From the August 2022 issue of HealthCare Business News magazine

The financial benefits of reprocessing have long been known in American healthcare. But with the new data, reprocessors can paint a picture of what the industry could deliver to the healthcare sector as a whole if more hospitals stepped up reprocessing to their fullest potential.

What about outside the US?
AMDR advocates for strong regulations for SUD reprocessing everywhere. Our members are proud to serve hospitals in 13 countries. But we know the industry could grow dramatically with more countries adopting strong regulatory frameworks based on the strong example set and success of reprocessing in existing countries.
Regulatory authorities in countries around the world could learn from the policies that already exist in the U.S., Canada, Japan, Israel, U.K., and much of Europe. That’s why AMDR created and issued the first ever “Global Regulatory Standards for ‘Single-Use’ Medical Device Reprocessing and Remanufacturing” document. It’s the bible of regulations, worldwide, that govern our industry.

Imagine the billions of dollars that could be saved each year through global expansion. Imagine the reductions in waste and greenhouse gas emissions. And imagine the increased reliability of healthcare supplies we achieve through reprocessing.

Before the pandemic, the reprocessing industry doubled in size every year for 20 years, according to our annual member survey. We are confident, given the threats imposed by COVID and climate change, that reprocessing’s trajectory is even greater now that we are in a more cost-, waste-, and emissions-conscious environment.

As impressive as reprocessing is today in terms of the financial and material savings it already achieves for hospitals, those achievements are dwarfed by the industry’s potential.

Governments and industries around the world have pledged to meet ambitious goals to come back from the pandemic greener, stronger, and more efficient. For the health sector to meet those goals, our deeper analysis proves there’s low-hanging fruit to be picked: we’re reprocessing only a small fraction of what we could be, throwing away money every time a reprocessable device is used once and tossed.

About the author: Daniel J. Vukelich, Esq., is the president of the Association of Medical Device Reprocessors

[Note: Readers interested in the Deeper Analysis Report for 2020 Data or the Global Standards document may write to dsheon@AMDR.org for more information.]

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