FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 22, 2006
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| INNOVATIVE MEDICAL TECHNOLOGIES BRING VALUE TO HEALTHCARE SYSTEM AND PATIENTS’ LIVES
CAPITOL HILL PHOTO EXHIBIT/RECEPTION CELEBRATES THE VALUE OF MEDICAL TECHNOLOGY IN PATIENTS’ LIVES AND SOCIETY |
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WASHINGTON, D.C. – AdvaMed, the Advanced Medical Technology Association, the world's largest association representing manufacturers of medical devices, diagnostic products and medical information systems, today kicked off an educational program to improve understanding about the value of medical technology among policymakers and the general public.
In a unique photographic exhibit on Capitol Hill, 26 Americans whose lives have been positively affected by medical devices or diagnostics were recognized, including Senator Mike Crapo (R-ID), Olympic gold medalist Bonnie Blair, NBA veteran Fred Hoiberg, former Senator and Presidential candidate Bob Graham (D-FL), and Miss America 1995 Heather Whitestone McCallum.
“These individual stories are a handful of the millions of lives who have benefited from advances in medical technology. These stories also exemplify the value these interventions have brought to the healthcare system and society through faster recoveries, improved treatment and more accurate diagnoses,” said Stephen J. Ubl, President and CEO of AdvaMed.
Senator Crapo, one of the honored “profilees,” said, “I’ve survived two bouts of prostate cancer thanks to the PSA test, a precise diagnostic test, and advanced radiation therapy. I owe my life to the tests that detected my cancer and the technology that treated it.”
This program is designed to inform Americans about the wide array of medical technologies that impact every part of healthcare. Medical technologies help save lives and money through more accurate diagnoses, less invasive procedures and improved treatment options. Some examples include:
- Diagnostic laboratory teststhat detect disease earlier than ever, help prevent the spread of infection, and even determine what type of treatment will work best given the genetic makeup of individual patients.
- Imaging systems such as computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scanners that can see inside the body to locate disease without exploratory surgery, diagnose conditions at a molecular level, and enable physicians to undertake minimally invasive surgery.
- Technology enabled procedures such as laser eye treatment or minimally invasive surgery, which are reducing hospital lengths of stay and procedure time and speeding up recovery.
- Medical equipment such as vital sign monitors that assess a patient’s health in the hospital, infusion pumps that precisely deliver multiple medications and dialysis machinse that cleanse the blood of waste, toxins and excess fluid normally removed by healthy kidneys.
- Implantable devices such as implantable cardioverter defibrillators (ICD) that are able to restore heart rhythm, artificial joints that allow ambulatory independence and cardiovascular stents that keep arteries open and clear.
James V. Mazzo, Chairman, President and CEO of Advanced Medical Optics, Inc. and Chairman of the AdvaMed Special Board Committee overseeing the initiative, offered a specific example of how advancements in cataract surgery provide value. “Thirty years ago, having a new lens implanted took three days in the hospital, four hours in the operating room and days to recover. Today, the procedure is done on an outpatient basis in less than an hour with better outcomes and improved vision. That’s progress everyone can see.”
Edward J. Ludwig, Chairman, President and CEO of BD and Chairman of the AdvaMed Board of Directors, remarked, “New medical technology innovations are being introduced, developed and constantly improved every day by AdvaMed member companies. Treatments and cures that were once considered unimaginable are now commonplace. The future is bright for patients and our healthcare system because of medical technology.”
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 and companies.
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