Established in 1973, MEDEC is the national association representing Canada’s innovative medical technology (medtech) industry. Representing approximately 100 medtech companies (ranging from Canadian-owned to multinationals), MEDEC works closely with the federal and provincial-territorial governments, health professionals, patients and other stakeholders to deliver a patient-centred, safe, accessible, innovative and sustainable, universal healthcare system supported by the use of medical technology. MEDEC is governed by a Board of Directors representing the diverse perspectives and experiences of its members from across the country.

BENEFITS OF ALL MEMBERSHIP LEVELS

• Complimentary copy of the weekly e-Pulse newsletter and bulletins containing news and information on key industry issues, stakeholders, advocacy and other industry information
• Business solutions and members’ saving programs
• Significant discounts on MEDEC educational seminars and conferences
• Access to an industry Code of Conduct that guides ethical interactions with healthcare professionals
• Recognition of being part of recognized and respected association that represents a rich member mix of multinationals, manufacturers, distributors and small companies
• A Board of Directors who are actively involved and act as both guide and resource
• Consultation with knowledgeable and experienced professional staff on a wide range of industry issues
• The MEDEC Member Savings Program developed specifically to allow members to enjoy savings on business expenses, as well as benefits for your employees

EXCLUSIVE TO FULL MEMBERS

• Being part of a collective voice that provides for a stronger and more organized approach to advocacy and government
• Opportunities to contribute to industry-wide decisions on key issues
• Timely information services that provide early warning about regulatory and policy developments and offer skilled advice on how to deal with them
• Tools to advocate on industry issues with health system stakeholders, federal and provincial governments and the media
• Participation with sector specific groups and committees that are working together on industry relevant issues
• Opportunities to learn from and exchange ideas with leaders from across the healthcare industry
• Online access to the Canadian Medical Technologies Directory
• Shared access to research and results including the industry compensation survey, industry specific data and surveys, publications and reports
• Access to extensive resources on our Full Members-only website

Full Members

Applies to companies engaged in the manufacturing and/or distribution, marketing or development of equipment, devices and supplies in the medical, diagnostic and biotechnology sciences in Canada. Full members receive all benefits of membership, including voting privileges and eligibility to sit on the Board of Directors. Membership fees are based on prior year’s domestic sales.

Allied Members

Applies to consultants, associations, syndicates or institutions that provide goods and services to the medical device industry. Allied members receive some of the same benefits as full members excluding voting privileges and eligibility to sit on the Board of Directors. Employees of such members shall attend committee meetings by invitation only. Allied members pay an annual flat fee.

Associate Members

Applies to not-for-profit organization, academic and professional organizations, government departments and agencies which support the objectives of the association. Associate members receive some of the same benefits as full members excluding voting privileges and eligibility to sit on the Board of Directors. Employees of such members shall attend committee meetings by invitation only. Associate members pay an annual flat fee.

Emerging Medical Technology (EMT)

Applies to medical technology companies that are pre commercialized. EMT members receive some of the same benefits as full members excluding voting privileges and eligibility to sit on the Board of Directors. These companies may become Full Members at any time by subscribing to the Full Member Fee Structure. EMT members pay an annual flat fee.

Honourary Members

Applies to any individual whose participation in the affairs of the Association, has been or will be in the opinion of the Directors of significant benefit to the Association. Honourary members are by invitation only and maybe be conferred for a term of one year only, subject to renewal. Honourary members are excluded from voting at any meetings and eligibility to sit on the Board.

MEDEC’s Designated Lead Member (DLM) is the person assigned by each member company to be the primary contact or liaison between MEDEC and the member company. MEDEC is only able to accomplish our collective goals on behalf of our industry if we have active members and the DLM has a very important role in helping to ensure that our member companies are engaged.

• Intermediary between MEDEC and your company
• Main contact – when MEDEC doesn’t know who to go to at your company, we will contact you
• Voting privileges – DLM votes on items at the MEDEC Annual General Meeting (Full Members only )
• Communication – sharing MEDEC communications with appropriate staff at your company; share information about the industry with MEDEC
• Encourage employees to participate
• Review and renew annual membership
• Provide updates to MEDEC on changes at company
• Complete MEDEC surveys
• Usually sit on one or more MEDEC committees (Full Members and EMTs only )

Membership fees vary depending on the type of membership. If you would like more information, please contact membership

The MEDEC Board Committees are groups set up as an adjunct to the MEDEC Board to help stream line governance and connectivity of a particular set of responsibilities such as financials, revenues, nominations of board members, and executive decisions.

The MEDEC Strategic Imperative Committees were created to support the four (4) MEDEC Strategic Imperatives Supporting Canadian Innovation; Shaping the Canadian Environment; Promoting Strategic Procurement and Demonstrating the Value of Technology. The purpose of the Strategic Imperative Committees is to ensure that MEDEC’s overall objectives are in alignment with our strategic plan and action items.

The MEDEC Operational Committees are designed to ensure that an appropriate strategy, action plan and core communication are developed to support the objectives set by the Strategic Imperative Committees. Operational Committees develop strategies with a national focus.

The MEDEC Regional Committees were created to execute and regionalize the Operational Committee Plans. Regional Committees deal with issues and nuances specific to a province or region of Canada. Regional Committees may create sub-committees to address specific issues for the region.

The MEDEC Independent Task Forces deal with very specific Industry Hot Issues and have a well-defined start and finish. Independent Task Forces start because of a specific Issue facing the Industry and end when a pre-determined outcome or agreed-upon resolution is achieved. Independent Task Forces are sometimes also referred to as Issues Management Task Forces.

The MEDEC Sector Committees deal with issues specific to a particular medical technology sector. MEDEC Sector Committees include but are not limited to Cardiovascular, Diabetes, Diagnostics, Medical Imaging, Orthopedic and Wound Care.

The MEDEC General Committees are not specific to a particular sector or region but deal with topics internal to the Association. General Committees include the Bylaw Task Force, Code of Conduct and Human Resources

If you are a Full Member or an EMT, you are welcome to join any committee of interest to you. Allied members may be invited to join but it is not a privilege of membership.

Each committee has their own specific mandate. The frequency of meetings and calls are based on the mandate and the momentum of the issues they are working on. Joining a committee will require you to participate at the meetings. You have the opportunity to participate in person and /or by calling in.

If you are a full member or a EMT, you can select the committees that you are interested in participating via your profile. Once you have selected the committees, a MEDEC representative will get back to you confirming the request as well as details of the next meeting and minutes of previous meetings. You will then be added to the committee distribution list so you have access to committee communications.

No, MEDEC membership is an organizational membership. The members of your organization will have access to MEDEC membership as long as they are your employees.

You can apply for membership by clicking here and following the prompts. Once you have submitted your application, a MEDEC member will reach out to you. After the membership has been approved and membership dues received, you will receive members access.

Some information is available only to MEDEC full members and EMT members.

With the increased interest in accountability, MEDEC’s member companies (“Companies”) and MEDEC’s Board of Directors want to ensure that there are leading guidelines and standards specific to medical technology companies’ interactions with healthcare professionals. Collectively, our Companies and Board support adhering to ethical business practices and socially responsible industry conduct. Across the medical technology sector and others, attention is being given to codes of conduct or codes of ethics nationally and on a global scale. As many Canadian medical technology companies have head offices in the United States, interest for a “made in Canada” Code of Conduct was initially spurred by the launch of the AdvaMed (i.e. US Medical Technology Association www.advamed.org) Code of Ethics on interaction with healthcare professionals. Around the same time, in Europe, Eucomed (i.e. the European Medical Technology Association www.eucomed.be ) launched its Code of Business Practice. With a Canadian- derived approach, MEDEC initially launched its Code of Conduct alongside of these organizations in 2005.

No. The Code is intended to facilitate ethical behavior, and is not intended to be, nor should it be, construed as legal advice. It is not intended to define or create legal rights, standards or obligations. Companies have an independent responsibility to determine that their interactions with Healthcare Professionals comply with all applicable laws and regulations.

Each MEDEC committee is engaged in a variety of initiatives. Some of MEDEC’s overarching initiatives include working with governments and our healthcare partners to improve the procurement environment for medical technologies, working with Health Canada to ensure efficient and effective approvals processes, and increasing recognition of the value of medical technologies to both patients and the healthcare system.

The member savings program is a program whereby MEDEC negotiates rates with vendors to provide our members with added value of lower cost for services they might use. Some of the vendors that we are partnering with currently are:

• Equitable life
• Sound Insurance
• Grand and Toy
• Park n Fly
• Pragmatic
• E-Shipper
• Choice Hotel
• Avis

For MEDEC’s President and CEO call Debbie Gates at 416-641-2746

For Events or Committee related questions, call Katharine Ashford-Smith at 416-641-2754

For Media and Communications call Gerry Frenette at 416-641-2744

For Ontario Government Relations contact Nicole DeKort at 416-641-2741

For Western Canada Government Relations contact Robert Rauscher at 604-353-5233

For Quebec Government Relations contact Benoit Larose at 514-217-1167

For Membership contact Christina Rodrigues at 416-641-2745