IMDA eNews 090623

The latest news affecting you and your customers…

from the Independent Medical Specialty Dealers Association

Wildfires cause rise in asthma ED visits

Exposure to smoke originating from the Canadian wildfires led to a rise in asthma-associated emergency department (ED) visits in the U.S., with a large spike seen in New York during days with the highest recorded pollution, CDC data showed, reports MedPage Today. Asthma-related ED visits across the U.S. were 17% higher than expected during the 19 days with wildfire smoke that occurred from April 30 to August 4, reported Cristin McArdle, PhD, of the CDC’s Epidemic Intelligence Service and the National Center for Environmental Health, and colleagues.

September is Pulmonary Fibrosis Awareness Month

“Embrace Your Breath” is the theme for this year’s Pulmonary Fibrosis Awareness Month. The Pulmonary Fibrosis Foundation (PFF) is encouraging everyone – including IMDA members – to like, share and comment on PFF’s content on social media in an attempt to help its messages reach a wider audience. Find PFF online with its handle @pfforg on Facebook.

A new look at value analysis

Value analysis professionals are approaching their job differently these days, according to a report from the Advisory Board. For one, they are increasingly seeking real-world outcomes, not just lab studies. And second, committees can be expected to begin calculating the impact a product has on margin, not just dollars spent.

IMDA to participate in AdvaMed Conference

IMDA President Bill Carmouche and Executive Director Don Sizemore will participate in a panel discussion about specialty distribution at the AdvaMed MedTech Conference in Anaheim, California, Oct. 9-11. AdvaMed has a division called AdvaMed Accel, with nearly 300 small and mid-sized medical device, diagnostic, and digital health company members. Accel is intended to provide members with opportunities for strategic networking and business development and provide a voice for startups and growth-stage companies on policy and advocacy issues impacting innovation in medical technology.

Hamilton ventilator recall designated Class 1

Hamilton Medical’s recall of ventilators for a software problem was designated Class I by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, reports MedTech Dive. The company contacted customers in June after learning that its C1, C2, C3 and T1 ventilators switch to “ambient state” if used in neonates for more than 91 days without a restart. In ambient state, the device sounds an alarm, and no active ventilation is provided to patients. In light of the fault, which has caused 80 complaints but no injuries or deaths, Hamilton is asking users of its ventilators to regularly restart their devices.

March 24 is deadline for EtO regs

A looming deadline for changes to ethylene oxide (EtO) regulations has new urgency under a consent decree approved by a federal judge this week, reports Medical Design and Outsourcing Under the consent decree, the EPA agreed to sign its final review on commercial sterilization standards — including EtO, used for half of all medical device sterilization in the U.S. — by March 1, 2024. In 2022, a group of plaintiffs including the Sierra Club sued EPA Administrator Michael Regan under the Clean Air Act, accusing the EPA of failing to review sterilization facility emission standards as required every eight years

Has your business been scammed yet?

The FBI receives 300,000 email scam filings each year. Business scams are a large part of them. Is your company protected? Are your employees aware of the risk they can put your company in when receiving and sending emails? At the upcoming 2024 IMDA/HIRA Annual Conference and Manufacturers Forum, March 4-6, in Orlando, Florida, IMDA Executive Director Don Sizemore will show you how a common scam can cost you money. He should know, as his business was a victim of one. At the conference, learn how such scams work, how to spot them, and what to do once you are in the scam situation. Click Here for more information about the 2024 IMDA/HIRA Annual Conference and Manufacturers Forum.