AdvaMed Appoints New VP of Government Affairs

The Advanced Medical Technology Association (AdvaMed) has expanded its executive ranks. The Washington, D.C.-based advocacy group has hired Riley Swinehart as vice president of government affairs.

“We’re pleased to welcome Riley to AdvaMed,” said J.C. Scott, senior executive vice president, government affairs. “The medical technology industry has no shortage of issues to address on Capitol Hill—from repeal of the medical device tax to FDA [U.S. Food and Drug Administration] oversight to payment reforms—and Riley’s deep government and healthcare experience will help the association advance its advocacy goals.”

Swinehart most recently served as minority staff director for the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (most often called HELP) Subcommittee on Children and Families on behalf of ranking member U.S. Sen. Mike Enzi (R-Wyo.), and prior to that served as a professional staff member for the full committee.

Previously, Swinehart was a health insurance specialist with the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), where he worked for former CMS Administrator Don Berwick and provided analyses on draft legislative proposals for the agency and healthcare reform legislation, among other duties.
Swinehart also served as a confidential assistant for the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services (HHS), representing the HHS secretary and assistant secretary for legislation in interactions with U.S. Congress on various healthcare issues. In addition, he was a staff assistant in the White House where he managed the office of the internal deputy assistant to the president for legislative affairs.

AdvaMed also named CVRx CEO Nadim Yared as chairman of its Emerging Growth Company Council (EGCC) board of directors for a two-year term. Yared has served on the EGCC board since its inception in 2012 and has been an active member of AdvaMed’s board of directors since 2011, representing the voice of smaller manufacturers.

According to AdvaMed, as the EGCC’s new chairman, Yared will focus on ensuring patient access to the innovative technologies the industry’s small companies develop by:

• Promoting tax policies that facilitate and encourage small-company investment and capital formation;
• Working to ensure that changes to the European Union’s Medical Device and In-Vitro Diagnostic Directives do not negatively impact EGCC companies, which often target the European Union for initial new product launches;
• Increasing small company interactions with FDA through the use of the EGCC U.S. Submission Tracker program, which aims to improve the quality of submissions and the submission process for both industry and the agency; and
• Addressing emerging challenges of small medical device manufacturers with physician ownership.

Overall, the cornerstone of the chairmanship will be increasing engagement of small companies. Yared succeeds Abiomed Chairman, President and CEO Michael R. Minogue, who served as inaugural chair of the EGCC board.

Minogue was instrumental in developing the first EGCC strategic plan, which calls for a culture of inclusivity that recognizes and values the diverse viewpoints of all AdvaMed members. In addition, he led efforts to establish the EGCC U.S. Submission Tracker program.

AdvaMed also announced the following new members of the EGCC Board: Randall Barko, president and CEO, Ximedica; Shawn P. Fojtik, CEO, Control Medical Technology; David L. Macdonald, CEO, Agendia; Todd M. Pope, president and CEO, TransEnterix; Ken Reali, president and CEO, Baxano Surgical; and John Russell, president and CEO, Corventis.