Medtech: Shaping a New Era in Patient Care

During the last three decades, I have been fortunate to have a unique vantage point of the technological advances transforming patient care and healthcare systems around the world.

For the next two years, I am honored to serve as Chair of the Board of Directors for AdvaMed, the leading medical technology association representing device, diagnostics and digital technology companies. At the forefront of a medical revolution, AdvaMed and its members are shaping a future where advanced technologies transform healthcare. 

The last 100 years have delivered significant advances across our industry and improved the lives of patients and providers in ways that were previously incomprehensible. Today, our industry continues to evolve thanks to innovations like Artificial Intelligence (AI), Machine Learning (ML), cloud computing, drug and device combinations like theranostics, microtization, and robotics. We stand on the precipice of a medical technology revolution that has the potential to be more profound than anything in the last century. 

As Board Chair, working closely with AdvaMed’s leadership and our member companies, here’s how we will work together to achieve this future vision:

Building Trust, Accountability and Equity in AI

First, the convergence of digital technology, AI, and medical technology is accelerating and impacting almost every area of care today. Indeed, AI has the potential to help solve some of the industry’s most challenging problems, working behind-the-scenes to help clinicians and health systems streamline operations, reduce administrative burden, and improve patient experiences.

AI is not just a tool for efficiency—it’s a catalyst for ongoing improvement. AI allows for the iterative refinement of treatments based on real-world data, a continuous feedback loop, and ensuring patient care evolves with the latest medical guidelines. This approach transforms every patient interaction into an opportunity to learn and enhance healthcare delivery. 

As the adoption of AI becomes more ubiquitous, the industry needs to help build trust in technology with patients and providers who want assurances that it is accurate, fair, secure and responsible.

This means rigorously protecting patient data, ensuring informed consent, and making AI-driven decisions understandable. For example, we must continue to maintain strict data privacy and cyber security standards to protect patient information as a non-negotiable priority. This includes comprehensive governance around data access, cyber security protocols, and regular auditing to help ensure health information remains protected. 

We are committed to leading the way in developing responsible AI applications in healthcare, meeting the highest standards of security and efficacy. AI that’s developed and deployed responsibly can proliferate faster and more effectively, helping clinicians deliver quality care to patients everywhere. We will continue to work with the FDA to ensure a pragmatic regulatory framework for AI that meets the needs of today, and can also evolve and scale to keep pace with our industry’s rapid innovation. 

With judicious application and the appropriate guardrails, AI can be used with confidence to drive productivity for care providers, improve diagnostic confidence, and enhance the patient care experience. 

Enable Resilient Healthcare Systems and Increase Access to Medtech Innovation

Second, the COVID-era tested our industry’s resilience and underscored the need for a robust, globally interconnected supply chain. The CHIPS Act and the surrounding discussion highlighted how medtech, as a critical life-saving sector, relies on technologies like semiconductor chips. 

Resilient supply chains for semiconductor chips and countless other components are critical, and those must be global to best serve customers and patients in the United States and around the world. Therefore, we need to ensure policies reflect the more interconnected world we live in and encourage fair, open markets that make it easier to have a positive impact on patients globally.  

The medtech industry must also continue working with Congress and Medicare administrators to secure Medicare coverage of breakthrough medical technologies. This includes a continued focus on ensuring underserved populations have as much access to the latest lifesaving medical technologies that those on premium health plans. A predictable pathway to Medicare coverage would promote the continued innovation that’s the hallmark of medtech innovation. 

Celebrate and Embrace the Power of Medtech

As leaders in medtech, we’re not just advancing technology. We believe in “doing well, by doing good” and forging a future where healthcare is more effective, accessible and equitable for everyone.

I am continuously humbled by the progress that medical technology companies have made to improve provider and patient lives. This industry is defining the future of healthcare through smart devices, diagnostics, and digital solutions that can enable earlier and more precise diagnoses, targeted treatments, and improved patient outcomes.

What might have seemed futuristic only a few years ago is here, in our present. The digital interconnectivity of medical technologies, including the promise of AI to deliver solutions, contributes to a pivotal time in history to make profound and lasting changes in the delivery of care for patients. 

As I step into my role as Chair of the AdvaMed Board of Directors, I’m invigorated by the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead in this dynamic sector. 

Arduini, president and CEO of GE HealthCare, recently became chair of the AdvaMed Board of Directors for a two-year term.