MASSDEVICE ON CALL — Breast augmentation procedures are set for a boost as patients prepare for bathing suit season amid a recovering economy, according to a pair of press releases.
Spring is the most popular time for breast augmentation in North Carolina, beginning in the second week of February and running through June, plastic surgeon Dr. Richard Cummings said prepared remarks.
He may have more patients on his hands this spring as the economy improves. Breast implants, usually among the most popular cosmetic procedures, appear to follow trends in the economy, according to a press release.
Breast implant procedures increased 4% from 2010 to 2011, according to the American Society of Plastic Surgeons, with more than 307,000 performed annually. Breast reductions in men also saw an 8% rise to 20,000 procedures.
Cummings attributes the growth partially to decreasing social stigmas associated with plastic surgery as well as increased patient awareness of advanced techniques and product technology, according to a press release.
That could mean good news for device makers Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ), Allergan (NYSE:AGN) and newly inducted Sientra, the only companies with FDA clearance to market silicon breast implants in the U.S.
Med-tech burden-easing bill makes heads to Senate’s HELP committee
The bipartisan Medical Device Regulatory Improvement Act, cosponsored by Sens. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), Richard Burr (R-N.C.) and Michael Bennett (D-Colo.), was tucked into a larger bill headed for the Senate Health, Education, Labor & Pensions Committee, according to a press release.
The bill, which was introduced on the Senate floor in October 2011, calls for clarification of the pre-market approval process, revised definitions of conflicts of interest and an extensive review of the management and regulatory processes at the Center for Devices & Radiological Health.
Endovascular better than open surgery for older abdominal aortic aneurysm patients, Medicare study shows
A review of Medicare data found that older patients suffering abdominal aortic aneurysm have a better chance of survival after undergoing endovascular repair as compared to open surgery, TheHeart.org reported.
IRS can’t handle new health care tax laws, GOP witness says
A tax accountant testifying for the Small Business & Entrepreneurship Council said the Internal Revenue Service’s budget is "razor thin" and can’t handle enforcement of new health care reform tax laws, Healthwatch reported.
"They don’t have the resources to enforce current tax law; how are they going to have the resources to enforce additional mandates that are being passed through the Affordable Care Act?" Leonard Steinberg said during a Small Business Committee hearing yesterday.
Spiking health care reform could hurt jobs, funding
Jobs and funding created by measures in President Barack Obama’s Affordable Care Act could be at risk should the Supreme Court rule the health reform measures unconstitutional, Politico reported.
