Frankly, when it comes to providing health care, Franklin Community Health Network would rather rough it. The not-for-profit health care system serves mountainous rural areas in western Maine. Franklin Community Health Network consists of a 70 bed acute care hospital, a behavioral health facility, and several physician management groups. Its Franklin Memorial Hospital offers specialized services such as cardiology, orthopedics, emergency medicine, and occupational health care. The health network's unique Contract for Care program allows former patients to volunteer at the hospital if they do not have the means to pay all of their bill.

UC Irvine Medical Center is the only Level I trauma center in Orange County. It also offers acute- and general-care services from about 400 specialty and primary care physicians. The medical center operates one of four cancer centers in California (its Chao Family Comprehensive Cancer Center) and outpatient clinics throughout the region. The UC Irvine Medical also boasts neuropsychiatric and regional burn centers. Together UC Irvine Medical and University Physicians & Surgeons -- a faculty practice organization -- comprise UC Irvine Healthcare.

Kettering Health Network keeps Ohio in a healthy state. The network, named for famed inventor Charles F. Kettering, is an Ohio-based health care system comprised of more than 60 facilities, including seven hospitals: Kettering Medical Center, Grandview Medical Center, Sycamore Medical Center, Southview Medical Center, Fort Hamilton Hospital, Greene Memorial Hospital, and Kettering Behavioral Medicine Center. It also operates the Kettering College of Medical Arts, senior retirement communities, and multiple outpatient clinics. Among its specialized services are heart care, rehabilitation, orthopedics, women's health, and emergency medicine.

For more than 150 years, B. Braun Melsungen has made supplies to treat what ails you. With a history going back to 1839, the company makes a wide variety of medical and surgical equipment for clients all over the world. It operates through four divisions: Hospital Care (anesthesia and infusion equipment, IV solutions, and catheters); Aesculap (surgical instruments, sutures, orthopedic implants); Out Patient Market (diabetes, wound care, and nutrition products); and B. Braun Avitum (dialysis products). The company also operates dialysis clinics in Europe and provides contract manufacturing services. B. Braun plans to continue to operate as a family-run business, with no near-term plans to pursue a public offering.

Kimberly-Clark Health Care knows it takes more than just pills to keep patients healthy. A division of consumer products giant Kimberly-Clark, Kimberly-Clark Health Care is a leading supplier of surgical drapes, gowns, gloves, and other staples of the operating room. It offers a wide array of infection control products, from equipment sanitizers to ventilator tubes that prevent contaminants from invading the lungs and causing pneumonia. The unit also makes feeding tubes, oral suction systems, endoscopic devices, and drug delivery equipment. It markets its products worldwide under the Kimberly-Clark, Ballard Medical, and ON-Q brands.

Sanford Health-MeritCare combines two Dakota health care legends: South Dakota's Sanford Health and North Dakota's MeritCare Health System. Both date back to the 1890s, and today the combined not-for-profit health care provider is one of the largest integrated health care systems in the US. It serves many rural areas in the Midwest with about 30 regional and community hospitals (housing more than 1,600 beds) in the Dakotas, Iowa, Minnesota, Nebraska, and Oklahoma. Its medical centers offer services in such areas as cancer, cardiology, emergency care, orthopedics, pediatrics, trauma, and women's health. Sanford Health-MeritCare also boasts expanded research and education capabilities as a result of its 2009 merger.

Alcon, Inc. engages in the development, manufacture, and marketing of pharmaceuticals, surgical equipment and devices, and consumer eye care products to treat primarily diseases and disorders of the eye in the United States and internationally. It offers various prescription ophthalmic pharmaceutical products for glaucoma treatments; anti-infectives, anti-inflammatories, and combination therapies to treat bacterial, viral, and fungal infections of the eye and to control ocular inflammation; products to treat ocular allergies; combination anti-infective/anti-inflammatory products for ear infections; and generic ophthalmic and otic pharmaceutical products. The company’s ophthalmic surgical products consist of surgical equipment, single-use, and disposable products for cataract surgery; vitreoretinal surgical products; surgical procedure packs; and refractive products. Its consumer eye care products include contact lens care products, such as disinfecting solutions, cleaners, and lens rewetting drops; vision care products, including artificial tears to treat dry eye syndrome and ocular vitamins, as well as dietary supplements, such as Age Related Eye Disease Study Formula, Lutein, and Zeaxanthin formula. The company sells its pharmaceutical products to physicians, distributors, wholesalers, hospitals, government agencies, and large retailers; surgical products directly to hospitals and ambulatory surgical centers, and through distributors; and consumer eye care products directly to retailers and optical chains, as well as to distributors for resale directly to smaller retailers and eye care professionals. It was formerly known as Alcon Universal S.A. and changed its name to Alcon, Inc. in December 2001. The company was founded in 1945 and is based in Hunenberg, Switzerland. Alcon, Inc. is a subsidiary of Nestle S.A. As of August 26, 2010, Alcon Inc. operates as a subsidiary of Novartis AG.

ATS Medical keeps its products close to the heart. The company's main product is its ATS Open Pivot mechanical heart valve, which has been implanted in more than 140,000 patients worldwide. The valve was designed to lower the risk of blood clotting, reduce noise levels, and make the implantation procedure easier. ATS Medical also develops and markets tissue heart valves, cryosurgery (cold therapy) devices for cardiac procedures, and other cardiac surgery supplies. The company markets its products through a direct sales force in the US and some key international markets and through distributors elsewhere. ATS Medical was acquired by Medtronic for $370 million in 2010.

Emeritus Corporation operates senior living communities that provide assisted living, and Alzheimer’s and dementia care services to senior citizens in the United States. Its communities provide residential housing alternatives, including independent living, assisted living, specialized memory care, and skilled nursing services. As of December 31, 2009, the company operated or had an investment in 308 assisted living communities consisting of approximately 27,100 residential rooms or suites with a capacity for approximately 32,300 residents. It also provides management services to independent and related-party owners of assisted living communities. Emeritus Corporation was founded in 1993 and is based in Seattle, Washington.

Sangui BioTech International focuses on the fluid of life -- blood. The firm specializes in developing oxygen-carrying agents to treat blocked arteries, anemia, or acute blood loss through its Sangui GmbH subsidiary. Also in the pipeline at Sangui is an implantable blood glucose monitor for diabetics. Other products include Pure Moisture, an anti-aging skin care product; HemO2Spray, a spray-on wound treatment; and Chitoskin, a wound dressing that is said to facilitate rapid healing of wounds. Professor Wolfgang K. Barnikol founded the company in Germany in 1995.

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