Tuesday night during its quarterly meeting, the Southeastern Medical Device Association (SEMDA; Norcross, Georgia) unveiled its new logo and its new website, which is set to go live in the very near future.

SEMDA seems to be increasing its presence and that’s a good thing because it and other trade associations are going to play a very important role in helping med-tech companies traverse the healthcare landscape in the near future.

And med-tech companies are going to need it. The upcoming changes set to take place on the healthcare landscape are going to have a dramatic impact on med-tech companies and many will be seeking information and help.

Trade associations such as SEMDA are going to be the purveyors of that information and help funnel it through to their members. SEMDA did well to have Tom Novelli, VP of Government Relations for the Medical Device Manufacturers Association (MDMA; Washington) come down and speak to its members about what they can possibly expect once these new laws are in place.

There needs to be more of that on a regular basis, because when the changes hit those companies that are uninformed are going to be left in the lurch and probably facing some pretty hefty fines.

My point is, not necessarily to be a cheer leader for these trade associations but merely to say in a time where the landscape is changing, these organizations are going to find themselves inundated with questions from members.