AdvaMed® in Action: When Alliances Put Patients First

When you work in government affairs, it can be easy to spend a lot of time talking about policies, legislation and regulations. But behind every one of those conversations is a patient waiting for an answer, a treatment or a technology that can make a difference in their life. 

That is what keeps me focused on building strong relationships across our industry and with the people we ultimately serve. Patient advocates, medtech companies, state associations and policy leaders each bring a different perspective to the table. When we bring those voices together, we have a better opportunity to understand what patients need and turn that understanding into meaningful action. 

That spirit of collaboration will be everywhere at The MedTech Conference this October in Boston — and I’m looking forward to seeing it in action. 

Q: Why are alliances so important to advancing patient access? 

A: Because the people closest to a health care challenge often have the clearest view of what needs to change. 

Patient advocacy organizations bring the lived experience of patients and families. Medtech companies bring an understanding of the technologies that can address unmet needs. Our state partners understand what is happening in their communities and with policymakers back home. When those perspectives come together, we can make a stronger case for policies that help patients access the care and technology they need. 

Our work with patient advocates around access to Alzheimer’s blood-based diagnostics is one example. AdvaMed worked alongside patient advocacy partners to help policymakers understand why sustainable Medicare reimbursement matters for patients. When Medicare reimbursement expanded, it created a pathway for more patients to access these important diagnostic tools. That is what patient-centered advocacy looks like: bringing the right voices together around a real access challenge. 

Q: How is that same approach showing up at the state level? 

A: Across the country, we are working with patient organizations and our State Medtech Alliance partners on policies that directly affect access and patient safety. 

Our 2026 Patients First Agenda focuses on policies that can improve access to medical technology, accurate diagnostic testing and safe and effective treatments. And our state partners are critical to advancing that work because they understand the unique needs and policy environments in their communities. 

That is why the State Medtech Alliance, or SMTA, is so important. It brings state and regional associations together to share best practices, promote the industry and advocate for policies that support innovation. 

At #MTC26, we will have the opportunity to bring that community together again — connecting the national conversation with the people doing this work every day at the state and regional level. 

Q: Where will attendees see this spirit of collaboration at #MTC26? 

A:  The patient experience is woven throughout the fabric of the MedTech Conference – with the Patient Pavilion as the hub.This patient-focused area of the exhibit hallcarries patient stories throughout the week — giving attendees the opportunity to meet the people whose lives have been changed by medical technology. 

Like Brittany, who could finally get answers for years of exhaustion, a diagnosis of severe sleep apnea helped explain what she had been experiencing — and treatment helped her regain her energy, confidence and independence. 

For patients like her, medical technology is not simply a device, diagnostic or treatment. It can mean getting answers. Getting back to work. Moving more freely. Spending more time with family. And getting back to the life they want to live. 

That is what makes the Patient Pavilion so powerful. Across stories from Abbott, BD, Dexcom, Edwards Lifesciences, Insulet, Medtronic, Philips, Resmed, Siemens Healthineers, Smith+Nephew, Stryker, Solventum, Vantive and other medtech companies, patients will share what happened when the right technology met the right moment in their lives. 

We will hear from patients whose lives have been touched by technologies ranging from diagnostics and imaging to devices that help restore mobility and independence. And attendees will have the opportunity to see some of those innovations up close, including Philips’ portable MRI technology. 

These are the stories that put everything else we do into perspective. Behind every policy conversation, reimbursement decision and technology breakthrough is a person — and a family — waiting for access to the technology that can change what is possible. 

Q: What other new opportunities for connection are you looking forward to? 

A: We are also creating new opportunities for leaders across the industry to connect around the issues most important to them. 

For the first time, #MTC26 will host a dedicated gathering for chief medical officers. CMOs sit at a unique intersection of clinical care, innovation and patient needs, and bringing these leaders together creates an opportunity to share perspectives and build relationships around the challenges and opportunities facing our industry. 

If you are part of an AdvaMed member company and serve as a CMO, I encourage you to RSVP and join us. It is exactly the kind of focused connection that makes this conference valuable — putting people with shared responsibilities and shared goals in the same room. 

Q: What are you most looking forward to at #MTC26? 

A: Connecting with the people throughout the medtech ecosystem. 

The best part of this work is bringing people together who care deeply about improving health care and giving them the opportunity to find common ground. 

I am looking forward to seeing patient advocates, state medtech leaders, CMOs, innovators, policy leaders and industry partners in the same place — sharing ideas, building relationships and finding new ways to work together. 

Because when we build stronger alliances, we build a stronger voice for patients. 

And that is when medtech is truly in action.