December 2022

MDIC’s new report surveys the role of 5G connectivity in current and future states of the healthcare continuum of care.  The report highlights key challenges and knowledge gaps to help deliver the benefits of 5G in healthcare more safely to patients.

ARLINGTON, Va. – The Medical Device Innovation Consortium (MDIC), has released the Landscape Analysis of 5G in Healthcare report. This report, accompanied by a one-page overview on 5G Security Enhancements, details the role of 5G connectivity in the future state of medical devices utilizing the technology that will contribute to the continuity of care.

The report developed by MDIC’s 5G–Enabled Health Technologies Working Group highlights key challenges and knowledge gaps to deliver the benefits of 5G in healthcare more safely to patients. This report was championed by MDIC 5G Working Group members Dr. Omar Al-Kalaa, PhD, Staff Fellow FDA; Inhel Rekik, MS, CISM, Sr. Director, Product Security, Bracco Medical Technologies; and Mark Wehde, Chair, Mayo Clinic Engineering, Mayo Clinic, with contributions from experts in the sector.

The MDIC 5G–Enabled Health Technologies Working Group is comprised of leading experts from the FDA, United States Department of Veterans Affairs, academia, medical device industry, telecommunications sector, standards development organizations, and chipset and network equipment manufacturers. For this report, they convened to develop a better understanding of how 5G can improve patient safety across the entire continuum of care – from prevention through diagnosis, treatment, post-treatment monitoring, and beyond.

Key topics covered in the report include:

5G-enabled simulation with extended reality (XR)
5G-enabled robotics, remote surgical robots
Mobile units, remote care, and telemedicine
Supply chain and cost
Network coverage
Ongoing QoS monitoring
Communication Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)
Lack of evaluation methods for device functions enabled by 5G
Roles, responsibilities and service level agreements
Electromagnetic environment and wireless coexistence
5G cybersecurity and privacy considerations.

“MDIC convened over 150 global subject matter experts from various stakeholder groups to establish the common understandings of the technical and operational requirements for
5G-enabled devices, which in turn contribute to the safety and effectiveness of the device as well as accelerating patient access to this technology,” said Jithesh Veetil, PhD, Senior Program Director, Digital Health & Technology, MDIC.

Advances in wireless technologies can contribute to continued technical advancements in healthcare delivery.  In this rapidly evolving environment, technology moves quickly, especially with a healthcare model moving to more remote, virtual care of patients. 5G plays a significant role in this care evolution.

“It was a truly rewarding experience to work with subject matter experts from around the globe through MDIC on the 5G landscape analysis. 5G technology will enable advanced home healthcare as well as allow hospitals including those in rural areas to provide cutting edge procedures and therefore narrowing health disparities among less favored communities while allowing them access to their highest level of care,” said Inhel Rekik.

“5G in healthcare advancements are accelerating device innovation and will allow us to treat, diagnose, and track patient health anywhere the patient is. Health management solutions that aren’t tied to a physical location such as a hospital, clinic, or home will fundamentally change how we provide healthcare, who provides healthcare, and most importantly, it will democratize who has access to healthcare. The two publications from MDIC will be excellent resources for anyone interested to learn more about 5G in healthcare,” said Mark Wehde.

In addition to Landscape Analysis of 5G in Healthcare and MDIC 5G Working Group released “5G Communication in Healthcare: Background, Landscape, and Use Cases Webinar” in August 2022. A collection of MDIC resources across the total product lifecycle of medical devices that highlights the dynamic and evolving technology advancements in healthcare is available in the online Resource Library.

About MDIC

The Medical Device Innovation Consortium (MDIC) is a public-private partnership that brings together representatives of the FDA, NIH, CMS, NIST, and other agencies, industry, non-profits, and patient advocacy organizations to improve the processes for development, assessment, and review of new medical technologies.

MDIC coordinates the development of methods, tools, and resources used in managing the total product life cycle of a medical device to improve patient access to cutting-edge medical technology.

We are driving faster, safer, and more cost-effective innovation for patient benefit.

Contact

Todd West
twest@mdic.org
202-684-8371

ARLINGTON, VA (BUSINESS WIRE)—The Health Economics and Patient Value (HEPV) initiative at the Medical Device Innovation Consortium (MDIC) has released the white paper, How Can Patient Preference Information Be Used in Payer Coverage Decisions and Health Technology Assessment?

As patients become more engaged with their care, healthcare stakeholders want to understand how to better incorporate patients’ wants and needs into their own processes. In the development of this technical paper, MDIC set out to understand how to incorporate patient preference information (PPI) in coverage decision making by payers and health technology assessment (HTA) organizations. It is the first MDIC resource focused specifically on awareness of patient preference and methods as a tool for payers and the medical device industry.

This MDIC initiative seeks to encourage the use of patient preference information by clarifying the standards and role of generating this data and presenting it in a more consistent, systematic format. “This report can serve as a resource for payers and health technology assessment organizations’ decision-making process. This is especially true for patients with diseases associated with shortened lifespans, high-cost impact, serious complications, and those with unmet medical needs,” said Harry Kotlarz, Assistant Vice President of Health Economics and Patient Value at MDIC.

MDIC sponsored a series of interviews with representatives from seven organizations including the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), commercial payers, integrated delivery networks, and health technology assessment organizations. A Working Group comprised of 18 members from the medical device industry, patient organizations, and regulatory agencies provided input for the interview questions.

“This report confirms that payers want to hear a diverse and representative patient perspective. Quantitative analyses of patients’ preferences, when done right, can fill an important evidence gap for payers.” Barry Liden, Director of Public Policy at USC Schaeffer Center, and former Working Group leader.

The report highlighted how patient preferences and conventional clinical outcomes assessment must be integrated to provide robust means of evaluating what will be more acceptable to patients and increase the likelihood of favorable outcomes. This white paper helps guide firms to benchmark, select, and structure a roadmap aligned with their company’s business and technical priorities.

About MDIC
The Medical Device Innovation Consortium (MDIC) is a public-private partnership that brings together representatives of the FDA, NIH, CMS, NIST, and other agencies, industry, non-profits, and patient advocacy organizations to improve the processes for development, assessment, and review of new medical technologies.

MDIC coordinates the development of methods, tools, and resources used in managing the total product life cycle of a medical device to improve patient access to cutting-edge medical technology.

We are driving faster, safer, and more cost-effective innovation for patient benefit.

Contact
Todd West
twest@mdic.org
202-684-8371

MDIC Publishes First Landscape Analysis of 5G in Healthcare

MDIC Publishes White Paper on Using Patient Preference Information for Coverage Decision Making