MTAA CEO unveils policy and advocacy focus for 2022

MedTech News: As we embark on a new year of transition and transformation, Medical Technology Association of Australia (MTAA) CEO Ian Burgess speaks to Health Industry Hub about the organisation’s policy and advocacy focus for the new year.

He reflects on several important issues within the sector including the current elective surgery backlog and delays that continue to impact not only patients and hospitals, but also the medtech sector. He discusses how the Prostheses List (PL) reforms have progressed, considering the first items from the General Miscellaneous Category are scheduled for removal in March 2022.

Mr Burgess also considers the most significant recommendations from The House of Reps Inquiry report The New Frontier: Delivering better health for all Australians and how the upcoming independent review of the Health Technology Assessment (HTA) will address the issues raised during this Inquiry.

Ian Burgess said “The medtech sector continues to face significant challenges because of COVID supply chain constraints, freight costs that are still exponentially higher than they were pre-COVID, higher cost of doing business because these constraints mean having to carry much more stock in the supply chain. The impact on our workforce, particularly with Omicron,…is an inefficient operational structure which adds to costs. RAT sourcing… and also managing the requests of hospitals that if the company rep goes to a different hospital each day, there’s a new RAT.

“It [medtech sector] has been under enormous pressure but our industry has flexed and innovated.”

In consideration of the key policy and advocacy focus, he added “We’ve had very good engagement with Minister Hunt and the Shadow Minster Butler throughout the last number of years. We would be looking forward to working with the new Health Minister, whoever that may be.

“A key priority for us this year continues to be the Prostheses List – to ensure that we have appropriate reforms that are implemented to maintain patient access, ensure clinical-doctor choice and also don’t decimate the medtech industry in the process…and further, ensure that we have a sustainable and growing medtech industry.

“In terms of broader issues, coming back to COVID, our focus on supply chain is in ensuring that we continue to build resilience in our supply chain…and nurturing Australian innovation in strengthening that supply chain.

He noted “There’s enormous innovation occurring [in connected/digital health], in terms of how medical devices interact and connect with each other as well as how they interact and connect with our health system and data. There is enormous change happening there and enormous opportunities for innovation. We need to make sure that the barriers to innovation and implementation are not there and that we facilitate and nurture them through the policy frameworks and various initiatives that can be put in place by government and other stakeholders.”