Vendors

Accountable Care Organizations, which are set up in the law and incentivize providers to keep costs low while improving care, couldaffect how providers buy equipment. This will in turn have an important impact on OEMs, third party service companies and medical equipment dealers. The anticipated increase in patients will also call for more efficiency, coordination of care and data management.

In addition, medical equipment manufacturers have been up in arms about the excise tax that was part and parcel of the Affordable Care Act. The tax, a 2.3 percent fee on devices sold domestically or imported, has had opponents claim that it will cause everything from a manufacturing shift to overseas locales to bankruptcy for some companies operating on a slim profit margin.

Proponents say it is needed to shore up the ACA and by fulfilling the promise of the ACA. There are currently bills before the House and Senate to repeal the tax.