Use of Reprocessed Medical Devices Helps Reduce Healthcare Cost and Medical Waste Produced Due to Improper Disposal Practices

 

In the past decade or so, a booming industry within the field of medical device manufacturing and innovation has come to be known as "Reprocessed Medical Devices" For those unfamiliar with the industry term, "reprocessing" simply means any product that is prepared from scratch byproducts resulting from the decomposition of other medical equipment or waste products. This process not only can provide useful medical solutions to difficult-to-remove problems, but it also creates much economic value through recycling and reuse of products that would otherwise be disposed of.

Medical waste is not a new issue. In fact, it has been estimated that medical facilities generate millions of pounds of hazardous medical waste each year. Much of this waste is produced due to improper disposal practices by physicians, technicians, and hospital administrators. Devices such as medical centrifuges, medical lasers, and endoscopes can potentially cause contamination of non-medical waste materials such as syringes, skin test samples, and other biological materials. Additionally, these devices can result in contamination of other surfaces inside of medical facilities, as well as in the distribution of contaminated materials.

The U.S Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration offer a variety of guidance documents and online resources designed to assist companies in reprocessed medical devices. These helpful resources provide a wealth of information, including important information about federal laws such as the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act, and state regulations. While these federal and state resources to serve an important role for businesses involved in reprocessing of reusable medical devices, the real help comes from a third-party source: the information provided by leading industry associations representing leading medical device recyclers. The Association of Medical Device Reprocessors stated that reprocessing medical devices originally labeled for single use saved hospitals and surgery centers nearly US$ 500 million in 2018.