FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 30, 2006
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ADVAMED APPLAUDS BUSH ADMINISTRATION FOR SECURING COMMITMENTS TO ENHANCE JAPANESE PATIENTS’ ACCESS TO MEDICAL TECHNOLOGY
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WASHINGTON, DC – AdvaMed praised the Bush Administration today for securing commitments from Japan to improve its reimbursement and regulatory practices for medical technologies.
These measures were outlined in a joint report on deregulation presented to President George W. Bush and Japanese Prime Minister Koizumi on June 29. The goal of the measures is to promote smoother introduction of new technologies, increased consumer choice, and expanded access for U.S. companies to the Japanese market.
“We applaud both governments for their efforts to improve the health care environment for the Japanese people,” said AdvaMed President and CEO Stephen J. Ubl. “We are pleased that the report recognizes the vital contributions that advanced medical technologies can make to Japan’s health care challenges.”
While Japan’s health care spending is the lowest among major industrialized nations, the Japanese health care system still faces great inefficiencies, with hospital stays that are over five times longer than those of other advanced nations. Bureaucratic delays and burdensome regulations have been driving up costs without improving health care quality. At the same time that costs have been increasing, Japan has been cutting reimbursement for innovative medical technologies through a system that focuses on products made mainly by non-Japanese companies. As a result, Japanese patients do not have access to the same innovative medical technologies as patients throughout the rest of the world.
Among the measures, Japan has agreed to study the impact of its complex regulatory and distribution systems on the cost of medical devices in Japan, and to consult with industry before making any changes in it rules for setting medical device reimbursement prices. Japan also committed to increase its efforts to speed the introduction of medical technology products through its approval system so that Japanese patients can benefit from these advanced treatments as quickly as possible.
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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