AdvaMed has surveyed its members about the medical device excise tax that Obamacare ushered in last year. The med tech industry trade group found that companies reported job losses, R&D cuts and slackening investment in U.S. manufacturing. Read more here.
Hospitals, physicians and their patients soon may know if a medical device is faulty more quickly than in the past thanks to a Food and Drug Administration final rule issued Thursday. The rule requires manufacturers to submit reports of injuries or deaths associated with their products electronically to the FDA instead of via a paper [...]
The Congressional bills to permanently remove the problematic Sustainable Growth Rate (SGR) formula for calculating Medicare physician payments also contains provisions that impact more than just physician pay. To avoid an estimated 24 percent mandatory SGR cut to Medicare physician payments, Congress must pass H.R. 4015 /S. 2000 before March 1, when the temporary SGR [...]
The battle over breast screening was revived yet again this week with data from a controversial Canadian study in BMJ that cast doubt on mammography's effectiveness for women ages 40 to 59. Mammography proponents quickly rose to point out flaws in the trial, which contradicts other population-based breast screening studies. Read more here.
Cardiology may be a step ahead of some other specialties in participation in Accountable Care Organizations (ACOs). An analysis of self-referrals to specialists found that the percentage of new patient self-referrals in cardiology was lower than the national norm for both Medicare and private insurance beneficiaries. Read more here.
As out-of-pocket medical costs grow for many Americans, the insurance industry is offering a way to help and, at the same time, expand its business: by selling supplemental policies that may fill the gaps for consumers. Read more here.
It's a story that could confirm the worst fears of med tech implant wearers at the highest level of U.S. government: Some time during the first half of 2013, hackers reportedly broke into the computer networks of the big three medical device makers, and the breach might have stayed open for "several months." Read more [...]
A bipartisan team of U.S. House and Senate negotiators has reached a deal to repeal the unpopular sustainable growth rate (SGR) formula, according to MedPageToday.Under the arrangement, physicians will see a yearly pay raise of 0.5 percent for the next five years according to the article. House Energy and Commerce Chairman Fred Upton (R-Mich.), the last holdout of six [...]
The average age of the installed base of MRI scanners in the U.S. grew from 8.7 years in 2010 to 11.4 years in 2013, meaning that many scanners could be due for a replacement, according to a new market research report by IMV Medical Information Division. With the last spike of new MRI installations taking [...]
Although it's been four years since the Affordable Care Act became law, the Obama administration still has to release several major reform provisions, including details on essential health benefits and the employer mandate, that have been delayed. More than 12 rules could be published as early as this year, PoliticoPro reported. Read more here.