Cost Saving Attribute Encourages The Medical Device Reprocessing Market

Reprocessing is a regulated activity for manufacturing the medical devices that are conducted by a third party or hospital.

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) requires third-party reprocessors to meet the same standards as originally manufactured single-use devices. Reprocessing is a common practice in the U.S. after the advent of “Honor Roll”, where hospitals were supposed to choose to reprocess single-use devices and 77% of Practice Greenhealth Award winners in 2010 chose to reprocess medical devices with a combined savings of over USD 10.8 million.

 “Superbug” is the antibiotic resistance that is said to be associated with drugs only while the medical device is equally responsible for it. Around 45% of hospitals had agreements with third-party reprocessing companies which increased to 70% in 2008 after the economic recession in the U.S.

The major driving factor for Medical Device Reprocessing market is the cost-saving attribute of reprocessed devices and solutions which is responsible for potential annual savings of USD 2 billion in U.S. health care system from reprocessing and repurchasing 2% of all medical devices and potential cost savings of almost 50% and annual savings of USD 213K by one health system from purchasing Medical Device Reprocessing while Stryker Sustainability Solutions works with hospitals that save over USD 1 million annually as a result of a reprocessing program.

How Could Global Medical Device Reprocessing Market address COVID-19 concern?

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is responsible for regulating medical devices used to diagnose, prevent and treat COVID-19, such as diagnostic tests, ventilators, and personal protective equipment (PPE)—including masks, face shields, respirators, gowns, and gloves.

The FDA is committed to ensuring that patients and health care providers have timely and continued access to high-quality diagnostic and therapeutic medical devices to respond effectively to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The FDA recognizes that the need for personal protection equipment, such as surgical masks, surgical and isolation gowns, surgical suits, and medical gloves may outpace the supply available to health care organizations during the COVID-19 pandemic. Further, the need for ventilators, ventilator accessories, and other respiratory devices may also outpace the supply available to health care facilities during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Another major use of medical devices is in vitro diagnostics test which is used during COVID 19 affected patients’ check-ups and treatments. Vitro Diagnostics are tests performed on samples taken from the human body, such as swabs of mucus from inside the nose or back of the throat or blood taken from a finger prick or drawn by a phlebotomist. Vitro diagnostics can detect diseases or other conditions and can be used to monitor a person’s overall health to help cure, treat, or prevent diseases. Patients, as well as their physicians, depending on the FDA to ensure that the medical devices in vitro diagnostics they use to make medical decisions are accurate, reliable, and clinically meaningful.