Departments of Kyphon and Medtronic Spinal and Biologics. After earning her undergraduate degree in Human Biology at Stanford University, Tara attended medical school at the University of Southern California where she was President of the local AMA student-chapter. Following graduation from USC School of Medicine, she did her general surgery residency at LAC+USC hospitals in Los Angeles. She has conducted pioneering research in esophageal cancer which has been published in The Annals of Thoracic Surgery with her as principal author. Tara reports to Bruce Prothro and is based in Sunnyvale.


employee news

promotions

bruce prothro (Sunnyvale) has been promoted from Chief Regulatory Officer and Vice President of Quality Systems and Assurance to Chief Regulatory Officer and Senior Vice President of Quality Systems and Assurance.

Bruce will continue to report to David Fitzgerald.

Anna molin (International) who has been promoted to Manager, Business Process & Infrastructure. Anna has been with ArthroCare for the past five years working in different positions ranging from customer service to implementation

of SAP throughout International. Anna and her team will ensure that we position ourselves for our future direct market expansion as well as development of infrastructure to support existing markets. One of the objectives is to establish effective business processes and training to support the international Customer & Sales Support teams and Operations.

Jean Woloszko (Austin) has been promoted from Chief Technology Officer and Vice President of Research and Development to Chief Technology Officer and Senior Vice President of Research and Development. Jean will

continue to report to Rich Christensen.

David Aldcroft (International) has been promoted to Manager, International Service Centre. David came on board in connection with the acquisition of Atlantech® Medical Devices in 2002. He has been instrumental in building up

the International Service Centre in Belgium which today employees three members of staff. The group will continue enhancing and developing new areas of support.

ros Frizell (Austrailia) has been promoted to Sales & Marketing Manager for ENT in Australia.

Duane marion (Sunnyvale) is promoted to Senior Director, Corporate Research and Development, and Technical Fellow, reporting to Jean Woloszko.

Jason Jiménez (Costa Rica) has been promotoed to Quality Assurance Trainer.

Cindy Johanna Vega (Costa Rica) has been promoted to Quality Assurance Trainer.

tatiana rojas (Costa Rica) has been promoted to Quality Assurance Trainer.


employee news

On July 20th, 2010, two Perpetual Plaques were presented to David Fitzgerald at the Corporate Office in Austin, Texas. On one plaque, the ENT Territory Manager of the Year is listed as well as the Region of the Year. On the other plaque, the “Top Gun” of the year award recipient is listed. These two plaques will be permanently mounted prominently in the Sunnyvale and Austin campuses for all to admire.

The Territory Manager of the Year award is based on sales accomplishments decided by the sales management team and includes: • % to quota• Total sales growth for Coblation® and Rapid Rhino®• Sales volume• New account growth

The Region of the Year award is determined by the Regional % to quota.

The Top Gun award is determined by the overall contributions to the ENT sales organization decided by the regional managers. Several factors are considered during the decision-making process, including:• Consistent sales performance over a period of at least

2-3 years• Consistent territory growth in both Coblation and RR

product categories

• A willingness to tackle additional responsibilities with Marketing and sales management

• Is a member of the FAC, a Field Trainer or has served as an in-house trainer in the past

Because these are perpetual plaques, every year the new Territory Manager, Regional Manager and Top Gun recipients will be added to the display. Please be sure to check out the plaques at either the Austin or the Sunnyvale office, and please join me in congratulating the previous recipients.

Looking forward to future award winners! Congratulations and all the best!!!!

Andrew J. Miclot

ENt Awards the Sales Force with two perpetual plaques

(L-to-R) Brian Long, Lee Sweeney, Cathy Pass, Joey Gryczkowski, Howard Chien, Andy Miclot, Gene Burdette, David Fitzgerald, Eric Swift, Eric Schaefer, Mike Cunningham, Matt Janer, Patricia Saddington, and Greg Phillips.

previous receipients:

Regional Manager of the Year2001-Greg Phillips2002-Rob Mandle2003-Rob Mandle2004-Mike Maczka2005-Mike Maczka2006-Eric Schaefer2007-Mike Maczka2008-Mike Maczka2009-Lee SweeneyTop Gun2008-Joey Gryczkowski2008-Reed Miner2009-Todd Hirsch

Territory Manager of the Year2002-Rodney Hovis2003-Rodney Hovis2004-Eric Swift2005-Peter Aliota2006-Todd Hirsch2007-Patricia Saddington2008-Tim Pham2009-Ed Failano2009-Cleve Holden2009-Chris Migal


employee news

The Suggestion Program committee is pleased to report that year-to-date, we have booked some $466,000 worth of ideas. However, with a goal of $1m for the calendar year, there is still a lot of work to be done. We have over 60 open ideas that are pending implementation. Until an idea is implemented, we cannot capture the savings. This means that we need your help in not only submitting new ideas but pushing existing ones forward to implementation.

We are seeing an increasingly diverse scope of ideas as well as line extensions to already submitted ideas. For example, change material in product X is submitted and then a new idea is submitted with the same scope, but for product Y. Although ideas like this are valued and are encouraged, they cannot be regarded as a new idea. We like to encourage innovation and accordingly promote ideas that have not been, in principle, submitted in the past.

The Suggestion Program would like to thank you for your ongoing participation in this very important program!

the Suggestion program

Dwayne Bell $250Purchase new pre-vacuum autoclave instead of outsourcing

Deborah Yuster $250

Establish tiered discount for translation services

Lauren Wong $500

Certify CR Calibration Technicians in-house

Other awards:Rosa Chuang ($100) - Fine vs. Coarse Barium Sulfate Production RatioJennifer Dickel ($1000) - Mobile Lab Waste SavingsAgee Barooni ($100) - Replace P/N 23859 with Part # 25227Johathan Ballesteros & Miguel Alfar ($500) - Controller and Pump Wire Harness Sub Assemblies in Costa RicaGina Costell ($2000) Enhancement of Revenue for Opus® product line


employee news

Sports medicine meeting, Oslo, Norway June 8, 2010 The Sports Medicine team hosted a Sales Meeting for ArthroCare staff and distributors prior to the ESSKA congress in a unique traditional Norwegian lodge located in Oslo’s nearby forest. The theme of the meeting which was also carried through to the ESSKA Congress was “Latest and Greatest”. This meeting included knee and shoulder product updates by Fredrik Zetterberg and Manoush Masarrat as well as a very informative presentation by Dr Mark Haber (Australia). Ben Price informed the group of what are the goals of the training team in the future. This meeting ended with a hands-on workshop in an unusual location, Scandinavian Lappish tents with reindeer skins on the floor. Paul Wellings said, “this is the first time I have ever held a training workshop in a tent before” and we are sure that it was the first time for many of the others. After a barbeque lunch the team building activities started which gave us an opportunity to see people in a different light! The group was divided into eight teams, with two teams

InternatIonal

competing against each other at one of four stations. Firstly, each team created their own flag which bought out the creative and not-so creative sides of people. The theme for the flag design was “Latest and Greatest” and each flag came out completely different, there was definitely no spying or copying taking place.

The activity stations were as follows:• Canoe Relay, two people in each• Snow Shoe Relay followed by Air Gun Shooting• Building of Lappish Tents with half the group blind

folded and half the group handcuffed• Three Trees, group to create with ropes a system to cross

three trees without touching the ground

The event company that helped us with these activities said that usually maybe one person falls into the water during the canoe relay however there were approximately ten people who got thoroughly wet from our group. Was this because of lack of team work or was it just bad balance?

Clockwise (L-to-R) Dr. Mark Haber, Lappish tents, Taditional Norwegian lodge where meeting was held, Canoe Relay


employee news

ESSKA, Oslo, Norway June 9-12, 2010The bi-annual European Society of Sports Traumatology, Knee Surgery & Arthroscopy congress was held in Oslo with over 2000 participants attending. We were proud to be the Gold partner for this congress and we sponsored the lanyards for all attendees, held two workshops and had a prime location of our 18 sqm booth. We have got a fantastic amount of leads which will help us to increase our sales!

On June 10th, the ArthroCare Training team held a “Double -Row Solution, featuring SpeedScrew® Tips and Tricks”. This workshop was attended by ArthroCare Sales and Marketing staff and distributors, it gave everyone a chance to gain information as well as try hands-on all of the products. After the presentations the group was split into three work stations which were lead by Ben Price, Marcus Spiess and Paul Wellings. Everyone who attended this workshop found it very useful and should now remember to remind surgeons to not let go of the SpeedScrew during the procedure!

Dr Mark Haber had two abstracts approved and the posters were displayed in prime position throughout the congress. The title of the first abstract was “Assessment of footprint properties of rotator cuff repairs during the repair and upon passive arm movement after the repair: the effects of repair relaxation and movement in single-row versus transosseous equivalent repairs”.

The second abstract title was “Effect of dependent versus independent suture tightening on the tendon-to-bone contact properties of double row rotator cuff repairs”, this was also presented by Dr Haber during a poster presentation session on June 11th.

ArthroCare booth at ESSKA


employee news

Fun Run is a friendly race that involves either road running or cross country running with participants taking part for their own enjoyment rather that competition. A fun run is usually held to raise funds for a charity, with sponsors providing the revenue to cover organizational costs. Fun runs can also be included as a side event to a marathon or other more serious races like the Bay-to-Breakers in San Francisco.

the 8th Annual Keep Austin Weird 5K This is unofficially known to some as the “slowest 5k you’ll ever run” but the experience you’ll never forget. Lacey Daugherty, Katie Zarzana, and Kari Smith (picture on right) participated in the 5k run.

“We are always looking for employees to do fun runs together and information is posted in our fitness room in Austin for those that are interested.” – Katie Zarzana

(L-to-R) Lacey Daugherty, Katie Zarzana, and Kari Smith

Fun runs

the moonlight margarita run (August 5, 2010)

On August 5, 2010, the Moonlight Margarita Run combined two popular Austin activities--drinking margaritas and a 5K race. The secret to the event’s success is the order of the activities. First the race, then the margaritas.

The 2010 Moonlight Margarita Run began at 8:00 pm at the Johnson Creek Trailhead (aka “The Rock”). Per TTF (The Trail Foundation), approximately one-third of trail users enter the trail via the Johnson Creek Trailhead. The 5K ends on Veterans Drive near the American Legion Hall where the after party (along with the margaritas and live music) takes place.

If you are in the Austin area and would like to join the fun run, more information is posted in the fitness room.

(L-to-R) Misty Romines, Katie Zarzana, Treva Rumbeck, Sybil Wright, Wendy McIntyre, Kari Smith


employee news

John Pustell and Al Torabi participated in the race this year.

Bay to Breakers is a San Francisco tradition for nearly 100 years; a 12K footrace held every third Sunday in May with serious runners and costumed participants alike. The course starts at the San Francisco Bay, crosses the city, through the Golden Gate Park and ends at the Pacific Ocean. 60,000 participants, including 33,000 registered runners and walkers participate annually and represent serious and not-so-serious side of the sport, including world-class runners, costumed contenders, and weekend warriors.

“The start of the race is always crowded until you run past the mayhem and get ahead of the crowds.” – Al Torabi

bay to breakers in San Francisco (may 16, 2010)

Erica Nicolae and her husband Calin

Muddy Buddy Race in San Jose, CA is all about having fun with a friend, family member, partner or co-worker. Teams of two traverse a 6-7 mile off-road course and 5 obstacles.

At the start of the race, one team member ran and one rode the bike. At the 1st obstacle, the rider will dropped the bike, completed the obstacle, and began running. The runner arrived, completed the obstacle, found their bike and began riding. Teams continued leapfrogging each other through the entire course.

At the end of the race, racers crawl through the infamous 50-foot Mud Pit crossing the finish line together as official “Muddy Buddies”!

Erica Nicolae completed the San Jose Muddy Buddy with her “Muddy Buddy” husband, Calin (also in picture, but much harder to see). They have no idea what their time was; it didn’t seem to matter at the time…

muddy buddy race (June 6, 2010)


employee news

Al Torabi ran the US Half Marathon in San Francisco. The race starts and finishes at the Maritime Museum. It runs through the Marina district over the Golden Gate Bridge and back.

the presidio 10 (April 18, 2010)The Presidio 10 is a fun, family-oriented race in the Presidio of San Francisco. Runners can run either a 10 mile or a 10 kilometer scenic course starting and finishing at the Crissy Field. Both run courses go over and back on the Golden Gate Bridge. Entertainment at the finish line expo includes awards for age divisions, hot breakfast, party tents from multiple sponsors, and live music.

“Hard to find a more scenic course.”-Eric Selvik

Al Torabi participating in the US half marathon

US Half marathon in San Francisco (April 10th, 2010)

Erik Selvik participating in the Presidio 10

Leandry Estrella at the Boston Marathon

the boston marathon

The Boston Marathon is the world’s oldest annual marathon and ranks as one of the world’s most prestigious road racing events. It has distinguished itself as the pinnacle event within the sport of road racing by virtue of its traditions, longevity and method of gaining entry into the race, via stringent qualification time requirements. Leandry qualified for the Boston Marathon in October 2008 by completing the Chicago Marathon in 3:31! Of the four marathons she’s run, the Boston Marathon was the most wonderful running experience. The support team was very professional and well organized and the Boston community was extremely supportive the entire length of the course. She will forever remember the Wellesley Girls. Leandry trained passionately for five years to qualify for Boston and completing Boston was a life-long goal she was finally able to capture this year.

more Serious runs


employee news

Al Torabi ran the San Francisco Half Marathon. The course starts on the Embarcadero (near the Ferry building) and finishes in the Golden Gate Park. After the 4th mile with shoe trouble, Al decided to continue the race in a pair of his comfy socks.

San Francisco Half marathon (July 25, 2010)

Ann Rich participating in the Big Sur Marathon

Big Sur International Marathon is known as one of the most challenging race courses in the country. Big Sur is built for beauty, not speed. The course runs from Big Sur to Carmel, California on a scenic coastal stretch of Highway 1. The wind and hills are brutal, but most runners say the views are worth the pain. Hurricane Point is relatively high point on Highway 1 and it is also very exposed to the north and south as well as to the west. This is Ann Rich’s 3rd time running and finishing Big Sur.

“I survived the Hurricane Point and I beat all my pre-baby times for the course.” – Ann Rich

big Sur International marathon (April 26, 2010)

Al Torabi participating in the San Francisco Half Marathon


product news

SPortS MeDICIne

ArthroCare Sports medicine Launches the Firstpass™ Suture passer

ArthroCare Sports Medicine customers operate in very tight spaces and passing sutures through tissue can often be a technical challenge. The needle and suture used by the surgeon corresponds to the needle and thread used by the tailor or seamstress. Instead of passing thread through fabric, the surgeon passes suture through the patient’s tissue. Because our customers operate in such tight spaces, positioning the tissue and passing the suture in just the right place can be a challenge. That’s where the FirstPass Suture Passer comes into play.

The FirstPass Suture Passer is designed to be easy to use. Single-handedly, the surgeon can use the suture passer to hold the tissue the closed jaw and then deploy the needle to pass the suture. The surgeons appreciate the fact that all it takes is one squeeze of the lever to make the needle carry the suture all the way through the tissue. In fact, the first-time suture passing reliability for the FirstPass Suture Passer is about 95%. Other commercially available suture passers pass the suture about 50% of the time on the first try.

An added bonus of the FirstPass Suture Passer is the automatic suture capture feature. Once the suture is through the tissue, it is automatically captured in a trap. When the surgeon removes the suture passer from the operative field, the captured suture comes automatically with it. This saves the surgeon the time and effort to find it and retrieve it in a separate step.

Our sales force is busy conducting on-site product demos. So far, the product is being very well received.


It news

Conference CallsWith this expanded IP functionality, we’d like to emphasize the ability to call and even conference internal users without any charges. We strongly encourage 4-digit dialing and using the built in conference features of the system before using a bridge service like Global Crossing particularly for small internal conference calls. You can also conference external numbers as well but there could be toll charges.

more on ConferencingA reminder for those that use the WebEx functionality associated with Global Crossing. There is an alternative service also provided by Global Crossing called “Global Crossing Web Meeting”. This service is nearly identical to the WebEx service. The Global Crossing Web meeting however costs about one-third what the Cisco WebEx product costs. WebEx does have some advanced features like

white boarding and polling that are not available in the Global Crossing offering but we encourage you to take a look at the Global Crossing Web Meeting. You can access additional information and how-to’s on Global Crossings website http://www.themeetingson.com.

New hardware standardsWe have changed to a new hardware standard and provider; Dell. We were able to negotiate better pricing without compromising any requirements and are working towards being able to provide the same models globally. Along with this standard we have changed the purchasing practices in the US. Because Dell is a build to order supplier, IT will now purchase and stockpile a few laptops for new users or replacements. The benefit to users is that we can still provide a quick turnaround if needed for new hires but also eliminates the need for users

to complete purchase requisitions, etc. This should save everyone a little time and hopefully streamline the process.

Network Usage reminderPlease do not store personal information particularly pictures, videos, movies, music files on any network resource. This is against the network usage policy but also consumes valuable resources including the disk itself, network bandwidth, backup tapes but also extends overall backup time.

more on SpamThe last newsletter highlighted how to manage the spam filters. Another way to manage spam or unwanted mail is to not use your ArthroCare email address for non-business use or internet purchases. Using a free web email address for these purposes can help eliminate unwanted email but also reduce the overall burden of these messages on the corporate infrastructure.

New phone SystemThe rollout of the new Cisco phone system was completed in July. Included in this upgrade were new display telephones with multi-line support for all users. We have received a lot of positive feedback regarding the phones themselves as well as the call quality. We’re glad to hear that people are enjoying the new system.

The Customer Service and Collections groups in Sunnyvale, Austin, and Costa Rica also migrated to a new call center application integrated into the phone system. This new system offers expanded flexibility and new functions specific to groups’ needs.

Aside from the new features, this system provides expanded functionality for IP calls to our remote offices without incurring any long distance charges. Calls between US locations, Costa Rica, Sweden, UK and Germany can all be made using 4 digits and without charges. Previously 4-digit dialing would use IP as a best effort but was limited and suffered from inconsistent call quality.


wellness news

You slept in, you are running late, your car will not start and your boss is on the war path. The chip machines are looking good to you right now, but wait! Certain foods can increase stress so learn to conquer stress with certain foods.

First go orange. That’s right, when the stress mounts reach for an orange. In a study in Psychopharmacology, German researchers tested 120 people and found those who received at least 3,000 milligrams of vitamin C reported that they felt less stressed, and their blood pressure and levels of the stress hormone cortisol returned to normal faster. “Vitamin C is also a well-known immune system booster,” says Amy Jamieson-Petonic, R.D., a spokesperson for the American Dietetic Association.

When the stress is really out of control, put that cookie down and go for a handful of almonds, pistachios or walnuts. These nuts are packed with the antioxidant vitamin E which boosts the immune system and fights off stress.

Almonds contain B vitamins which can reduce stress. A 2007 Penn State study found that eating one and a half ounces (about a handful) of pistachios a day lowers blood pressure so your heart does not have to work overtime. If stress still has got the best of you, try some guacamole. Avocados have potassium which can lower blood pressure. One of the best ways to reduce high blood pressure, according to the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, is to get enough potassium. Just half an avocado offers 487 milligrams, more than you will get from a medium-size banana.

Oatmeal is a healthy carbohydrate that fuels your brain’s production of serotonin, a neurotransmitter known for promoting relaxation and feelings of well-being. Put a bit of skim milk on your oatmeal because it turns out that calcium can reduce muscle spasms and soothe tension. A cup of milk may also have additional benefits for women by reducing stressful PMSsymptoms such as mood swings, anxiety, and irritability.

If you know it is going to be a stressful day, pack a tuna sandwich. Tuna is an excellent source of protein and is rich in a variety of important nutrients including the beneficial omega-3 essential fatty acids. And increasing consumption of foods rich in omega-3, which not only can help stress, but also provides some protection against depression.

Reducing stress can come from other great tasting sources such as berries, broccoli, whole grains, sweet potatoes, turkey and dark chocolate. There is never a need to eat foods like cookies and ice cream, potato chips and candy to cope with stress.

Eating right to reduce Stress


other news

A new and more efficient way to do your Quality Systems training!

Pilgrim, ArthroCare’s validated electronic system for delivering, tracking, and electronically signing off training records is coming! This new system will replace our manual process for reading quality system procedures from Agile for all sites. Instead of receiving a manually generated email notifying you that a required document has been revised, you will receive an automated notification from the system when documents revised, be able to login to the Pilgrim database (same login and password as your network password!!!), be linked to the new reading material, and be electronically signed- off when materials are read.

No more printing training records! No more scanning and emailing completed records back!

This electronic system will dramatically reduce the time needed for trainees to complete their training, as well as minimize the human error inherent to the manual system we’ve previously relied on at ArthroCare.

This new system will also allow us to publish a catalog of instructor-led courses, and allow instructors to show when and where available sessions will be held. Trainees will be able to choose a session that suits their calendar and sign up to attend the instructor-led courses that apply to them.

Naturally, monitoring and reporting functions will also be dramatically improved. Managers will be able to monitor the training progress of their direct reports and assist with personnel

Enter User ID

Enter Password

Click “Sign In”

development. Each individual will be able to know at any moment if they have any open training that needs attention.

Each group of target Pilgrim users will receive communications for training and their respective go-live date as their phase implementation draws near.

For questions about Pilgrim’s capabilities, or information about your own go-live date, please contact [email protected]. Please keep your quality systems training up to date, and stay tuned for more announcements about this exciting new training system!

We are implementing Pilgrim in 4 phases.

Phase I will go-live in August and will include all Quality and Regulatory personnel world-wide.

Phase II will encompass all technical staff world-wide.

Phase III will be our Sales personnel.

Phase IV will be our manufacturing personnel in Costa Rica.

When, you aSk? Soon!


events

The 6th Annual ArthroCare Strategic Supplier Event was held on June 22-23, 2010 in Los Gatos, CA. Nearly 40 representatives from our leading suppliers traveled to this year’s summit to learn and engage with ArthroCare in some of our key initiatives. This year’s theme was “Getting It Right, On Time, The First Time”.

Employees from Austin, Costa Rica, Irvine, Sunnyvale, and Europe were in attendance. Presentations included many from Senior Management, including the opening address from our CEO, David Fitzgerald.

Among the topics covered, ArthroCare emphasized its Component Quality Initiative. ArthroCare stressed the need to work together with Suppliers to ensure quality parts are received on time to our plant in order to support Lean and Production On Sale.

Awards were presented to top performing suppliers. The first ever Supplier of the Year was awarded to Hall Machine (not in attendance) for achieving 100 points (maximum possible). Other awards of varying levels were presented to some of those in attendance.

On Day 2, Product Managers and Engineering demonstrated our products to the suppliers and highlighted key issues they have experienced in the marketplace. Suppliers took away from the event the important role they play in getting products to our customers when needed, their impact on patient safety, and the value of getting parts out quickly in the product development process.

2010 Supplier Event

Platinum Award Winner – Precision Wire Components

Celina Corrales (Costa Rica Quality) presents an award to Eduardo Castañeda (PWC)


upcoming events

Save the Date-2010 Holiday parties

When: Saturday, December 11th

Where: The Driskill Hotel

When: Friday, December 3rd

Where: The Valencia Hotel, Santana Row

austin

sunnyvale


contacts

Hr and benefits Contact Information

Plan Carrier Phone Website

Medical Blue Cross Blue Shield (800) 424-6521 In Texas: www.bcbstx.comOutside Texas: www.bluecares.com

Kaiser (800) 464-4000 www.kaiserpermanente.org

Dental Cigna (800) 244-6224 www.mycigna.com

Vision Superior Vision (800) 507-3800 www.superiorvision.com

Flex Spending ADP (800) 654-6695 www.flexdirect.adp.com

EAP Interface (800) 324-4327 www.4eap.com

401K Fidelity (800) 835-5097 www.401k.com

Contribute to ArtC News

As always, we welcome your feedback on this edition and contribution to future newsletters. Please submit photos and reports on your activities and events to:

Persi S. Shafto (Ext. 6272)

[email protected] this issue

Employee News .............2

Product News ..............14

IT Notes ........................15

Wellness News .............16

Other News ..................16

Events ...........................17

Contacts .......................20

2010 Supplier Eventpg 10

Active Employeespg 17

ArthroCare® NewsA U G U S t 2 0 1 0

ENt awards the Sales Forcepg 6

ArthroCare Sept 2010 Newsletter

Documents

Transcript of ArthroCare Sept 2010 Newsletter