North America

Consultant: Medicare Payment Changes May Expand Home Cardiac Monitoring and Reshape RPM Market

 
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Medicare's new cardiac monitoring payment updates are set to boost home monitoring adoption by easing billing processes and improving reimbursement rates. The changes may benefit providers directly, shifting control from diagnostic testing facilities and potentially reshaping the RPM market.

GAO Says Lack Of Staff And Regulatory Authority Hamper FDA From Effectively Managing Device Recalls

 

As requested by a pair of US senators, the GAO has published a report on how the FDA handles medical device recalls. The review found that the agency lacks the necessary staff and regulatory authority to process recalls safely and effectively.

Effective Engagement With The FDA During Recalls Starts With Effective Communication, Expert Says

 

During a webinar hosted by Sedgwick, a pair of regulatory experts discussed how medtech firms can optimize their engagement with the FDA, especially when it comes to communicating recalls and corrective actions.

Flow Wins FDA Approval For Depression Treatment Device

 
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The US FDA has approved Flow Neuroscience’s at-home brain stimulation device for the treatment of depression, ending a frustrating wait for the Swedish firm.


FDA Advisory Panel Says ‘Human Factor’ Essential In Evaluating Germicidal Ultraviolet Devices

 

The US FDA’s General Hospital and Personal Use Devices Panel of the Medical Devices Advisory Committee convened Wednesday to discuss germicidal ultraviolet (GUV) devices as a mode of disinfection, a technology that has emerged since the COVID-19 pandemic.

Freenome Goes Public In $330M SPAC, Shares Early Data For Next-Gen CRC Blood Test

 
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Freenome will combine with Perceptive Capital Solutions Corp in a SPAC deal worth $330m. The goal is to advance Freenome’s blood-based tests for early detection of cancer and, in 2026, launch its advanced colorectal cancer detection test SimpleScreen, currently under FDA review.

FDA Looking To Keep TEMPO With Digital Health Technologies

 

The US FDA is launching a pilot to promote access and safety to digital health devices. Developed by the agency’s device center, the pilot will evaluate a new, risk-based enforcement approach for certain types of digital devices to treat several conditions.

Olympus Hits Another Endoscope Snag, Updates Instructions For PolyLoop After 113 Serious Injuries

 

The US FDA says Olympus has updated its instructions for a device used in many endoscopic procedures after reports of serious injuries. The class I recall follows the FDA blocking imports of other scoping devices from the Japanese firm earlier this year.


AdvaMed Backs Bill That Would Create ‘Consistent’ Reimbursement Pathway For Algorithm-Based Services

 

Pending legislation in the US House of Representatives would allow Medicare patients to benefit from some of the latest and most innovative technologies. The bipartisan bill would establish a clear pathway for reimbursement for algorithm-based healthcare services approved by the FDA.

Makary Continues To Seize On AI ‘To Modernize’ The FDA And Accelerate Advanced Treatments

 

With the roll out of agentic AI, the US FDA continues to expand AI capabilities across the agency. The latest AI deployment follows the agency’s May launch of Elsa, its generative AI tool, which marked ‘the dawn of the AI era’ at the FDA.

ARPA-H Launches Mental Health Initiative Under New Director

 
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US healthcare innovation agency ARPA-H has announced a $100m initiative focused on building up the evidence base for fast-acting mental health treatments such as neuromodulation and digital therapeutics. The project is the first major initiative to be led by new ARPA-H director Alicia Jackson.

Stakeholders Tell FDA Real-World Data Essential In Evaluating AI-Device Performance

 

In September, the US FDA asked the public to weigh in on how AI-enabled medical devices perform in real-world settings. With the comment period now closed, the agency has heard back from dozens of stakeholders on how the agency can use clinical outcomes to better understand these devices.


Hundreds Of Adverse Events, Multiple Deaths, Associated With Abbott Correction Of Libre 3 Sensors

 

Abbott has initiated a medical device correction for about 3 million FreeStyle Libre 3 and FreeStyle Libre 3 Plus sensors in the US after internal testing detected a risk the device may produce inaccurate glucose readings.

What Exact-ly Is In Store For Liquid Biopsy?

 

Ahead of Exact Science’s $21bn dollar acquisition by Abbott, Medtech Insight spoke to the company’s chief medical officer, Tomasz Beer, to learn more about the company’s multi-cancer early detection offering, its wider portfolio of products and to hear more about the direction of the field.

LDTs Aimed At Catching Cancers Early Hold Promise In Reducing Late-Stage Diagnoses, Study Shows

 

A recent study demonstrates that certain types of blood-based tests that screen for multiple cancers at once have the potential to flip the script on cancer diagnoses, including some of the deadliest types.

Masimo Awarded $634M In Apple Patient Monitoring Patent Fight

 
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A California jury found in favor of device firm Masimo in a long-running legal battle against the tech giant. Apple has already announced plans to appeal.


Massive PAD Patient Study Finds No Enhanced Risk From Drug-Coated Devices

 
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Data from Medicare patients shows no increased death risk for peripheral arterial disease patients treated with drug-coated devices, easing concerns that once led FDA to discourage use of the products. Researchers say the study could be a model for future large-scale cardiac device safety trials.

FDA’s New Menstrual Products Guidance Focuses On Product Risks

 
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The US FDA is updating its menstrual products guidance for the first time since 2005, adding new recommendations for menstrual cups as well as additional testing guidelines. The document also reflects a new awareness of the potential risks of contaminants within menstrual products.

What Do Money, Gender, And Politics Have To Do With Device Recalls? Quite A Lot

 

During the MDIC Excellence in Quality Summit, an expert in product recalls offered several unconventional and somewhat controversial factors that impact how quickly device makers initiate a recall once they discover a problem.

US FDA Appropriations Cut In Proposed Shutdown-Ending Agreement

 

But the Senate’s reduction would not be as much as the House of Representatives and President Trump proposed earlier this year, which is likely a win for the agency.