The Advanced Medical Technology Association (AdvaMed) expressed support for the revised Physician Payments Sunshine Act of 2007, sponsored by Senator Charles Grassley and Senator Herb Kohl.

"Physicians play a vital role in medical technology innovation, and their contribution, which leads to improved patient care, needs to be valued and understood," said Michael A. Mussallem, Edwards Lifesciences' chairman and CEO and AdvaMed board chairman. "This revised legislation lays out a framework for the appropriate disclosure of financial relationships between physician innovators and the companies that make their vision a reality."

Continued innovation in healthcare is driven by the ability of America's medical technology manufacturers to interact and work closely with physicians and other care providers. Their input often leads to significant product improvements and is critical to our industry's iterative development process and improved patient care. It is essential that physicians receive education and training to ensure that technologies are used safely and effectively.
"Preserving our member companies' ability to interact in a collaborative, transparent and ethical manner is essential. We commend Senators Grassley and Kohl for their leadership and their staff for working with us in a deliberate and thoughtful manner. We look forward to continuing to work with them as this legislation moves forward," Ubl said.

In February, AdvaMed put forth its suggested changes to S. 2029 which the association felt were important to ensuring that the information being disclosed was useful, meaningful and put in full context.

They included:
Expressly preempting state disclosure laws to ensure consistency in application and patient understanding;

Requiring compliance by physician-owned manufacturers, distributors and group purchasing organizations (GPOs); and

Displaying disclosure information in a meaningful and easily understood format that provides the appropriate context for patient education.

AdvaMed member companies produce the medical devices, diagnostic products and health information systems that are transforming health care through earlier disease detection, less invasive procedures and more effective treatments. Our members produce nearly 90 percent of the health care technology purchased annually in the United States and more than 50 percent purchased annually around the world. AdvaMed members range from the largest to the smallest medical technology innovators andcompanies. For more information, visit www.advamed.org

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