azor
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..."requirement to provide information on clients"????...why, of course not!...nevertheless, out of consideration for shareholders, it would seem only fair to announce that your painkiller client in Colorado and Wyoming has suddenly changed from two anesthesiologists -- specialists that routinely manage pain -- to a gastroenterologist...something like that could affect investor interest...why, it'd be almost as bad as announcing they'd hired a real estate agent or a home developer to sell their complex medical devices!..
...and, besides, look at the results...I'm still waiting for an explanation as to why calmarett.com has NO clinics listed in EITHER Wyoming OR Colorado...
...and I can't help but wonder whether that has anything to do with new attorney that CTTC allegedly hired in Denver...the one with the history of defending clients before the Federal Trade Commission, the Colorado Attorney General, and the Illinois Secretary of State Securities Department over things like CONSUMER FRAUD and FALSE ADVERTISING....
..."throws stones at John"????...hmmmmmmmm...so the "company" can't be held responsible for past actions?...because they had a different CEO?...well, I guess that's one way way of looking at it...
...however, MOST of my list of questions seem to be about things POST-Nano...so if you could come up with some answers to THOSE -- as opposed to "throwing stones" at ME -- I would be ever so much grateful...
...I'm also curious about what happened to Jeffrey Fowler and Randy Rice:
http://www.competitivetech.net/news/110428.html
...so in April, 2011:
"The principals of Restore Medical Therapies LLC include Jeffrey Fowler, MD and Randy Rice, MD, both board certified anesthesiologists with advanced pain training."
...but in October, 2011, an 8K was filed:
http://markets.on.nytimes.com/research/stocks/fundamentals/drawFiling.asp?docKey=137-000136086511000167-260KP9OJ9CSFPN5UIDQ52F0G9J&docFormat=HTM&formType=8-K/A
...and it says:
"Robert A. Schlidt, MD
Restore Medical Therapies, LLC
4940 Dexter
Casper, Wyoming 82609
RE: Sales Agreement Between Competitive Technologies, Inc. and Restore Medical Therapies, LLC"
...so Jeff and Randy just went bye-bye?...and Schlidt is a gastroenterologist:
http://www.healthgrades.com/physician/dr-robert-schlidt-28llf
...a gastroenterologist opening a string of pain clinics?...why, of course, that makes perfect sense...they are practically a bottomless pit of knowledge about neuropathic pain...
...but why didn't CTTC issue some sort of announcement or file some sort of 8K regarding the change...switching from anesthesiologists -- who might actually know something about managing pain -- to a gastroenterologist seems like a potentially material event...especially considering that, per calmarett.com's website, there still aren't ANY clinics in Colorado and Wyoming...
...hmmmmmm...Yahoo's chart indicates that since noon 2/7, there have been NO shares of CTTC traded...is that right?...maybe need to put a little more effort into their public relations, huh?...or perhaps everyone is paralyzed by the excitement of the upcoming 10Q...
..."FYI"?????...well, that's not really the information I was looking for...I'm more curious about what came of the American Academy of Pain Medicine meeting:
http://www.painmed.org/files/2011-annual-meeting-program-book.pdf
...and what happened to "Atlantic Coast Medical Products, Inc.":
http://marketwire.denverpost.com/client/denver_post/release.jsp?actionFor=1310246
...and what happened to the Clinuvel deal and the royalties that presumably were supposed to flow from it?...
...and has anyone discovered why Gatti and Tor Vergata teamed up with the PBK-2C manufacturer instead of with CTTC?...
...and can anyone discover why GEOMC is telling everyone on their website that the bugzapper is available for "home use"?...
...and can anyone tell me why they changed the VCU trial?...
...and has anyone discovered why no one apparently put in any effort to get Marineo and the bugzapper out of the "deletionpedia"?...
...and has anyone discovered why CTTC hired an gas company to distribute bugzappers in Albania?...
...and has anyone discovered the true meaning of that paragraph in the last 10Q that makes it sound like CTTC has taken over worldwide sale and distribution THEMSELVES?...
...and can someone discover why CTTC has allegedly hired an attorney in Denver -- an attorney with a history of defending clients before the Federal Trade Commission, the Colorado Attorney General, and the Illinois Secretary of State Securities Department?...
...and why doesn't "calmarett.com" list any clinics in Wyoming or Colorado where "RMT" is supposed to have at LEAST a couple open?...
...and why doesn't CTTC straighten out Cigna about the bugzapper not being a TENS unit:
http://www.cigna.com/assets/docs/health-care-professionals/coverage_positions/mm_0160_coveragepositioncriteria_electrical_stimulators.pdf
...I'm sure shareholders and potential investors would just love to know...I keep asking but no one seems interested in answering...
...whatever happened to "Atlantic Coast Medical Products":
http://marketwire.denverpost.com/client/...
...well, oops:
"I am pleased to announce that I have accepted a position with an employer as Executive VP, Sales and Marketing. As a result Atlantic Coast Medical Products, Inc. (ACMPI) as an independent business is no longer operational.
--Steven May"
...or so it says here:
http://www.acmpi.com/
...goodness!!!...he gave up a career in the wonderful world of "calmare" to become a lousy "executive vp" somewhere?!...why, that's outrageous!!!...HAW!!!...
..."Is there anything that would prevent physicians from billing fpr Calmare sessions with code 97032 now?"???...beats me...I would think that by now the idea would have occurred to SOMEONE and they would have had enough sense to try it and that they failed...
....but we are talking CTTC here, so the lower your expectations the more probable the results...but certainly if they stick with their goofy 0278t code, then no...
...here's a more thorough review:
http://www.wpsmedicare.com/part_b/policy/active/local/l28531_physmed009.shtml
...note it says it covers up to 12 "therapy" sessions before requiring more documentation for reimbursement...
...here's a fee schedule:
http://www.ama-assn.org/resources/doc/psa/ama-path-fee-schedule-report.pdf
...note that for 90732, the fee is for each 15 minute period...
..."Calmare should be able to piggy back on that quite easily, I would think..."???...maybe think again...CTTC probably decided that it didn't want the bugzapper to be a TENS because they thought they could charge more for a "scrambler" or a "TEMPR" -- those have so much more "buzz" to them...but charging more is possible only if the 3rd party reimbursers are willing to pay for the therapy...and they don't care about "buzz" -- just those RANDOMIZED, BLINDED, and CONTROLLED studies...
...anyway, CTTC decided to get a CPT code designed for data collecting for investigational devices...and now the medical policy committees of the third party reimbursers are evaluating the bugzapper as a "scrambler" and treating it as an "investigational device"...which translates into waiting 40 years for CTTC or whoever to collect enough data to satisfy the insurance companies...
...as I pointed out in my previous post, a LITTLE effort early on using an already available CPT code MIGHT have been able to produce a means of generating cash flow sufficient to attract customers...but that's water under the bridge now...
..."They were one of more than 120 exhibitors with booths there."???...but did they, in fact, attend?...no press releases about it that I could find...was there even any discussion on ihub about it?...
..."But I don't see anything that would lead to your discouragement."?????...I repeat...??????...uhhhh, you DO understand that when third party reimbursers think about reimbursing for TENs, they think in terms of a one time payment of maybe $100-200 for a machine that they expect to last a lifetime plus some periodic costs for disposables...
...and if clinics submit claims using the CPT code for TENS, they're still going to have to do a great deal of documentation:
http://www.empi.com/uploadedFiles/Healthcare_Professionals/Reimbursement/802244.pdf
...and their reimbursement is going to be within the usual range of TENS devices...not the kind of thing to inspire customers...
...what's funny, however, is that it's possible that clinicians might have been able to get away with billing using CPT code 97032...that pays for attended electrical stimulation therapy at a rate of around 50 bucks -- I think -- per 15 minutes of "therapy":
http://www.aota.org/DocumentVault/Surveys/LCD-Outpatient.aspx?FT=.pdf
...but, no, CTTC wanted to be "special" and their gizmo became a "scrambler" and/or "TEMPR" and they wanted to charge 50 grand for their gizmo, etc...and so instead they flopped into the wonderful world of investigational devices from which they likely will never emerge...
...and I don't recall reading anywhere about what happened at the American Academy of Pain Medicine meeting:
http://www.painmed.org/files/2011-annual-meeting-program-book.pdf
...yep!...there they are in "Booth 137"...but I can't seem to find any "news" about it:
http://www.competitivetech.net/news/2011.html
...seems kinda silly to go to a meeting -- at shareholder expense, mind you -- and not brag on it a little...don't it?...
...gosh, just think!...a meeting like that, whad'ya think the attendance was?...thousands?...all them docs with their fat bank accounts looking for "stuff" to make'em fatter...why, more potential customers than you could shake an electrode at!...I wonder how many CTTC managed to "wire" to a bugzapper...
...get it?..."wire"..."to a bugzapper"?...HAW!...pretty good, huh?...HAW!...
..."This is a good metric."???...actually, it's one of several...if you review, for example, research done on SCS devices:
http://www.poweroveryourpain.com/discovering/neurostimulation/proven
..notice, in particular, the results under "reduction in medication," "improvement in daily activities," and "return to work"...also notice the number of patients reviewed -- thousands...
...and look at this position statement as well:
http://www.painmed.org/files/position-statement-on-spinal-cord-neurostimulation.pdf
...note:
"SCS is Broadly Recommended as a Medically Necessary Treatment by Payers..."
"SCS provides a means to relieve pain, restore function, and improve the quality of life for these patients..."
"Therefore, the following organizations strongly support appropriate access to SCS...Approved by:
American Academy of Pain Medicine (www.painmed.org)
American Society of Interventional Pain Physicians (www.asipp.org)
International Spine Intervention Society (www.spinalinjection.org)
Neuromodulation Therapy Access Coalition (www.neuromodulationaccess.org)
North American Neuromodulation Society (www.neuromodulation.com/chapter/northamerica)"
...now, you see, if CTTC had a piece of paper like there might be reason for optimism...however, it took, what did it say -- "40 years" and "more than 100,000 patients" -- to get?...which just shows exactly "how long are your long-term your intentions need to be."...
...awwww, now don't that just make you sick to your stomach?!...here I thought I was going to be the bearer of good tidings after finding what appeared to be an insurance company that pays for "calmare" therapy:
http://www.cigna.com/assets/docs/health-care-professionals/coverage_positions/mm_0160_coveragepositioncriteria_electrical_stimulators.pdf
...upon closer reading, however, those durn fools think it's JUST ANOTHER TENS UNIT:
"U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA): TENS are approved by the FDA 510(k) process as a Class II device for the relief and management of chronic intractable pain. Examples of these devices include the Empi Active Transcutaneous Nerve Stimulator (Empi, Inc., Clear Lake, SD), the StimPadâ„¢ TENS System (AEMED, Inc. West Palm Beach, FLA), Calmare® Pain Therapy Treatment (Competitive Technology, North Attleboro, MA)."
...and to add insult to injury, they even got CTTC's address wrong!!!...CIGNA, no less!!...what on earth is is WRONG with these people?!...why, who KNOWS how much business this has cost CTTC?!...somebody oughta email Johnnie first thing Monday morning and tell him he oughta hire another lawyer to go up there and sue them suckers silly!...
...fat lot of good that came from the $25,000 spent on "Catalyst Research":
http://catalystresearch.biz/files/CTT_Initiating_Coverage_07.29.10.pdf
...say what;
"In a nutshell:
Competitive Technologies has chosen (using a "low hanging fruit" analogy, if you will) to pursue the Chemotherapy Induced Peripheral Neuropathy (CIPN) market because it is large, the patients pain is near-unbearable, they are essentially "salvage treatment" or a treatment of last resort population, and all have essentially demonstrated to pay cash for their pain management therapies. In essence, they are truly desperate people who don't want to suffer their last agonizing days on earth in insufferable agony. The Calmare Therapy Treatment can be a critical part of the palliative care that these poor souls receive. It is an easy decision by both the family and the attending physician to prescribe. Hence, this should be the one market that ought to be
easiest to broach in this dynamic "payer" environment."
...wow!...that was worth $25,000????..."low hanging fruit"???...what is that supposed to mean?...
..."all have essentially demonstrated to pay cash"????...even aside from the poor grammar, where did they come up with the notion that these patients were willing (the word they were looking for?) to pay cash?...
..."an easy decision...to prescribe"???...sure -- but usually only when someone else is paying for it...
...later on they say:
"The economics for pain clinics are quite good with each $58,000 machine generating roughly $300,000 of gross revenues at a $150 per patient treatment hour and a full treatment schedule."
...$58,000???...hmmmm...I thought they were only $50,000?...did I really just type "only $50,000"?...and $300,000 in gross revenue?...well, that oughta be enough to keep a clinic going...can't imagine why CTTC isn't closer to those 200 clinics that were SUPPOSED to be opening...
...$25,000 for this:
"Pain Overview
First ?class I (I can just hear in the background, ?Yes, Sister Mary Elephant!), we need to define pain..."
...I presume that was some attempt at humor...
...yeah, uh-huh:
"We understand the R.I. facility is operating at capacity and helping enumerable pain patients."
...well, if he'd gone ahead and opened those other ten clinics like he and CTTC said he would, then he'd be better able to handle all that "capacity"...
...and this is the first time I seen this:
"Furthermore, CTT has arranged a leasing arrangement with Americorp Financial, LLC. to assist with the financing of the purchase of MC-5A units by physicians and pain clinics. Americorp provides 24 to 60 month lease terms to hospitals, clinics and medical practices. Under these terms, the Company will receive the full sales price of the unit in payment while Americorp carries the lease over the term of the lease."
...what happened to the them, I wonder?...I can't seem to recall reading press releases...
...huh:
"Conversely, the more hearty and adventurous might actually build Greenfield facilities just to offer the Treatment Therapy because once the patient outcomes are understood and better broadcast to other sufferers, demand should accelerate."???
...a "Greenfield facility" for bugzappers?...oooookay...I don't know what he's trying to get at but oooookay...
..."better broadcast to other sufferers"???...hmmmm...he's got a good point there...maybe demand didn't "accelerate" because just not enough patients got results that were worth "broadcasting"...
..."How about mobile clinics?!"???...now THERE is an idea -- maybe CTTC should hire him as the medical director...
...yessir!...$25,000 well spent!...are they still on the payroll?...
..."a cogent explanation"????...wish I had one...but I don't...yet...but I certainly don't understand why CTTC should be hiring a lawyer in DENVER who appears to specialize in cases defending clients against charges of FALSE ADVERTISING and CONSUMER FRAUD brought by the FTC and the Colorado Attorney General's Office and the Illinois Secretary of State Securities Department...unless of course, they are having difficulties along that line...
...the only thing related to DENVER in the past year was that PR announcing "RMT" would be buying 46 machines and opening multiple bugzapper centers...but APPARENTLY that didn't (won't?) happen...or if it did, calmarett.com has been negligent in adding them to their "locations" list...
...if you have some idea of CTTC's reason for cutting off another slice of shareholder equity for another lawyer, feel free to share...
...by the way, I noticed in RMT's contract link I posted previously:
"This exclusivity does not preclude CTTC's sales of the Calmare(R) MC-5A device to hospitals, medical centers, hospice centers, private hospice centers, any Department of Veterans Affairs medical facilities, Department of Defense medical facilities and Native American government medical centers."
..."Native American government medical centers"????...whatever happened to CTTC's "Native American" buds:
http://www.globenewswire.com/newsroom/news.html?d=163615
...and say what:
"Contractual minimums for signed distribution agreements have a retail sales value of over $25 million for 2009 and about $50 million for 2010. CTT will share in revenue derived from sales of the device to distributors. Both CTT and its distributors expect sales to exceed contract minimums."
...oh, my!...it do look like those revenue expectations were a tad optimistic, huh?!...and I wasn't even posting in 2009 so who you gonna blame for that?...
..."I can't answer these and other good questions you have posted..."???...yeah, you and nobody else except maybe Johnnie...and maybe Jean...Jean probably won't talk because she's not "authorized"...and Johnnie won't talk because...uhhhhh...becuzzzzz...uhhhhh...gee, I wonder WHY Johnnie won't talk...
...I don't guess it would have anything to do with the new attorney CTTC allegedly hired in Denver -- the one that defended the clients in these cases:
http://www.ftc.gov/os/closings/staff/snoreformula.pdf
http://www.coloradoattorneygeneral.gov/sites/default/files/press_releases/2011/11/15/veracity_order_approving_consent_decree.pdf
http://www.cyberdriveillinois.com/departments/securities/administrative_actions/2009/march/thrivelearning_co.pdf
..."They have two locations in the Denver Area.do you need an appointment?"???...nope!...just need their addresses and an explanation of why they aren't mentioned on calmarett's website:
http://www.calmarett.com/
...and, after all, the press release DID say:
"In the agreement, RMT plans to establish eleven new pain clinics utilizing CTTC's Calmare® device throughout the U.S., and a minimum of 46 Calmare® devices are scheduled to be purchased over the next 20 months. RMT's first clinic in Wyoming will open for patients on May 9, 2011, and a Denver, Colorado clinic is scheduled to open in June 2011."
...that WAS almost a year ago, right?...and if there ain't no offices by now, then it's not unreasonable to presume there ain't goin' to be no offices in the near foreseeable future, right...and no offices means they don't need no machines, right?...and don't need no machines means shareholders can't expect the revenue from those FORTY SIX machines they were SUPPOSED to be ordering, right?...
...that IS all about right -- ain't it?...when did you say that 10Q was due?...
..."What's wrong with that prose?"????...well, let's see!..."HAW!...aint't that the truth."????...why, course it is!..."ain't happening ever"????...right so far!..."until they have RANDOMIZED, DOUBLE BLIND clinical trials"???...nuttin'wrong there!..."you would thunk they would get it by now"???...awww, hang it!...I see yur'point!...I forgot I was talking about CTTC!...course they probably ain't never goin' to get it, right?...sorry...
...speaking of "discovery"...has anyone "discovered" whatever happened to that Clinuvel deal and the royalties that presumably were supposed to flow from it?...
...and has anyone discovered why Gatti and Tor Vergata teamed up with the PBK-2C manufacturer instead of with CTTC?...
...and can anyone discover why GEOMC is telling everyone on their website that the bugzapper is available for "home use"?...
...and can anyone tell me why they changed the VCU trial?...
...and has anyone discovered why no one apparently put in any effort to get Marineo and the bugzapper out of the "deletionpedia"?...
...and has anyone discovered why CTTC hired an gas company to distribute bugzappers in Albania?...
...and has anyone discovered the true meaning of that paragraph in the last 10Q that makes it sound like CTTC has taken over worldwide sale and distribution THEMSELVES?...
...and can someone discover why CTTC has allegedly hired an attorney in Denver -- an attorney with a history of defending clients before the Federal Trade Commission, the Colorado Attorney General, and the Illinois Secretary of State Securities Department?...
...I'm sure shareholders and potential investors would just love to know..
..."Could it be he misrepresented..."????...well, do you think Johnnie "misrepresented" those "80 Units in projected VA sales over next fiscal year" almost TWO YEARS ago?...and do you still think that was "an excellent job of detection and due diligence":
http://investorshub.advfn.com/boards/read_msg.aspx?message_id=52581715
...or do you think someone might have "misrepresented" their "pondering" and "researching"?...
...I agree that those 80 units would've been an "enormous boost in both revenue and added impetus for other hospitals and clinics to climb on board"...not to "added income that comes from training, spare parts and other items"...yep!...you know how it goes -- woulda, coulda, shoulda -- right?...
...sure hope nobody bought the stock based on those "great expectations" cause CTTC was trading around 2 to 2 and a half bucks the month that was posted...some poor soul would be sitting on a 50% LOSS...
..."there seems to be a concerted effort to push the price downward every day"???...by CTTC's management?...yeah, you could be right there...
..."receipt of the money from the stock sale seems to still be hanging over stock and CTT"???...what's the excuse now?...all those horrible postings by some anonymous poster?...
...or was it maybe D'Amato's failure to open any of those TEN clinics he promised?
...or maybe it was Chalmers' failure to open those -- what was it? -- ONE HUNDRED and FIFTY clinics CTTC said he would open?...
...or RMT's apparently not successfully opening ANY clinics -- at least per the calmarett website -- and, I presume, not buying those FORTY SIX bugzappers they said they would...
...or maybe it was Despo's having never bought a SINGLE SHARE of CTTC stock DESPITE him being "Executive Vice-President" in charge of "business development"...and it didn't help when he up and resigned a month before CTTC allegedly hires an attorney who specializes in defending clients before the FTC and Colorado Attorney General for things like false advertising and consumer fraud, did it?...was that just a coincidence, ya'think?...
...or maybe it was this joker:
http://groups.google.com/group/sci.med.aids/browse_thread/thread/36f7c9d8f14bf635/ff2b80dd3f40b29c?lnk=gst&q=marineo#ff2b80dd3f40b29c
...and that positively evil assessment of Marineo's paper that he wrote:
"I sure hope no one gives these folks any of their hard-earned $$. Grrr!! (Brief delay for gnashing of teeth and for suiting up as a physical biochemist)
Crackpots (and creationists ...(flame away) often like to envoke entropy, perhaps because it is poorly understood by the general public and often is poorly taught.
I won't attempt a thorough critique of this mess, but even the definition of entropy, "Biological entropy is determined as the variation due to the conversion of food into energy (+/-) summed with the variation due to the metabolism (+)." is so strange it isn't close enough to real biochemistry to qualify as a
mistaken hypothesis, it is just wrong-headed.
Likewise, the description of the the magic box and its function is a slickly presented batch of buzz words and jargon taken from biology, biochemistry & computer sci/electronics. Unfortunately, it is meaningless.
It would take quite a while to dissect this critter & expose all its rotten parts. That, probably, would be a waste of bandwidth.
I hope y'all will trust someone from the rational/linear-thinking/non-alternative-therapy/science world. This guy doesn't know what s/he is talking about.
I'd suggest buying that plane ticket to Rome, but instead treat yourself to some therapeutic Italian cuisine & Renaissance art."
...NOTE the words he uses!..."crackpot"..."mess"..."wrong-headed"..."rotten"..."waste of bandwidth"..."doesn't know what he's talking about"...
...and "the description of the the magic box and its function is a slickly presented batch of buzz words and jargon taken from biology, biochemistry & computer sci/electronics" applies to the bugzapper just as well..."
...or maybe it was CTTC's failure to document even a SINGLE COLLEGE DEGREE -- advanced or otherwise -- that belonged to Marineo...which, of course, makes it appear as though they're DESPERATELY trying to avoid revealing something that might make it look like they fell for a "con" and signed a contract with what may turn out to be a BONAFIDE FRAUD...
...or maybe it was the pain forums where neutral and negative comments outnumbered positive ones by something like 5 to 1...
...of course, Medicare, Medicaid, and those insurance companies refusing to reimburse for therapy probably did some serious damage...
...aw, man!...there are just SO MANY things "hanging over" CTTC; it's hard to tell which ones to blame the most...ain't it?...
...."As I said yesterday..."...and did you "ponder" and "research" that as well as you did those VAMC sales:
http://investorshub.advfn.com/boards/read_msg.aspx?message_id=52579542
...I certainly hope so...and I'll just go ahead and presume you called Johnnie to "confirm" your findings...
...in the meantime, while we're all waiting for the VAMC to buy the other SIXTY EIGHT "units" that they were SUPPOSED to have bought by OVER A YEAR AND A HALF ago, let's "ponder" what has happened to those FORTY SIX "units" that "RMT" was SUPPOSED to be buying:
http://www.competitivetech.net/news/110428.html
...well, they DID sign an agreement:
http://www.faqs.org/sec-filings/110504/COMPETITIVE-TECHNOLOGIES-INC_8-K/cttc8kmay42011x10-1.txt#b
...and there in black and white, it says:
"TREATMENT CENTER LOCATIONS AND PURCHASING PLAN
Initial plan is for minimum of 4 devices per location:
Wyoming April 2011
Colorado Front Range June 2011
[Denver, Fort Collins, Colorado Springs]"
...yet "calmarett" doesn't list them as locations:
http://www.calmarett.com/locations.html#panelid=MountainStates
...so I have to presume there just AREN'T ANY there...and the address of Restore Medical Therapies is given as 4940 Dexter Casper, Wyoming 82609:
http://maps.google.com/maps?q=4940+Dexter%0ACasper,+WY%C2%A0%C2%A082609&um=1&ie=UTF-8&hq=&hnear=0x8760bbdeb1303de7:0x19b9a78ffe8023a5,4940+Dexter+St,+Casper,+WY+82609&gl=us&ei=rmY1T6D1C4aItwfJguG5Ag&sa=X&oi=geocode_result&ct=title&resnum=1&ved=0CCAQ8gEwAA
...which isn't exactly the most impressive office location, wouldn't you agree?...
...in other words, I guess shareholders can't expect to hear CTT reporting the revenue derived from the sales of those 46 "units" to Colorado -- the state where CTTC's new lawyer defends businesses before the FTC and the Colorado Attorney General -- any time in the near future...would you agree?...
..."$600,000 was just the tip of the iceberg, imo."???...now, you do know there's been global warming, don't you?...are you sure your iceberg hasn't melted?...I seem to recall "VA projects need for 80 units this fiscal year (FYE 9/30/2010) at bid contract price of $50,000 per unit ":
http://investorshub.advfn.com/boards/read_msg.aspx?message_id=52579542
...and that was -- what? -- around 20 MONTHS ago?...say what:
"I pondered and researched the significance of the VA approved Vendor status, the contract bid price and the potential sales, I came up with the $4,000,000.00 figure. Just to make sure I was reading this right, I contacted Johnnie Johnson (IR for CTT) this morning to confirm. He confirmed that is the projected purchases stated by the VA for this fiscal year (just over 2 months remaining) in the bid and contract documents."
...well, so much for pondering, researching, projecting, and confirming!...ESPECIALLY when you're talking about CTT selling something, huh?!...and when IS that next earnings report due?...
..."imo, the cases you referenced are inapplicable"????...and I presume there's some logic behind hiring a guy from Colorado that "concentrates his practice in antitrust law and advertising" to work in what -- Connecticut?...on a libel case?...why, of course, that makes perfect sense!...I guess with CTT, though, there's no such thing as TOO stupid...
..."They have two locations in the Denver Area."???...really?...well, you might want to email "calmarett" and tell them since they DON'T LIST ANY in Colorado or anywhere nearby:
http://www.calmarett.com/locations.html#panelid=MountainStates
..."Why would you have an issue..."????...I don't have an issue with another lawyer joining CTTC's team...if it's true, however, then shareholders might have an issue given the presumed additional NEGATIVE cash flow he'll generate...
...of possibly more CONCERN to shareholders, I would think, is what this new lawyer apparently specializes in -- "concentrates his practice in antitrust law and advertising"...CTTC sure ain't no trust...
...and the first three cases that popped up on google involved defending companies against the Federal Trade Commission, the Colorado Attorney General, and the Illinois Secretary of State Securities Department...
...uhhhhhh -- helllooooooo!...I guess that doesn't bother anyone, huh?...
...especially considering it's in Denver where "Restore Medical Therapies" was going to open that clinic:
http://www.competitivetech.net/news/1104...
...but that was almost a year ago and their website is still "under construction":
http://www.chronic-pain-solution.com/
...I mean, a person's gotta wonder, right?...
..."what's your point regarding this matter"??????...uhhhh, Federal Trade Commission???...and:
"the staff determined that certain advertisements...make health benefit claims...which...requires substantiation."
"In lieu of submitting substantiation for these claims...the respondents have stopped disseminating this exhibit and have ceased promotion of their products."
...try plugging "Calmare" in there and see how it fits...
...also consider that the guy's in Denver...that's where those docs were going to open that clinic:
http://www.competitivetech.net/news/110428.html
...but that was almost a year ago and their website is still "under construction":
http://www.chronic-pain-solution.com/
...and how many of those 46 bugzappers have they bought so far?...
...hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm...
..."another lawyer representing cttc...Claude C. Wild III"?????...are you sure you know why he's there?...looking at past cases:
http://www.ftc.gov/os/closings/staff/snoreformula.pdf
...where it says:
"The Division of Enforcement has reviewed your submissions dated September 30, 2003; December 5, 2003; and March 15, 2004; which you filed pursuant to Part XIII of the above-referenced order issued on July 24, 2003, to show the manner and form of the compliance with the order by the respondents Snore Formula, Inc.; Dennis H. Harris, M.D.; and Ronald E General.
As you know, the staff determined that certain advertisements attached as an exhibit to the submission of March 15, 2004, make health benefit claims for dietary supplements for which Part III of the order requires substantiation. In lieu of submitting substantiation for these claims, you have confirmed that the respondents have stopped disseminating this exhibit, and have ceased promotion of their products."
...and then there's:
http://www.coloradoattorneygeneral.gov/sites/default/files/press_releases/2011/11/15/veracity_order_approving_consent_decree.pdf
...where he managed to help achieve a settlement whereby "Veracity Credit Consultants" had to pay 4.5 million dollars in restitution...
...and then there's:
http://www.cyberdriveillinois.com/departments/securities/administrative_actions/2009/march/thrivelearning_co.pdf
...where he got a consent order for "Thrive Learning Institute"...
...are you really, REALLY sure you know why CTTC hired him?...
...now THAT is just adding insult to injury:
http://www.healthpartners.com/files/57788.pdf
...first, they hurt your feelings by mislabeling it "1278T"...then they turn around and hurt your wallet by telling you it's "not covered"...
...and then!...and then they go and insult it by hotlinking it to:
http://www.healthpartners.com/policies/policy.do?type=1,2,3,4,6,8,9,10,11,12,13,14,15,16,17,18,19,20,21,22,23,24,25,26,27,28,29,30&title=All%20Coverage%20Criteria&policy=2703
...and if you click on the link on that page you get:
http://www.healthpartners.com/files/42175.pdf
...awwww, now ain't that just rude?!!...don't those dang fools know that ain't no TENS unit!...I think CTTC needs to hire another lawyer to go and straighten them suckers out!...
...oh, no!...not Alaska too:
https://www.premera.com/stellent/groups/public/documents/pdfs/023076.pdf
...gosh!...you'd think those medical policy jokers would have sumthin' better to do than sit around all day looking at internet forums, don't ya'?...
...hey!...I gotta an idea!...maybe CTTC could find a country where there's no internet service!...that way, no one would be able to read unkind comments about the bugzapper!...well, it IS an idea...
...oh, look!...yet ANOTHER health care plan that doesn't cover miracle painkillin' bugzapper therapy:
http://www.tuftshealthplan.com/providers/pdf/mng/statements_of_non_coverage.pdf
...say what:
To determine whether a device, medical treatment, or procedure is proven safe and effective the following hierarchy of reliable evidence is used:
1. Published formal technology assessments and /or high quality Meta analyses.
2. Well designed randomized studies published in credible, peer-reviewed literature.
3. High quality case-control or cohort studies.
4. Historical – control studies, or case reports and or case series.
5. Reports of expert opinion from national professional medical societies or national medical policy organizations.
With respect to clinical studies, only those reports and articles containing scientifically valid data and published in the referred medical and scientific literature shall be considered reliable evidence. Specifically not included in the meaning of reliable evidence are reports, articles, or statements by providers or groups of providers containing only abstracts, anecdotal evidence or personal professional opinions. Also not included is the fact that a provider or a number of providers have elected to adopt a device, medical treatment, or procedure as their personal treatment or procedure of choice or standard of practice."
...followed by:
"The following CPT/HCPCS procedure codes are investigational and unproven and therefore not covered."
...and, by golly!...would you but seek and ye shall find "0278T" right there under "Procedure Code"...
...so, gosh, can we infer that NOT ONLY does the miracle painkillin' bugzapper lack "well designed randomized studies" but also lacks ANY combination of "formal technology assessments, "high quality Meta analyses, "high quality case-control or cohort studies," "control studies, or case reports and or case series," and "reports of expert opinion from national professional medical societies or national medical policy organizations" sufficient to merit approval for coverage?...
...well, I reckon so!...
...and "anecdotal evidence" is a "no go" as well??...dang!...so much for those reams of testimonials!...
..."tortious interference"????...really?...it seems like this would be more "tortious interference" to CTTC's "business" than anything posted on a forum:
"The Calmare® Pain Therapy device (Competitive Technologies, Inc.) has 510k approval (K081258) from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) under the name Scrambler Therapy MC-5A TENS Device.
POLICY/CRITERIA
Transcutaneous electrical modulation pain reprocessing (e.g., scrambler therapy) is considered investigational for the treatment of acute or chronic pain, including but not limited to the following:
A. Arthritis (any type)
B. Back and neck pain, chronic or acute
C. Cancer pain
D. Chemotherapy-related pain
E. Musculoskeletal pain
F. Neuropathic pain
G. Pain syndromes [e.g., complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS); reflex sympathetic dystrophy (RSD)]
H. Post-operative pain
I. Traumatic injury
J. Visceral pain
SCIENTIFIC BACKGROUND
Background
The most clinically relevant outcomes of therapy for intractable pain are improvements in pain and/or function. Both of these outcomes can be influenced by nonspecific effects, placebo response, natural history of the disease, and regression to the mean; therefore, these therapies need to be evaluated in randomized, controlled trials that maintain satisfactory blinding of the treatment assignment. The appropriate control for electrical stimulation devices for treatment of pain is sham treatment. Pain outcomes require quantifiable pre- and post-treatment measures, which are most commonly measured with a visual analogue scale (VAS). Collectively, the pain measurement literature cautions against using only statistical significance of difference in mean change in scores to determine clinical significance. More meaningful to patients and clinicians is the correlation of improvement in pain scores with improvement in function and quality of life. Thus, quantifiable pre- and post-treatment measures of functional status are also necessary.
Literature Review
Randomized controlled trials (RCTs)
There are no randomized trials that compared active with sham scrambler therapy. The only published RCT currently available was a small, short-term pilot study that compared scrambler therapy with pain medication in 55 patients matched for type of pain which included postoperative neuropathic pain, postherpetic neuralgia, or spinal canal stenosis.[1] The authors reported significantly greater pain reduction in the scrambler therapy group compared with the medication control group at 1-, 2-, and 3-month follow-up. While this RCT is useful in informing hypothesis formation, it does not permit conclusions on efficacy and safety due to small size, lack of a sham control group, and short-term followup period.
Nonrandomized trials
The remaining published trials are limited to nonrandomized trials.[2-4] Evidence from these studies is unreliable due to their inherent design flaws, such as non-random allocation of treatment, non-blind study design, and lack of comparison groups.
Clinical Practice Guidelines
There are no clinical practice guidelines from professional associations that recommend scrambler therapy.
Summary
The evidence is not sufficient to permit conclusions about the benefits of scrambler therapy as a treatment for pain from any etiology."
..."non-random allocation of treatment, non-blind study design, and lack of comparison groups."????...that seems sooooooo familiar, doesn't it?...
...and because I'm sure everybody here is just aching to review the original document to make sure I'm tellin' the TRUTH, here's the LINK:
http://blue.regence.com/trgmedpol/medicine/med143.html
...please, no thank yous!...I sense your gratitude in my heart...
..."Bamboozled? Mislead?"????...believing anything posted on an internet forum is practically an open invitation to such...why, you have no idea who's writing the posts and for what purpose...take Johnnie, fer instance!...he might employ Jean -- when she's not out explaining her lack of authorization to provide information to shareholders -- by having her pose under aliases on various forums and having her post laudatory remarks about miracle painkillin' bugzappers!...
...of course, we know she's not doing that since finding positive comments about the bugzapper is about like trying to find hair on a frog!...HAW!!...
..."can be sorted through to find those that stated your opinion that the technology does not work..."...your point?...and how many posts have you written that, in YOUR opinion, it does work?...
...oh, I get it!...you get to write your opinion ad nauseum but no one else gets to write theirs UNLESS it agrees with yours?...why that seems perfectly fair!...in Nazi Germany...under Stalin...Pol Pot...etc...
..."excoriating Loprinzi"???...for what?...doing trials that won't help CTTC gain third party reimbursement for its product?...how could I be so callous as to criticize him for failing to do something that might actually enhance shareholder value and maybe even boost the stock price!...heavens!...what was I thinking?!...
...Smith, Campbell?...what exactly did I say that offended your delicate sensibilities?...
..."You posted here that you threatened a TV..."???...but I am SUCH a liar, don't you know?...why, haven't you said so yourself?...
..."I accepted your analysis of CTTC and Calmare therapy, as a physician and phd neuroscientist, at face value."????...who?...me?...oh, big mistake!...I'm in a basement in Bosnia typing up testimonials for scam companies...I only post here now and then to break the routine...I haven't got a degree to my name!...hmmmmmm...now, that reminds me of something?...hmmmmm...what does that remind me of?....hmmmm...
..."I care."????...well, good!!...that means you must have checked out all those links I provided in my posts and saw that everything I said was accurate!...glad to be helpful!...
...and when is the 10Q due?...I don't want to miss it!...
..."they must have given you a great deal of respect."????..."US Navy"????...hmmmmmmmm...let's see now...how many doctors does the US Navy employ?...thousands?...and how many other "experts" of various sorts?...not to mention the many consulting firms they contract with...
...but YOU think one "taxpayer" is capable of writing ONE letter that convinces ALL of them that they shouldn't buy any more bugzappers?...based solely upon alleged "credentials?...
...so you think they wouldn't bother to check with ANY of those doctors, experts, and consultants to see if the letter had any merit?...
...and you think they would IGNORE all those marvelous results that Dr. Smith got:
http://www.massey.vcu.edu/successful-treatment-for-chemotherapy-induced-pain.htm
...really???...
...and I guess you think they'd also IGNORE all those marvelous results that they've been getting with those 12 machines they've bought -- seriously????...
...my goodness, you certainly seem to have a pessimistic view of the intelligence of the military healthcare system...
...but guess what!...it doesn't matter...such comments regarding matters of public interest are fully protected by the First Amendement...why, everyday you can pick up a newspaper somewhere and find someone griping about the government wasting money on some company...
...I even noticed one of CTTC's lawyers represented another company who filed a complaint in an effort to block a competitor's contract with the city of Houston:
http://www.houstontx.gov/citysec/backup/2011/021511.pdf
...why, that almost smacks of "tortious interference" doesn't it?...of course, he didn't lie anywhere so I don't guess that's a valid assessment...he also didn't win...I wonder if he offered a refund to his client?...
..."Those credentials qualify the poster as an expert..."????...who cares?...surely, you don't trust the comments of anonymous posters, now, do you?...I mean, really, who would?...for all anyone knows, the poster might be sitting in a basement somewhere in Bosnia and may have been hired to post false testimonials for some scam company somewhere...you really can't be too careful nowadays, ya'know?...
...that's why I always try to make my comments independent of credentials by including LINKS to sources and references so that ANYONE who desires to verify what I've written may do so at their leisure...
..."Those are impressive credentials, rrtzmd."???...thank you -- I'm glad you appreciate them...but what relevance does that have to the accuracy of my posts?...have you found something incorrect?...feel free to identify it...
..."Let me be clear, I don't much care if Marineo has a GED or a PhD. But, I do care when the "CEO" claims to have the details concerning a company related issue; but won't release them to a shareholder."???...I presume you were referring to Marineo and his potentially spurious degrees?...if so, it's good to know someone else shares my concerns...which brings me to magic orb of pacer -- have you consulted it recently?...is the wonderful world of "discovery" upon us yet?...
..."Calmare did not have to do these studies before they were approved for sale in the US."????...nooooooo...but actually SELLING the device ULTIMATELY depends on SOMEONE paying for the therapy...the majority of patients are less likely to spend 1-2 grand on a therapy if they have to pay for it themselves...consequently, clinicians are NOT going to be inclined to shuck out 50 grand until they know that the policy statements of insurance companies, medicaid, and medicare say something to the effect that "0278t" is approved and payment is NOT the responsibility of the patient and/or therapist...
..."So we have this convoluted reasoning that Calmare is worthless..."????...uhhhhh, no...that is the "convoluted reasoning" of Medicare, Medicaid, and the insurance companies -- at least the ones I posted LINKS to...and since CTTC's BUSINESS -- remember that word? -- DEPENDS on that "convoluted reasoning," it seems only RATIONAL that CTTC address the issue...right?...
..."But does that mean you just do not do them at all because they have not been done yet?"?????...uhhhhhhh...?????????????????????...
..."And apparently there was no concern by the US Navy and VA that Calmare has not been effective..."???...hmmmm...how many MONTHS has it been since that sale?...seven or so?...that averages to less than 2 machines per month...at that rate, paying the electric bill is going to be kind tough, isn't it?...