Voice Recognition Innovations Can Revolutionize Medical Device Technology

How Might Voice Recognition Innovations Revolutionize Medical Device Technology?

voice-recognition-medical-device-technology | Photo Courtesy of plantronicsgermany http://www.flickr.com/photos/plantronicsgermany/8138951059/sizes/q/

Ray Kurzweil showed us voice recognition in computers was possible. Siri showed us how voice recognition could be cool. Star Trek showed how awesome it will be.

Could voice recognition innovations revolutionize medical device technology? Believe it.

A blog post on The Huffington Post website highlights the possibilities of voice-guided (or voice-enabled) technologies, specifically mentioning Auvi-Q, an epinephrine auto-injector that talks users through the injection process during a severe allergic reaction.

Read more here >>>

Article originally posted on our CRM for Medical Device Organizations website.

How Will 3D Printing Impact Medical Device Technology?

How Will 3D Printing Impact Medical Device Technology?

3d-printing-technology | Photo Courtesy of richardjsum http://www.flickr.com/photos/12115945@N00/5812248560/sizes/q/We are on the cusp of seeing some really amazing innovation and growth in 3D printing.

Innovations in 3D printing could increase efficiency in medical device technology, but don?t expect the human element to disappear anytime soon.

An article on the Medical Device and Diagnostic Industry website quotes futurist Thomas Frey, who says 2 billion jobs will vanish due to innovations in automation. That?s about half the jobs on the planet.

This is almost a doomsday prediction here. A total of 2 billion jobs lost would be huge, obviously. But a bright spot is the fact that ?the Internet created 2.6 jobs for each lost to technology-related efficiencies,? according to McKinsey & Company. Other technological innovations could have similar impacts on the workforce in the future.

Overall, the future does look bright for medical device manufacturers. While 3D printing could eventually replace some types of manufacturing, other types are just too intricate or complicated to be completely automated by 3D printing, especially in the medical device industry. Also, there will be many jobs replaced by people who are needed to sell and service these new 3D machines that may be used to replace manufacturing workers. And people will continue to drive medical device innovation.

Frey believes 3D printing has the potential to revolutionize manufacturing. His thinking is along the same lines as that of Chris Anderson, former editor-in-chief of ?Wired? magazine. Anderson has ?predicted that 3D printing will ultimately be more important than the Internet,? the Medical Device and Diagnostic Industry article notes, with applications in the medical field of tissue engineering, prosthetic limbs and potentially artificial organs. Frey says it could effect change in the manufacturing sector as much as Henry Ford?s assembly line.

That?s a pretty bold statement. Keep in mind that 3D printing technology has only been around for a few years. Perhaps at some point in the future, we?ll see a ?Star Trek?-style replicator system that can conjure up anything on demand, but don?t expect to see anything like that in the next 15 years.

Source: Medical Device and Diagnostic Industry, January 2013

5 Keys To Success In New Medical Device Marketing Paradigm

5 Keys To Success In The New Medical Device Marketing Paradigm

5 Keys To Success In The New Medical Device Marketing Paradigm
5 Keys To Success In The New Medical Device Marketing Paradigm

The way medical device companies market and sell to physicians is changing dramatically. That?s why operational and cultural changes are the keys to success.

There?s a looming cost challenge as the nation grows older and more people retire and require health care. Being able to improve outcomes while also reducing health costs is where opportunity is born.

Tools, technology and training are vital in this new?medical device marketing?paradigm.

?Selling to physicians and being paid on the basis of how many widgets sold is so 20th century,? an article on the MedCity News website points out. ?The new world order demands evidence of how well a device works and whether it reduces the cost of care.?

Medical device sales needs to change from selling based on features to selling on economies and outcomes ? a change that ultimately will benefit physicians, health care operators, patients and sales representatives. Acting more like business owners changes your outlook, particularly when dealing with patient health, diagnosis or treatment.

The article on the MedCity News website offers five tips for success as the medical device industry evolves in 2013.

  1. Embrace comparative effectiveness.
  2. Take an aggressive approach to international markets.
  3. Innovate for local markets.
  4. Hire medical economists.
  5. Engage with patients to build better products.

Read more here >>>

FDA/CMS Announce Long Delayed Ruling on Sunshine Act

As some of you may know, the FDA/CMS (Centers for Medicare and Medical Services) have been (very) late in issuing their final ruling as to when physician Sunshine Act reporting will begin. Those of you who follow me via Twitter and on the i3 Community site know that I’ve been posting updates about the Sunshine Act compliance deadlines and extensions communicated by the FDA and CMS since December of 2011 (http://i3.infinityinfo.com/blogs/tags/tag/sunshine-act).

Well, they finally made their decision today and released the details the life science industry has anxiously been awaiting – http://www.modernhealthcare.com/article/20130201/NEWS/302019903?AllowView=VW8xUmo5Q21TcWJOb1gzb0tNN3RLZ0h0MWg5SVgra3NZRzROR3l0WWRMWGJWdjBBRWxiNUtpQzMyWmVwNTMwWUpieWk=.

In a rare act of kindness, the CMS has provided manufacturers and GPO?s a bit of extra time to get things in order. By law, manufacturers and GPO’s were only required to provide a 3 month notification of when data collection should begin, however, they have now given 6 months notice.

Starting August 1, 2013, drug and device companies will be required to collect data about payments, gifts and other transfers of value given to physicians and teaching hospitals (greater than $10). This final ruling also requires manufacturers and GPOs to report the first round of data collection to the CMS by March 31, 2014. Data must be submitted annually by the 90th day of each calendar year thereafter.

What does this mean? Companies that have not yet implemented a solution for meeting the reporting requirements of the law now have a bit of breathing room, although not much. Microsoft Dynamics CRM provides an excellent platform for adding functionality that will allow companies to more easily meet these requirements – Infinity would love to show you how!

If you have any questions or would like to discuss further, please don’t hesitate to reach out to me at mhammons@infinityinfo.com.

Sunshine Act Update – September 2012

 

Back in December of last year and May of this year I wrote a couple of blog posts about the Sunshine Act compliance deadlines and extensions communicated by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS).

If you?ve been wondering what?s happening with the final decision on Sunshine Act deadlines, you are not alone.

Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) was quoted this week criticizing the still vague time frame of when CMS expects companies to start reporting (sometime in 2013 is still the official answer). See article in Modern Healthcare.

So no details yet, however, the law requires allowing 90 days for the companies to prepare and the collection of data through the next January before reporting it publicly in March.

Infinity attends a lot of healthcare, pharmaceutical, biotech and medical device events and we hear there are quite a few organizations that don?t have a system or process in place yet. There is a little time left but we advise organizations to be ready for this as soon possible. Let us know if you need help.

Texas Medical Association Says Scrap ICD-10

 

Texas doctors, through the Texas Medical Association, submitted comments to HHS (Department of Health and Human Services) recommending HHS scraps the implementation of ICD-10 completely. (International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems, 10th Edition).

Original article: Healthcare business news and research ModernHealthcare Article – Texas Suggests Scrapping ICD-10

The Texas Medical Association makes some really good points.

  1. ICD-10 has been around since the mid-1990?s and the US is just now getting around to ?officially? adopting them. Given that that ICD-11 is due in 2015, and the costs/benefits of going to ICD-10 are minimal vs. going straight to ICD-11, it?s just makes sense to go straight to ICD-11.
  2. ICD-11 is being revised using Web 2.0 principles and designed specifically for incorporation into electronic medical health records.
  3. Given that it?s taken more than 20 years to move from ICD-9 to ICD-10, this makes even more sense. Why adopt ICD-10 just in time to be replaced with a better standard?

Another great point, ?HHS should recognize that the costs of going to ICD-11 directly are less than incurring the remaining costs of implementing ICD-10 in 2013 and then implementing ICD-11 sometime soon thereafter.”

TMA is not alone as the American Medical Association, a host of state medical groups and medical specialty societies, submitted their own comments calling for at least a one-year delay in ICD-10 implementation.

One can always hope for common sense to prevail, can?t they? In any case, the implementation deadlines are looming and the US will be moving to a new standard; are you ready?

Update on Sunshine Act Compliance Deadlines

Back in December I wrote a blog post about the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) rule change for reporting on the Physicians Payment Sunshine Act. Original post here: http://i3.infinityinfo.com/blogs/entry/sunshine-act-compliance-deadlines-extended

The CMS had decided to extend the data collection start date from January 1, 2012 to ?some later date?. A few days ago, on May 3, the CMS provided some updated information in their blog (The CMS Blog). During the extended comment period they received over 300 comments. that?s a good thing that people are voicing their concerns.

The CMS still hasn?t issued a final date but says in their blog ?CMS will not require data collection by applicable manufacturers and applicable group purchasing organizations before January 1, 2013? and ?CMS intends to release the final rule later this year?.

Some news is better than no news. The window is closing though for companies that will be required to report this information to the FDA. Time is ticking. We have helped a number of companies ensure their systems and processes are up date and compliant. If you are struggling with these rules, give us call, we are happy to help you too!

HHS Announces New Compliance Dates for ICD-10

In February this year we heard that Health and Human Services (HHS) was going to delay implementing ICD-10 diagnostic codes (International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems, 10th Revision, or ICD-10). At that time HHS did not announce a new date. You can read more from my related blog post here.

Yesterday, April 9, HHS posted that Healthcare Practitioners and Organizations would have until October 1, 2014 ? providing another year for compliance.Change to the Compliance Date for ICD-10-CM and ICD-10-PCS Medical Data. The deadline was extended in response to physician complaints about the administrative burden of converting to ICD-10.

In 2009, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) ordered the change from the ICD-9 code set, which is now in use, to ICD-10, as part of implementing the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act. The American Medical Association (AMA) would prefer that HHS implements a more physician friendly replacement, however, HHS has spoken?and so it shall be.  Public comments about the proposed regulations will be accepted for 30 days from publication in the Federal Register. Submit your comments to be heard.

I?m not yet convinced a change from approximately 13,000 diagnostic codes used today, to more than 68,000 codes are going to ?improve the quality of care? and “lead to improved accuracy for reimbursement for medical services, fraud detection, and historical claims and diagnosis analysis.”  In my experience, simplification (remember KISS) is the better approach. We shall see.

At least there is some common sense in this decision and gives Healthcare Practitioners a little breathing room. A year goes by very quickly though, so no time to rest for the weary.