2017 MDUFA Reauthorization Meetings Get Early Start

Judi Buckalew, BSN, MPH, CAE

Anticipating delays typically experienced during presidential elections, Congress and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) are starting the 2017 Medical Device User Fee Amendments (MDUFA) Reauthorization negotiations nearly 2 years ahead of schedule.

States Working to Dismantle Certificate of Need Laws

Manthan Bhatt

Few policies in health care are seen to be as anticompetitive as state-based certificate of need (CON) or certificate of public need (COPN) laws. COPN laws require new healthcare facilities to receive state regulatory approval before building or growing a facility or service. COPN laws were created as a way to limit new or existing healthcare facilities under the assumption held by some that excess capacity directly increases healthcare costs.

Second Look – Advocacy

These items originally appeared in AAOS Headline News Now, a thrice-weekly enewsletter that keeps AAOS members up to date on clinical, socioeconomic, and political issues, with links to more detailed information. Subscribe at www.aaos.org/news/news.asp (member login required) A report from the U.S.

The Importance of the 21st Century Cures Act

Alexandra E. Page, MD; Leslie Kim, MD; ; Joshua C. Patt, MD, MPH

On July 10, 2015, the U.S. House of Representatives approved the 21st Century Cures Act (HR 6). This act aims to help advance health care for the country through modernization and innovation. Areas addressed in the bill include the following: accelerating innovation increasing funding for the National Institutes of Health (NIH) modernizing the U.S.

Orthopaedic Surgeons Press Congress for Action

Catherine Boudreaux; Elizabeth Fassbender

More than 400 orthopaedic surgeons from around the country attended the 2016 National Orthopaedic Leadership Conference (NOLC), May 4–7, in Washington, D.C. The NOLC, which is open to members of the Board of Specialty Societies (BOS), Board of Councilors (BOC), AAOS Board of Directors, and Leadership Fellowship Program, as well as other invited guests, serves multiple purposes.