As many of us head off the the Heart Rhythm Society’s 33rd Scientific Sessions in Boston, MA this week, we leave to see some of the best science of the year in our field. Abstracts, posters, discussions, Live Case demonstrations, – the whole works – will be there. Media will cover reports of late breaking clinical trials, the benefits of our new oral anticoagulants, the amazing clinical workings of the subcutaneous ICD, and late-breaking clinical trials filled with fantastic innovations and controversy.
Heart Rhythm Society
Studies suggest new breast screening standards | MassDevice.com On Call
MASSDEVICE ON CALL — Two studies published today in the Annals of Internal Medicine could influence the standard of care for breast screening, which was called into question by a U.S. Preventive Services Task Force report in 2009.
That report suggested that annual mammograms might cause more harm than good because of increased false positives leading to unnecessary biopsies and further testing – not to mention considerable anxiety for patients.
MassDevice.com +7 Special | The week that was: St. Jude Medical’s Riata brouhaha
Say hello to MassDevice +7, a bite-sized view of the top seven med-tech stories of the week. This latest feature of MassDevice.com’s coverage highlights our seven biggest and most influential stories from the week’s news to make sure you’re up to date on the headlines that continue to shape the medical device industry.
If you read nothing else this weekend, make sure you’re still in the know with MassDevice +7.
Hearth Rhythm Society won’t retract Riata piece
The editor of the Heart Rhythm Society journal is sticking by his guns and refusing to retract an article linking some 22 deaths with St. Jude Medical‘s (NYSE:STJ) recalled Riata defibrillator leads.
HRS preview: St. Jude, Boston Scientific in the spotlight | Wall Street Beat
The foofaraw over St. Jude Medical‘s (NYSE:STJ) recalled Riata defibrillator leads is slated for top billing at the upcoming annual meeting of the Heart Rhythm Society in Boston, according to a pair of Leerink Swann analysts.
Sunshine laws need to do more to protect docs’ reputations, health groups say
A clutch of health care groups pushed back against the current format of the Physician Payment Sunshine Act, warning that the rule doesn’t do enough to protect the reputations of physicians in case of a dispute, according to a letter obtained by MassDevice.
Nearly 100 health care groups, including the American Medical Assn. and the Society for Vascular Surgery, urged the U.S. Dept. of Health & Human Services to make changes to the measure, which will require health care providers to report all payments made to physicians and teaching hospitals to a public database.
HRS: Rhythm, not regulation
ProPublica, the online investigative website, carried a revealing set of stories Thursday documenting the financial ties between the Heart Rhythm Society, which represents the nation’s 5,100 cardiologists who specialize in arrythmias, and the medical device industry, which manufactures the stents, pacemakers and other widgets designed to protect people with serious heart disease from fatal heart attacks.