News release from CHI St. Joseph Health:
CHI St. Joseph Health hosted Congressman Bill Flores and representatives from GE Healthcare Thursday, as Congressman Flores was recognized by The Medical Imaging and Technology Alliance, the imaging industry’s trade association in Washington, DC. The organization honored Congressman Flores for his instrumental role in securing a two-year suspension of the medical device tax, enacted as part of the Affordable Care Act in 2010.
“Congressman Flores’ actions demonstrate his commitment to protecting our patients’ ability to access leading edge, life-saving technology,” said Rick Napper, President and CEO for CHI St. Joseph Health. “They also set an important standard for everyone in healthcare, as innovation remains a driving force behind our ability to deliver compassionate, patient-centered care. We look forward to a future of working closely with manufacturers such as GE to continue elevating and enhancing patient care.”
The steps he’s taken to promote innovation within the medical technology industry and improve patient care are beneficial to the Brazos Valley. CHI St. Joseph Health houses a GE Optima 660 128-slice CT Scan machine in our new Emergency & Trauma Center, one of the most innovative CT Scanners in our community. The machine allows physicians and clinicians in the Emergency & Trauma Center to quickly diagnose and treat patients for stroke and other traumas.
Rep. Bill Flores is a Republican member of Congress representing the 17th district of Texas since 2011. He is Chairman of the influential Republican Study Committee, a group representing the more conservative faction of the Republican party. Rep. Flores serves on the House Energy and Commerce Committee which has jurisdiction over certain aspects of Medicare, FDA, NIH, and U.S. public health.
The Medical Imaging & Technology Alliance (MITA) is the leading organization and collective voice of medical imaging equipment, radiation therapy and radiopharmaceutical manufacturers, innovators and product developers. It represents companies whose sales make up more than 90 percent of the global market for advanced imaging technologies.
