A group of bipartisan lawmakers are pushing for better surveillance of medical devices to protect patients and save costs, according to KVUE.
Led by Rep. Lloyd Doggett, D-Texas, a group of lawmakers say failed medical devices have cost taxpayers billions and that a major contributing factor is a lack of data surrounding devices.
Medical devices weren't required to have unique device identifiers until 2013, according to KVUE, and still only 2.3 million medical devices have the markers.
"The FDA has taken years to roll out this system and it's not complete yet,” Mr. Doggett told KVUE.
A 2017 HHS report said that over a 10-year period, Medicare had to pay $1.5 billion to replace seven recalled heart devices and patients had to pay $140 million. A manufacturer of some of the devices was unable to say where 1,700 of the recalled devices were because they still did not have a unique identifier.
The lawmakers want to require unique identifiers on medical and insurance forms and require that hospitals report those identifiers to the FDA when surgery is required to remove a device. The unique identifiers already are required on medical and insurance forms for drugs and vaccines, according to KVUE.
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