Medical device tax could affect long-term care supplies

A medical device excise tax scheduled to hit Jan. 1 is causing uncertainty among manufacturers and providers, a healthcare expert recently noted. The 2.3% tax will affect sales of Food & Drug Administration-approved devices that are used by a physician or in a physician's office. While types of devices affected by the tax include pacemakers and stents, it also can include surgical gloves or wheelchairs, which could mean complications for long-term care providers purchasing those items. It also could cause some companies making devices for the post-acute and acute sectors to slow down on their innovation, believes John McLean, the vice president and co-leader of the Life Sciences Practice at the executive search firm Witt/Kieffer.