In our "Up Front" column in the April issue, we discussed the new device tax included in the new health care reform bill and what it might mean to the industry. “Section 9009; Imposition of Annual Fee on Medical Device Manufacturers and Importers,” provides for a 2.3% excise tax to begin in 2013.

G. Wayne Moore, BSc, MBA, FASE, president, advanced development group and chief strategy officer of Unisyn Medical Technologies, said:  “The new 2.3% tax will put additional pressure on innovation, as the base cost to bring new novel medical products to market will increase,” Moore said. “Some companies, such as Medtronic, have already indicated that the new tax will cause them to lay off some employees as well as throttle back on advanced research and development initiatives.”

What do you think about this? If you work for a device company, have any changes been discussed in light of the new bill? Click on the comment tab and let us know your thoughts.

If you’ve been spending time on the Internet the past few years, you’ve likely run up against the growing influence of social media sites like Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn to help manage our ever-growing personal and professional lives. More recently, however, these same sites are now allowing biomeds to bring their once isolated profession into greater connectivity.

Specifically, biomed associations like the Intermountain Clinical Instrumentation Society are using interactive sites such as Yahoo to reach out to members about association activities.

Social networking can even give biomeds a single source from which to keep abreast of industry changes. Currently, the FDA/CDRH, AAMI, and even The Joint Commission all provide updates to followers on Twitter.

Recently, we’ve even been hearing about how social networking is being used to help job seekers connect with employers, and vice-versa.

24x7 (not surprisingly on both Facebook and Twitter) is interested in how you’ve used social networking in your job or association. Has it helped busy biomeds save time? Leave a comment and share.

What are you doing to mark National Biomedical/Clinical Engineering Week? Celebrated May 23 through 29 it is the perfect opportunity to showcase your department within the hospital and your profession within the community.

What have you done in the past that has worked to get the word out? Did you set up a booth in the hospital lobby? Put a notice in your hospital’s newsletter? Help your colleagues spread the word about the industry by sharing your ideas. We look forward to your comments.

In early April we posted a blog on behalf of Biomed Don Hang who works in a clinical engineering department in Ohio. He was interested in your suggestions about some design ideas he had. Once again on his behalf we invite your input.

Don says he thinks that, “Utilizing ground chains or ground brush wheels would help so that larger instruments (like anesthesia, neonate/infant incubators, warmers, etc) do not pick up static charge—which I have always felt probably does not help the electronics and definitely does not make the technician on the receiving end of static shock any more comfortable.”

What do you think? Any suggestions on how to implement this? Click on the comment link and let Don know how to accomplish this. Thanks!