Three committees in the US House of Representatives introduced comprehensive health care reform legislation on July 14, 2009. Advanced Medical Technology Association (AdvaMed), is concerned that some areas of the draft legislation, either directly or indirectly, would have a negative impact on patient care and innovation in medical treatments.
Some of these include:
Establishment of national device registry that is too broad, collects information with questionable utility and is redundant with existing FDA post-market authorities and initiatives.
Centralized decision-making on access to medical technology, pharmaceuticals and procedures that could limit the choice of treatment options available to patients in consultation with their physicians.
Comparative effectiveness research that is not transparent and that could focus on the cost of care rather than what is best for patients.
Failure to assure that needed changes to incentives for quality and efficiency do not inadvertently impede medical progress.
Excessive cuts to durable medical equipment (DME), diagnostic tests, and other providers.
AdvaMed is a Washington-based medical technology association