December, 2013

Different hospitals produce different results on different procedures. Only, patients don’t know that data, making choosing a surgeon a high-stakes guessing game. Stefan Larsson looks at what happens when doctors measure and share their outcomes on hip replacement surgery, for example, to see which techniques are proving the most effective. Could health care get better — and cheaper — if doctors learn from each other in a continuous feedback loop?

So, some might contend that the medtech industry was, in fact, the biggest loser of 2013. Taking a closer look at the events of the past 12 months, however, MD+DI has selected seven medtech companies, groups, and trends that took a substantial hit in some fashion in 2013.

Against an environment of constrained finances and the extensive reforms underway, this is a significant challenge for the NHS, however improving productivity and quality is key with trusts needing to deliver more ambitious cost improvement plans and at the same time drive efficiencies through radical service reconfiguration.