February
2, 2005
|
Vol.
8 No. 2
|
HHS LOOKS FOR WAYS TO SPEED INNOVATION
Increased collaboration is
at the heart of several recommendations made by HHS’ Medical Innovation Task Force to speed the development
and distribution of new medical technologies. The task force’s
report, requested by former HHS Secretary Tommy Thompson in May 2004,
includes five main recommendations. The five recommendations were chosen “because
they can be implemented relatively quickly without new legislation or
regulations,” the report authors write.
Under the new recommendations, the Food and Drug Administration
and the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services would work together
to review new technologies in parallel, as well as share information
on the safety and effectiveness of a device and analyze data on the
technologies after they are marketed. The task force also recommends
that HHS expand or establish new letters of agreement to coordinate
research and development strategies with other agencies such as the
National Science Foundation, the National Institute of Standards
and Technology and the National Institute of Disability and Rehabilitation
Research
Thompson said he was pleased
that the task force had looked beyond changes within HHS “to
initiate new efforts with other federal departments that also have
important roles to play in facilitating
the development of innovative medical technologies.”
The task force also suggested that HHS create a forum for investigators
and manufacturers to discuss regulatory and reimbursement issues
for their products with HHS agencies like NIH and CMS. The department
should also support efforts to standardize electronic clinical data
and to train more HHS technology transfer researchers, the report
authors say.
To read the full report from the task force, go here.
