Greetings to all friends of reprocessing. As spring kicks into gear, I am reminded that when it rains, it pours! I am not only talking about the weather, but another quarter of exciting developments that underscore the important role that medical device reprocessors play in delivering more sustainable, less emitting and more resilient healthcare.

We saw another strong quarter of interest in reprocessing in the news media, beginning with a major article in Healthcare Purchasing News that dove deep into reprocessing, and featured AMDR Board Member Lars Thording. We contributed to an article advocating reprocessing in a major engineering publication for orthopedic devices – urging that devices be designed, from the beginning, for reuse or reprocessing. 

In addition to these big stories, we published articles in TechNation, Healthcare Digital Magazine and Medical Product Outsourcing, a LinkedIn post criticizing “forced obsolescence” practices by some original equipment manufacturers, and an interview with a French outlet (contact me if you would like a translation). This tempo of media coverage is indicative of a growing conversation around reprocessing.

I’m also honored to have been nominated for a prestigious award (please vote for me!), but the truth is that I am merely a stand-in for the wider efforts of all of our advocates, friends, staff and AMDR members who are working to build a greener, safer, stronger healthcare system.

When the IPCC sixth assessment report made headlines for its dire prognosis of climate change, I reflected that we in the reprocessing industry are not just moving things around at the margins of the problem, but are at the center of the overwhelmingly popular effort to decarbonize our societies. Research published earlier this month found that, for five common surgeries, two-thirds of the NHS’ carbon footprint comes from single-use items, while a master’s thesis from Delft University found that reprocessing “appears to be the best strategy” for designing a sustainable medtech industry.

The healthcare sector, as a whole, is clearly aware of the glaring environmental, economic, and social issues that it must confront. Healthcare staff – particularly younger workers – are beginning to pressure their employers to prioritize sustainability and are fighting for the right to repair medical devices, while regulators scramble to avoid critical device shortages. As this awareness grows, so too will recognition and appreciation of reprocessing as an easy, effective means of slashing costs, pollution, and fragility in healthcare supply chains.

In fact, it would seem that we may be approaching a “critical mass” among physicians in Europe. I had the pleasure of attending the 2023 European Heart Rhythm Association’s Congress in Barcelona just this week. Four sessions of the event discussed reprocessing extensively, the last of which was a debate between two doctors about the safety and efficacy of reprocessed devices. Mind you, this was a room full of doctors and scientists. After hearing all of the arguments and counter-arguments from each side, the audience was asked to vote on whether they support using reprocessed devices. By show of hands, virtually the entire audience said “yes.”

Looking forward to more progress in the days ahead.

Best Wishes,

Dan Vukelich, Esq., CAE
President & CEO
Association of Medical Device Reprocessors
www.amdr.org