The document provides unemployment rates for September 2012: - The national unemployment rate was 7.8% - For those with a bachelors degree or higher aged 25 and over, the unemployment rate was 4.1% - For management, business and financial occupations, the unemployment rate was 3.5%, down 1% from the previous month.

1. Bureau of Labor Statistics October 5, 2012
Unemployment rates
National 7.8%
Bachelors degree and higher, 25 & over 4.1%
Management, business and financial: 3.5%*
*Down 1% from September, 2012.
News You Can Use
A new study published in the Journal of the American College of Radiology shows a 21 percent plunge in spending
on diagnostic imaging by Medicare Part B from 2006 to 2010 — from $11.91 billion to $9.46
billion.KaiserHealthNews, 9/12/12.
Clinical decision support will be the highest priority for hospital IT leaders – particularly in those developing
accountable care organizations – over the next 12 months. Just 16 percent of hospital leader respondents said their
facilities have the CDS tools needed for accountable care. FierceHealthIT, 8/1/12.
Officials in Republican-led states are quietly designing health insurance exchanges — one of the most essential
and controversial requirements of the law. They are also working to have a framework ready by Nov. 16, the deadline
for states to commit to running an exchange or leave it to the federal government to run it for them. That is just 10 days
after Election Day, which is likely to decide the future of the law. INS InsideInsuranceNews, 9/2012.
ACA news: Theprimary justification for the 2.3% excise tax on medical device sales is the expectation of an
increase in volume (windfall) of newly insured patients for med device companies.
Medical Device Average Age
Implantable cardiac defibrillators 60’s
Cardiac stents 62
Knee implants 64
Heart valves 70
Hip replacements 75
80% of uninsured patients are under age 45, with 88% under age 55. Only 2% are over 65.

2. Did You Know
Sciences and biotechnology company Danaher will acquire IRIS International, Inc.,which will become part of
Danaher's Beckman Coulterbrand of laboratory and testing equipment. Dail-e News, 9/18/12.
McKesson Corp. has signed a definitive agreement to acquire population and risk-management tool company
MedVentivefor undisclosed terms.ModernHealthcare.com, 9/25/12.
Months after announcing plans to seek a serious capital infusion, Japan's Olympus reports that Sony is investing
enough to become its largest (10%) shareholder.FierceMedical Devices, 9/25/12.
Covidienis planning a spinoff of its pharma unit, Mallinckrodt. In preparation, Mallinckrodt has agreed to buy the
privately held drugmaker CNS Therapeutics. FiercePharma, 9/25/12.
Mainstay Medical is developing a "pacemaker for the back" to treat chronic lower back pain, and the company
now has $20 million in its coffers to fund the project thanks to an over-subscribed financing round.
FierceMedicalDevices, 9/26/12.
Web Buzz
Medical device companies: Who Spends the Most on R & D?http://bit.ly/SIin6a, MassDevice, 8/14/12.
Rising U.S obesity drives new suites of medical devices.http://bit.ly/NOMMCh, MassDevice, 9/21/12.
Medicare to Penalize 2,211 Hospitals for Excess Readmissions.http://bit.ly/NkCFFa, KaiserHealthNews, 9/13/12.
Cost Pressures, Device Tax to Buoy Medical Tech Deals.http://reut.rs/OlxIgx, Reuters, 9/5/12.
Health Plan Open Season Brings Rising Premiums And More Expensive Dependent
Coverage.http://bit.ly/SjwCgw, KaiserHealthNews, 9/24/12.