Say hello to MassDevice +3, a bite-sized view of the top three medtech stories of the day. This feature of MassDevice.com’s coverage highlights our 3 biggest and most influential stories from the day’s news to make sure you’re up to date on the headlines that continue to shape the medical device industry.
3. BMJ study: Hip, knee volumes rose after RomneyCare hit Massachusetts
The utilization rate for hip and knee replacements jumped in Massachusetts in the wake of its pioneering universal healthcare plan, enacted under former Gov. Mitt Romney in 2006, according to a recent study published in the British Medical Journal.
Researchers compared the volume of hip and knee procedures in the Bay State with corresponding data from New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania. The rate in Massachusetts rose 37% in the 2½ years after RomneyCare went into effect, according to the study. Read more
2. Study: TAVI shows quality-of-life benefits, but not for everyone
A study of extreme-risk patients treated with the CoreValve replacement heart valve made by Medtronic pointed to its benefits, but also showed that transcatheter aortic valve implants have their limits.
The 471-patient study, published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology, showed that most subjects implanted transfemorally with the CoreValve TAVI had significant improvements in health at 1 month, 6 months and 12 months. Read more
1. Medtech’s $33m lobbying spend last year hits 16-year high
The medical device industry’s lobbying spend hit its highest point since 1998 last year, nearing $33 million, as the industry stepped up its campaign to repeal the medical device tax enacted as part of Obamacare.
The $32.8 million spent to influence policy on Capitol Hill last year was a 5.9% increase over 2013, according to the Center for Responsive Politics’ OpenSecrets.org. Since 2004 medtech’s lobbying spend has grown 43.6% from $22.8 million; that number is up 267.6% since 1998, when the industry spent a mere $8.9 million on lobbying. Read more
