With the debt ceiling stalemate now resolved, the Affordable Care Act and its tax on medical devices have both emerged virtually unscathed from the latest – but probably not the last – political effort to weaken the contentious health care overhaul. Read more here.
Mumbai: The Indian medical device and equipment market is expected to grow to around $5.8 billion by 2014 and $ 7.8 billion by 2016, growing at a CAGR of 15.5 percent, according to an industry report. Read about it here.
The U.S. Senate passed legislation Sept. 26 to reauthorize, extend and improve operations of the Federal Helium Reserve in Texas, which will guarantee a stable supply of the gas used for cooling magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) systems. Read more here.
Curbing geographic variation in imaging use and costs has been a major target of policy efforts in recent years. But it's unclear whether focusing on these factors is the best way to rein in Medicare spending, according to a new study published online in the Journal of the American College of Radiology. Read more here.
GOP senators lead by Utah's Orrin Hatch stuck to their word that they'd work to repeal the 2.3 percent medical device tax that went into effect January as part of the Affordable Care Act--House Republicans included the provision in their bill to fund federal agencies into the next fiscal year, passed by the House lateSaturday night. Read [...]
A European Parliament committee finally voted on proposed reforms to the region's medical device regulatory process. Industry insiders were likely apoplectic about the outcome: The group came out heavily on the side of a U.S.-style premarket approval system for high-risk devices. Read more here.
Among the AdvaMed study's conclusions: Average inflation-adjusted prices for the 7 biggest medical device categories dropped from 2007 through 2011. The trend has taken place as hospitals have increasingly turned to tighter spending controls. Medical device prices continue at less than 50% of the pace of inflation in the overall U.S. economy. Read more here.
On September 19th, the U.S. Senate passed an amended version of the Responsible Helium Administration and Stewardship Act, or HR 527, which was approved by the House of Representatives earlier this year. It still needs to be officially signed into law, but this is a major step to averting a helium shortage that had been looming [...]
The Medical Imaging & Technology Alliance (MITA) and the Semiconductor Industry Association (SIA) today led a broad coalition of technology, medical, business and education leaders – including the National Electrical Manufacturers Association (NEMA) – in delivering a letter to Congress calling for urgent approval of legislation that will secure the nation’s helium supply. Read about [...]
The financial outlook for hospitals under healthcare reform initially appears rocky but may perk up with time. Medical devices makers, on the other hand, should brace for difficulties, according to a report published July 17 by Moody’s Investors Service. Read more here.