Knowing the Policies
BY LAING RIKKERS, JUNE 16, 2005
We think reimbursement and regulatory issues are critical in orthopedics. On June 30th, John McCormick and I will be attending the SG Cowen and ISI Health Care Policy conference in Washington D.C.
It looks like a great set of speakers on topics ranging from FDA and Medicaid & Medicare updates, to gainsharing and specialty hospital policy.
The subject of most interest to us is "The MedTech Industry, Payers and Hospitals: Whose Gains are they Sharing?" It should be a lively presentation hosted by Rep. Pete Stark (D-CA), best known for the Stark laws that restrict doctors from referring Medicare patients for services in which they have a financial interest; Joanne Goodroe, a healthcare consultant; and healthcare attorney Gadi Weinreich. Since the impact of gainsharing on the orthopedic sector isn't clear yet, getting their perspectives on the direction things are heading is invaluable.
We'll post our learnings and opinions about what is said with you immediately following the conference. Sign up for our weekly email if you want to get an alert afterwards.
If you are planning to attend, please let us know and we would be happy to share a table during a coffee break. Finally, our Orthopedics Reimbursement 2005 report is a great a primer on the subject, so we encourage you to buy a copy if you can't make it to D.C.!
