Here, we recap the seven most popular items posted to Qmed in the month of August. 1. The most popular item was posted towards the end of the month. Titled "Which U.S. State Is Best for Medical Device Companies?" the article drew from the opinions of medical device professionals on LinkedIn supplementing it with MPMN's own research on the subject, which we have performed for a decade. 2. The second-most popular item was a recap of summer layoffs in the medical device sector. That article was titled "Which Medtech Firms Had the Most Layoffs This Summer?"3. Next in line is an article on three medical device companies that are faring well so far in 2013. The list includes some surprising picks, like Mako Surgical whose stock had languished since April of this year, when it began a stead upward trajectory. 4. The fourth-most popular item was a story on rising engineering salaries, which now average over six figures. (In case you were wondering, the average medtech engineer's salary is $103,512 with a $10,240 bonus.)5. Readers were interested in a lawsuit in which a federal judge ordered Zimmer to pay $228 million to Stryker as part of a patent infringement case. 6. Earlier in the month, we recounted how The New York Times blamed orthopedic device makers for rising hip implant costs in the United States. In their corporate blog, Biomet's CEO weighed in on the issue, faulting the Times' article for its inaccuracy. 7. Readers seem to always be interested in the subject of medical device recalls, so it comes as little surprise that a recap of August recalls proved popular.