WASHINGTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--May 9, 2005--On the heels of an internal report critical of the Food and Drug Administration’s post-market safety surveillance of medical devices--as well as its oversight of the manufacturers, themselves--hospital groups are urging the agency to act. They have appealed to the FDA to take swift action on a February 2004 pledge to investigate and ultimately pursue a regulation requiring the bar coding of medical devices. In an effort spear-headed by Premier, Inc., a national non-profit hospital alliance, seven organizations penned a letter to FDA Acting Commissioner Lester Crawford to inquire about the agency’s progress and intentions on this front. Signing on to the letter in addition to Premier were the American Hospital Association, the Association of American Medical Colleges, the Catholic Health Association, the Federation of American Hospitals, the National Association of Public Hospitals and Health Systems, and VHA.
