Category Archives: reform

Medtech trends and dynamics: some obvious, or should be, but aren’t

There are some obvious trends and dynamics in medtech:

Cost is now a central driver of much development – either as an advantage to be marketed (e.g., reduced recovery time) or as an upper limiter of features offered.
 
Changes in the cost of doing business: demands for post-market surveillance, change in approval process (510K), physician payments, implementation of [...]

Health care spending as investment in economic growth

(Image source: CMS, 2008)
In the December 15 issue of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, a paper by North Carolina State University illustrates that healthcare spending should be viewed as an investment that stimulates economic growth. The author, Dr. Al Headen, associate professor of economics, indicates that healthcare spending is therefore viewed more [...]

Medtech to “grow” in 2010

In the course of a week, two separate surveys of the medtech industry have confirmed that executives foresee business in 2010 moving positively, but without an abundance of optimism — or effort.
The Emergo Group survey of 1,000 medtech executives illustrated results similar to the smaller, anecdotal Tatum LLC, survey, which indicated that, in 2010, execs [...]

Optimism in medtech

A recent survey of medical technology industry executives by Atlanta-based executive services firm Tatum LLC, as reported in The Journal of New England Technology, revealed a tone of “cautious optimism” among the group as they looked out over the next couple months:
Almost two-thirds of those executives surveyed — 40 in total — said they expected their [...]

The Device Industry Is Too Easy a Target

In a Nov. 5 article in the NY Times, Barry Meier takes more than a scathing perspective of the device industry. By the account given, the medical device industry runs like a series of businesses (gasp) with the audacity to focus on profit. But it gets worse, since Mr. Meier asserts that this profit motive [...]

October 2009 Medtech Financings

Medical technology company financings for the month of October have reached just shy of $200 million.  Levels have dropped from the burst of $400+ million per month in July and August, as well as from the $328 million in September.  Take out the two most significant fundings in October, the $40 million for Direct [...]

Ultra High Resolution Video Used In Laparoscopic Surgery (Why?)

As an aficionado of advanced medical technologies, I can only marvel at a laparoscopc video system that has four times the resolution of HD. However, even if I were not being relentlessly remnded by every manner of media that healthcare costs are spiralling out of control, I would have to look at the description of [...]

Advanced wound care technologies target high costs, according to new MedMarket Diligence report

September 21, 2009 (For Immediate Release)
While the huge $5 billion global market for wound management technologies may not suggest it, many of its products are designed to target the high cost of wound healing. Chronic wounds and non-healing wounds. See the 2009 MedMarket Diligence report.
FOOTHILL RANCH, CA — Advanced wound management technologies — those used [...]

Healthcare and medical technology ups and downs through 2009/2010

Looking at the course of developments — in the healthcare reform "debate" (as it were) and medical technology — it is not a huge leap of judgment to make the following predictions for the ups and downs of healthcare overall and for specific medical technologies.
Predictions for the healthcare market

A healthcare reform package will pass this [...]

Medical Device Companies Lobbying Congress and Other Evils

Much has been made lately, at least in headlines, about the amount of money spent by medical device companies in lobbying the U.S. government. ("Medtronic spent over $1M lobbying gov’t in 2Q‎", "Boston Scientific spent $480K lobbying gov’t in 2Q‎").  No caveat is placed on these headlines, as if they self-sufficiently scream "too much!"  
Put [...]