Quality and Regulatory Compliance Consulting | Blog

August 7, 2017
By Rita King
Company News

MethodSense Named Top 25 Life Science Technology Vendors

CIO Applications recognizes MethodSense as Top Life Science Technology Vendors Amidst technological innovations, regulatory changes, and increased reliance on patient-centric models, there seems to be a multitude of growth opportunities for life sciences companies. Life sciences undoubtedly remain one of the industries that see rapid technological evolution ahead of them. Even though life sciences has...

FDA Issues New List of 510(k) Exempt Medical Devices

New Class II 510(k) Exempt Medical Devices As part of the FDA’s movement to decrease regulatory burdens on the medical device industry, the agency published a list of more than 337 Class II product codes of 510(k) exempt medical devices (see the FDA’s Federal Register notice). The FDA has determined that assurance of safety and...

July 7, 2017
By Rita King
Company News

CV Magazine Names Regulatory Strategist Female CEO of the Year

Our CEO and Regulatory Strategist, Rita King, was recognized as Female CEO of the Year 2016 by CV Magazine. In addition to the award, CV Magazine conducted an in-depth interview with Rita to find out more about her success leading up to and in her current role at MethodSense. CV Magazine: Tell me about...

FDA to Create a Digital Health Unit

The FDA has announced that it is forming a digital health unit within the Center for Devices and Radiological Health (CDRH). The digital health unit will develop software and technical expertise to assist manufacturers with devices that incorporate digital health technologies, as well as assessing digital health improvements and monitoring and reporting on the digital...

10 Things You need to know about Human Factors Validation

As medical devices become more complex, the FDA will continue to place greater emphasis on ways to improve safety and effectiveness before products are commercialized. One relatively recent method is Human Factors Engineering, also known as Usability Engineering, which is used to identify and mitigate use errors. Of course, this can place additional burdens on...

February 21, 2017
By Rita King
IEC 62304, Life Science Software, Risk Management

Cybersecurity’s Impact on Health Systems

We are currently seeing significant technological advances in medical devices, hospital networks and patient care. As medical devices become increasingly interconnected via the Internet, hospital networks, other medical devices, and smartphones, there is an increased risk of exploitation of cybersecurity vulnerabilities, some of which could affect a device’s performance, functionality and safety to the patient....

How the 21st Century Cures Act Impacts Medical Device Software

There has been a lot of discussion surrounding medical device software and how it should be regulated. Concern about software of this nature will continue to rise to the forefront of conversations because there will be an increasing number of these products in the marketplace. The 21st Century Cures Act specifically addresses which types of...

December 14, 2016
By Rita King
FDA Compliance, Medical Devices

Obama Signs the 21st Century Cures Act into Law

21st Century Cures Act into law. Most of what people will be hearing from the media will be focused on the Act’s support of cancer research, mental health policies, brain research to tackle diseases like Alzheimer’s and the funding allocated for these initiatives. However, the 996-page bill also includes major changes that impact the way...

December 7, 2016
By Rita King
Human Factors, IEC 62366

Human Factors Engineering for Medical Devices

In February 2016, the FDA released a guidance entitled, “Applying Human Factors and Usability Engineering to Medical Devices.” The intention of this document, in combination with IEC 62366-1:2015 Part 1: Application of usability engineering to medical devices, is to maximize the safety and effectiveness of devices for intended users, use and use environments. Its purpose...

September 7, 2016
By Rita King
ISO 13485:2016, Medical Devices

Transitioning to ISO 13485:2016

In the event that you have not heard, ISO 13485 has undergone a major revision. As a quick recap, ISO 13485:2003 was overhauled by the technical committees in order to align more closely with regulatory requirements. The new version introduces a risk-based approach. This doesn’t mean that the traditional process approach has gone away, it...