6th Annual Capitol Forum
The Policy Environment for Medical Technology – Issues for 2007
February 14-15, 2007
Capitol Hill
Washington, DC
The 2007 Capitol Forum focused on the policy environment for medical technology. We heard the perspectives of policy makers and engaged in dialogue with them on three key topics:
- Trends in value-based purchasing with focus on Coverage with Evidence Development and Coding Improvement Reforms
- Consumer Driven Health Care and Medical Price Transparency
- Issues surrounding entitlement reform. Between a national budget deficit, the MMA implementation, and the bankruptcy of Medicare, Social Security and other health programs like Medicaid and Long Term Care lies the financing future of the medical device industry. Who gets paid first out of a shrinking revenue pie when there’s no possibility of tax increases and limited life for cost-shifting?
MTLF explored these topics from the perspective policy makers and Washington insiders.
Special Program
A Leadership Dialogue for Stakeholders and Policy Leaders from Japan and the United States
April 21-23, 2007
Karuizawa, Japan
In May of 2005, the MTLF sponsored its first international forum in Washington, DC entitled "U.S.-Japan International Dialogue - Tapping into Technology to Improve Quality and Efficiency in Health Care." The goal of that meeting was to bring together health leaders from Japan and the U.S. to learn more about the health care systems of both countries and how they could be improved.
The American participants discovered how the Japanese health care system serves the oldest population in the world. The Japanese learned about the resources we are using in this country to head off health care costs by turning to quality, value, system performance and payment policy reform. There were discussions on health care delivery, medical technology development and diffusion, health care financing and current and future government financing reforms.
Based on the success of the first meeting, and at the request of the Honorable Yuji Tsushima, we held a second such leadership meeting April 21 - 23, 2007 at a retreat center outside of Tokyo, Japan. Participants included Diet leaders and leadership of the Ministry of Health, Labor, and Welfare together with Japan's top surgeons, hospital executives, business and insurance leaders.
This meeting focused on political and health system basics plus changes since 2005 and how they have affected advanced medical technology. There was discussion on the record of advanced medical technology in improving quality of health care outcomes and improving quality of life, patient expectations and access to medical care and innovation, as well as challenges to access and market regulatory solutions. Part of the session was devoted to discussing innovations in payment policy and enhancing value to patients.
Spring Forum
The Impact of the Convergence of Biologics with the Medical Device Industry
June 4-5, 2007
Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA
The convergence of the biological revolution with medical devices holds the promise of a new stream of innovations. Many medical device companies are grappling with how to manage product innovation and development so as to take advantage of the biological revolution. The goal of this conference is to explore the challenges and opportunities for device companies that this convergence presents.
The conference will provide an overview of the scientific state of the art and the strategies being employed as the convergence of biologics and engineered technologies is unfolding. There will be an analysis of the economic opportunity that this convergence presents for the device industry and for regional and national economic development. The regulatory and reimbursement issues unique to these potential products will be discussed, and we will look at case studies of firms that have combination products currently on the market, exploring the variety of ways these firms have adapted to scientific, regulatory and market challenges. Finally, we will conclude with a discussion of the strategic challenges and business models that will need to emerge to successfully navigate in this exciting and innovative area.
Georgia Tech is an ideal setting for this Forum, because of the intersection of the biological sciences, biomedical engineering, and the device industry there. The Medical Technology Leadership Forum brings together multiple stakeholders from science, technology, industry, medicine and public policy to explore issues of concern to the medical technology community. The partnership of MTLF, now housed at the University of Minnesota and Georgia Tech is long-standing, with this being the second MTLF forum held in Atlanta.
Can We Win the Medical Arms Race?: The Changing Marketplace and Policy and Organizational Responses
MTLF/NIHP Fall Forum
October 14-15, 2007
University of Minnesota
Minneapolis, MN
The term Medical Arms Race has been used for at least 20 years and can be interpreted in many ways. Medical arms -- technological advances in medicine -- have been deployed without a complete understanding of their value, driven by a variety of market forces -- the race. In the last 10 years, we have seen an acceleration of aspects of the arms race, along with public policy and organizational responses to these changes. The 2007 Fall Forum will discuss some of these changes in the marketplace, including changing ownership patterns that affect capacity, the reemergence of state policies to limit capacity, and private and public efforts to realign incentives to maximize value.
Dr. Mark McClellan, former FDA Commissioner and former Administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, will address the impact of government regulation and payment systems on the medical arms race.
The MTLF at the University of Minnesota's School of Public Health and the National Institute of Health Policy (NIHP) at the University of St. Thomas have teamed up to host this event. MTLF has an eleven year history exploring issues of importance to the medical technology community. The NIHP launched a special series of programs called MARS -- the Medical Arms Race Syndrome -- to define the issues and to better understand the incentives and pressures that drive the medical arms race.
