Newswise — (Washington, DC – April 26, 2018) The Medical Imaging & Technology Alliance (MITA) announced that it has formed a partnership with the Focused Ultrasound Foundation to raise awareness of focused ultrasound technology among policymakers, payers, and medical specialty societies.

"Recent developments in the field of focused ultrasound, deploying image-guided technology, are demonstrating the potential of this innovative technology to help treat a range of clinical conditions including cancer and functional disorders of the brain," said Patrick Hope, executive director of MITA. "The Focused Ultrasound Foundation partnership will strengthen our Working Group's voice as we further inform legislators on this cost effective method of treatment, advocate for reimbursement by public and private payers, and encourage incorporation of the technology into clinical guidelines."

"This partnership is an important step for the biomedical community in breaking down the silos that impede progress," said Mark Carol, Chief Executive Officer and President of Sonacare and Chairman of MITA's Focused Ultrasound Working Group. "Our work together will help create a culture of collaboration that will benefit patients, providers and manufacturers by accelerating the acceptance and adoption of therapeutic focused ultrasound."

"The Foundation's partnership with MITA will enable us to demonstrate the enormous potential of focused ultrasound to a wider group of decision makers," said Jessica Foley, chief scientific officer, Focused Ultrasound Foundation. "Our Working Group is eager to advocate for common goals related to commercialization and advance the field towards clinical adoption."

About Focused Ultrasound
Focused ultrasound is an early-stage noninvasive therapeutic technology that has the potential to transform the management of a variety of serious medical disorders. It is already being shown to be a cost-effective alternative or complement to surgery, radiation therapy, chemotherapy and immunotherapy for many clinical conditions.

About MITA
The Medical Imaging & Technology Alliance (MITA), a division of NEMA, is the collective voice of medical imaging equipment manufacturers, innovators and product developers. It represents companies whose sales comprise more than 90 percent of the global market for advanced medical imaging technology. For more information, visit 
www.medicalimaging.org. Follow MITA on Twitter @MITAToday.

About the Focused Ultrasound Foundation
The Focused Ultrasound Foundation was created to improve the lives of millions of people worldwide by accelerating the development of this noninvasive technology. It works to clear the path to global adoption by coordinating and funding research, fostering collaboration and building awareness among patients and professionals. The Foundation is dedicated to ensuring that focused ultrasound finds its place as a mainstream therapy for a range of conditions within years, not decades. Since its establishment in 2006, the Foundation has become the largest nongovernmental source of funding for focused ultrasound research. More information can be found at
www.fusfoundation.org.