Summer 2024 Newsletter

NEWS FROM DAN

Greetings to all friends of sustainable healthcare! As another summer of unprecedented heat unfolds, we reflect on the urgency of decarbonization in our sector – and are given hope by another quarter filled with significant advancements in the medical device reprocessing industry. The stories from this quarter highlight our role as part of the solution to the climate crisis, as we progress towards a more sustainable, efficient, and resilient healthcare system.

In Landmark Step, France Prepares Reprocessing Experiment

In a groundbreaking and welcome move, the French National Assembly has taken a pivotal step towards the ecological transition of its health system. Last year, as we reported, they authorized an experiment to evaluate the safety and viability of medical device reprocessing (referred to as “remanufacturing” in Europe), which is currently prohibited in France.

Now, researchers with the French General Inspectorates of Social Affairs and the Environment and Sustainable Development have released a report outlining a roadmap for this experiment, leveraging AMDR data and identifying AMDR member Vanguard as a key partner in the project. This major shift in policy could open one of the largest European markets to reprocessors and pave the way for a sustainable French healthcare sector in the process.

Georgetown-Affiliated Research Center Advocates Reprocessing – and Criticizes VHA Prohibition

This recent report by the Georgetown Climate Center concurs with the established body of research underscoring the critical role of medical device reprocessing in decarbonizing healthcare supply chains. Although this itself is welcome news, the report takes an additional step: it condemns the Veterans Health Administration’s policy against reprocessed “single-use” medical devices and calls for a change to allow U.S. veterans to benefit from the considerable economic and environmental advantages of these devices.

As FDA-regulated products, reprocessed devices are safe, effective, and essential for a greener healthcare system. Yet, the VHA remains the only U.S.-based health system to maintain such a policy prohibiting their use. AMDR has long sought engagement with the VHA on this issue, and the emergence of a new report dealing with it specifically is a welcome addition to our toolkit.

Backed by Comprehensive Case Study, NYU-Affiliated Research Center Releases Innovative Reprocessing Cost Savings Calculator

The New York University Stern Center for Sustainable Business has launched the “Reprocessing Monetization Tool,” an innovative calculator that measures the cost savings achievable through using reprocessed devices. But for this tool, “cost savings” go well beyond the metrics typically associated with reprocessing – procurement and waste disposal costs – but measures the financial costs associated with carbon emissions. Pegging these to various financial metrics such as the costs of carbon offsets, this represents an unprecedented step forward for health systems hoping to measure the financial impact of their carbon footprints.

Healthcare stakeholders often need to prioritize the immediate term, “bottom-line” concerns over sustainability issues that may seem more abstract, so by translating environmental impacts into financial impacts, this tool makes sustainability more accessible and actionable. Combined with our own free carbon calculator, it has never been easier for health systems to determine just how much they cost themselves and the planet by continuing to rely on non-reprocessed, disposable, “single-use” products. More information about the “Reprocessing Monetization Tool” can be found in a comprehensive case study, which further highlighted the substantial and environmental benefits possible through reprocessing.

Each of these stories underscores the vital contributions of medical device reprocessing to building a more sustainable and resilient healthcare system. Moreover, as we seem to note every quarter, they reflect an increasing awareness of these contributions to the wider healthcare, academic, and regulatory communities. With many of these stories citing AMDR or AMDR member data to reach these milestones, we remain committed, as the flag-bearers of this industry, to continue raising the awareness that plays such a key role in driving this progress forward.

Thank you for joining us in this effort!

Best Wishes,

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

NHS Cambridge University Hospitals: New partnership aims to accelerate the path to more sustainable healthcare
July 17, 2024
Five NHS trusts, including Cambridge University Hospitals (CUH), have formed the Circular Economy Healthcare Alliance to promote sustainability in healthcare. Led by Professor Mahmood Bhutta, the alliance aims to minimize medical waste by reducing single-use items and adopting reusable alternatives where safe. The initiative focuses on eliminating unnecessary items, using reusable products, and ensuring the remanufacturing or recycling of end-of-life items. CUH’s commitment to a circular economy reflects in their procurement process, emphasizing less waste and more reuse. The alliance encourages other NHS trusts to join in supporting the NHS’s goal of achieving net zero by 2045.

MedCity News: Medical Device Recycling Programs Are Manufacturer Money-Grabs Disguised as Sustainability Initiatives
July 10, 2024
Medical device recycling programs, presented by manufacturers as sustainability initiatives, primarily serve to boost their own profits at the expense of hospitals and the environment. While recycling breaks devices down into parts, often not all can be recycled, leading to high energy consumption and environmental impact. In contrast, reuse and reprocessing programs are more cost-effective and environmentally friendly, reducing carbon emissions and maintaining supply chain resilience. Despite this, manufacturers push recycling to increase sales of new devices, resulting in higher costs for hospitals and greater environmental harm. Physicians are increasingly advocating for sustainable solutions, but manufacturers need to align their practices with these goals for genuine progress.

The Commonwealth Fund: The Time Is Now: How U.S. Health Plans Can Reduce Greenhouse Gas Emissions to Save the Planet and Better Serve Patients
July 9, 2024
Reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions is a critical part of improving the quality, safety, and equity of care. Because health plans wield enormous financial and policy influence, they are crucial to efforts to drive positive change. Health plans design policies, determine benefits and coverage, negotiate costs, and have the power to incentivize environmentally sustainable practices. Indeed, by focusing on waste reduction and energy savings, health plans can reduce operational costs, improve health outcomes, and contribute to a healthier planet.

Health Care Business News: See something, say something: U.S. govt. wants your input to create a fairer playing field for healthcare purchasing
July 1, 2024
The Biden Administration has declared a broad campaign against corporate greed in healthcare. Beyond just the necessary struggle against high prescription drug costs, this must necessarily address anti-competitive business practices of some medical device manufacturers to restrict the use of FDA-regulated, reprocessed single-use devices (SUDS). Following a March 2024 announcement, the FTC, DOJ, and HHS launched an online portal to report such practices in the health sector. This initiative aims to expose and combat tactics like kickbacks and equipment chipping that hinder hospitals’ use reprocessed products, which significantly cut costs, waste, and CO2 emissions. The government seeks detailed accounts from providers, purchasers, and sustainability managers to address these unfair practices, and AMDR urges our members and readers to speak up about any such practices that you, your colleagues, or your customers have witnessed.

NYU Stern Center for Sustainable Business: Healthcare Delivery Systems Decarbonization Framework – Reprocessing Monetization Tool
July 2024
Last year, we celebrated the NYU Stern Center for Sustainable Business’ (CSB) Healthcare Delivery Systems Decarbonization Framework, which relied on AMDR sources to recommend reprocessing and suggest best practices. Now, the CSB’s new “Reprocessing Monetization Tool” brings this to its logical conclusion, as they released an innovative calculator allowing health systems to measure the cost savings possible through reprocessing to an unprecedented degree. Inputting numbers of devices reprocessed at the user’s facility, the calculator returns savings from diverted devices and waste disposal costs. But it goes much further, actually calculating the dollar amount saved in carbon emissions by pegging these to the costs of carbon offsets and other common means of quantifying carbon monetarily. Combined with our own carbon calculator, it has never been easier for health systems to realize and magnify the benefits of reprocessing like never before – down to the dollars, cents, and pounds of carbon.

Gastroenterology & Endoscopy News: Endoscopy Procedures Are Incredibly Wasteful—They Don’t Have to Be
June 27, 2024
Endoscopy procedures are highly wasteful, but experts believe immediate steps can be taken to reduce their environmental impact without compromising patient safety. A study found that endoscopy units generate significant waste, much of which could be recyclable. Reducing disposable components and implementing recycling can drastically cut waste. Additionally, the federal government is proposing new regulations to track and reduce healthcare emissions. Experts suggest collaborative efforts between manufacturers and healthcare providers to develop more sustainable equipment and practices, emphasizing that even small reductions in waste can have significant impacts.

Victoria State Government: Medical remanufacturing facility boosting Victoria’s circular economy
June 20, 2024
Medsalv’s new Geelong facility, backed by the Victorian Government, is set to revolutionize end-of-life handling of medical devices by remanufacturing single-use devices locally, creating 49 jobs and prioritizing employment for those facing barriers. Situated in Deakin University’s ManuFutures, this initiative will collaborate with advanced manufacturing experts to expand its portfolio, reducing landfill waste and advancing sustainable healthcare solutions.

AMDR Action Alert: Your Voice Matters – Hospital Purchasing Representatives Encouraged to Report Anticompetitive SUD Purchasing Contracts and Related Behavior
June 18, 2024
AMDR continues to encourage hospital representatives to to report anticompetitive business practices in the medtech sector via a new online portal launched by the Biden Administration, FTC, DOJ, and HHS. This initiative targets corporate greed in healthcare, aiming to cut bloated costs, reduce waste, and enhance resilience by exposing unfair practices by original equipment manufacturers. These anticompetitive practices – including prohibitive contract language, software and hardware features that disable reprocessed devices and price gouging – undermine cost- and carbon-cutting reprocessing programs. We urge health systems to anonymously report these issues, contributing to a fairer, more sustainable healthcare system.

Diagnostic and Interventional Cardiology: HRS 2024: Innovation Meets Reality – A Review of the 2024 Heart Rhythm Society Conference
June 11, 2024
The Heart Rhythm Society’s annual conference showcased the latest advancements in electrophysiology, with Pulsed Field Ablation (PFA) systems taking center stage. Despite the excitement around PFA’s potential to revolutionize AFib treatment with shorter procedures and reduced arrhythmia burden, its high costs raise questions about necessity and efficiency. Alongside the buzz, emerging technologies like AI-powered remote monitoring and 4D intracardiac echocardiography promise enhanced patient care. However, the real challenge lies in balancing innovation with financial and environmental sustainability, urging a pragmatic approach to adopting new technologies.

Med Device Online: Balancing Sustainability With Patient Safety In Medical Device Design
June 3, 2024
Medical device manufacturers are facing increasing pressure to balance safety and effectiveness with sustainability, driven by regulatory requirements and consumer demand. The EU MDR and IVDR regulations now incorporate environmental considerations throughout the medical device lifecycle, emphasizing proper disposal and recycling. Directives like WEEE, RoHS, and REACH mandate responsible management of hazardous substances and electronic waste. Despite challenges, such as the complex logistics of reusable devices, sustainable design practices are essential. Manufacturers are urged to integrate sustainability from the outset, as failing to do so could risk regulatory rejection and market competitiveness. The industry must prioritize sustainable innovations without compromising patient safety.

Medical Device Network: Medical device companies warned that ignoring climate change could spell disaster
May 24, 2024
Representatives from the WHO and the European Commission warned the medical device industry to address its carbon footprint at the MedTech Forum 2024 in Vienna. As climate change leads to hotter summers and adverse weather, the industry must prepare for increased patient surges due to heat-related conditions. Highlighting the European heat waves of 2022, which resulted in up to 70,000 preventable deaths, the forum emphasized the urgency of sustainable practices. The WHO’s Antonius Kolimenakis stressed that climate change is a health crisis, urging manufacturers to innovate towards safe and sustainable products to ensure resilience in facing future challenges.

Becker’s Hospital Review: Sustainability in healthcare is a team sport: Providers and vendors must work together
May 23, 2024
Sustainability is a high-priority issue for hospital and health system leaders. A hospital patient in the United States generates approximately 33.8 pounds of waste per day. Of the 14,000 tons of waste generated daily by U.S. healthcare facilities, between 20 and 25 percent is plastic. Healthcare organizations that have adopted sustainability programs report reductions in waste and costs, as well as positive feedback from employees and communities alike. During a Becker’s Hospital Review webinar sponsored by Ambu, five healthcare leaders discussed the importance of sustainability and how their organizations are addressing this issue. One key takeaway is that many providers are leaning into medical device reprocessing for pulse oximeters and other instruments. Last year, HonorHealth diverted nearly 30 tons of waste from landfills through device reprocessing efforts.

Med Tech Outlook: Advancing a Circular Economy for Medical and Engineering Plastics
May 20, 2024
The EU is implementing a comprehensive recycling strategy for medical and engineering plastics, focusing on easy disassembly, material separation, and advanced recycling technologies to minimize environmental impact. These plastics, crucial for healthcare and industrial applications, pose recycling challenges due to their complex composition and volume. The EU’s initiatives, like the “Circular Economy Package” and the “Strategy for Plastics in a Circular Economy,” set ambitious recycling targets and support research in innovative technologies, including chemical and enzymatic recycling. The strategy includes designing for recyclability, using bio-based alternatives, educating consumers, enforcing extended producer responsibility, and building robust circular economy infrastructure. By fostering these advancements, the EU aims to sustainably manage high-performance plastics, ensuring long-term access while reducing their environmental footprint.

Innovative Health: Innovative Health Enters Agreement with MC Healthcare to Promote Reprocessing and the Environment
July 22, 2024
Innovative Health, Inc. and MC Healthcare, Inc. today announced that they have entered into an agreement that will enable hospitals within MC Healthcare’s Japanese network to reduce environmental impact and at the same time allow Innovative Health’s U.S. hospital partners to increase their savings from single-use medical device reprocessing. MC Healthcare will collect select used single-use devices that cannot be reprocessed and reused in Japan from hospitals. Innovative Health will acquire and reprocess these devices, enabling U.S. hospitals to increase their use of single-use devices and reduce costs, while Japanese hospitals reduce their environmental footprint.

Vanguard: Is the Bundesrat banning CE reprocessing after over 10 Years in Germany?
July 4, 2024
On July 5, 2024, the Bundesrat is set to vote on a revision to the Medical Device Operator Ordinance, potentially banning CE-certified remanufactured medical products that have been safely and effectively used in Germany for over a decade. These remanufactured products, contributing to the circular economy, reduce emissions, cut hospital costs, and stabilize supply chains. Despite their proven safety and economic benefits, the Health Committee has recommended the ban without solid evidence, falsely claiming a shift in permissibility. A ban would undermine EU conformity standards, damage Germany’s economic and technological leadership, and hinder environmental and cost-effective healthcare practices. The Bundesrat’s decision is crucial for sustaining a sustainable and efficient healthcare system.

Medline: Medline announces annual Environmental, Social, Governance report highlighting growth in 2023
June 5, 2024
Medline, a market-leading manufacturer and supplier of medical supplies and solutions, today announced the release of its second annual ESG report. This report is a testament to the company’s commitment to sustainability, inclusivity and responsible governance, and underscores 2023 achievements in its pursuit of creating a sustainable future for healthcare. “Medline is committed to delivering tangible progress across our efforts to be responsible stewards of the environment, improve social equity and maintain a culture of good corporate governance. In 2023, we enhanced ESG collaboration across all areas of our business to increase transparency and demonstrate results,” shared Jim Boyle, CEO of Medline. “We’re proud to showcase some of our accomplishments, like the completion of New York’s largest rooftop solar installation and the expansion of our Oregon reprocessing facility, alongside the commendable volunteer efforts of our employees worldwide.” Medline reprocessed over 2.5M medical devices through its Medline ReNewal program’s owned facilities and doubled the size of the Medline ReNewal plant, increasing capacity to reprocess medical devices that would otherwise end up in a landfill.

Health Care Business News: Innovative Health reports strong growth for EP Labs at the 2024 Heart Rhythm Society Conference
May 13, 2024
Innovative Health, Inc. today announced that recent growth in single-use device reprocessing has delivered significant financial and environmental benefits to U.S. electrophysiology labs. These reductions in cost and carbon emissions will help shape conversations around the value of medical technology re-use at the annual Heart Rhythm Society conference in Boston. “Electrophysiologists are increasingly aware that they need to play a role in reducing the cost of electrophysiology procedures in order to deliver the patient care impact they want,” said Innovative Health CEO Rick Ferreira. “At the same time, they are becoming increasingly sensitive to the impact the relentless adoption of new single-use device technology has on the environment. I believe they are truly adopting a sense of resource stewardship that is so badly needed in electrophysiology today. I am hopeful that Heart Rhythm Society’s conference will reflect this.”

U.S. Army: WAMC receives award for Environmental Excellence From Stryker’s Sustainability Solutions
May 7, 2024
Womack Army Medical Center (WAMC) received the prestigious Stryker’s Sustainability Solutions Environmental Excellence Platinum Award for its outstanding efforts in reprocessing single-use medical devices in fiscal year 2023. This achievement has resulted in significant cost savings and waste reduction, aligning with the hospital’s commitment to sustainability and environmental stewardship. WAMC saved a total of $983,118 and diverted 12,994 pounds of waste from our local landfills. Like many hospitals across the nation, WAMC is focused on growing sustainability programs to reduce the environmental footprint without compromising patient safety or quality of care. “One of the most impactful initiatives is the reprocessing of single-use medical devices,” said Brandy Mitchell. “This allows us to purchase and reuse single-use medical devices that would otherwise end up in landfills.” Mitchell is the Directorate of Logistics Clinical Analyst and Single-Use Device Reprocessing Manager at WAMC.

Vie publique: Reprocessing of single-use medical devices as part of the ecological transition of the health system
July 5, 2024
Last year, the French National Assembly authorized the country’s Health Ministry to carry out an experiment evaluating the safety and viability of medical device remanufacturing, which is at present prohibited in France. Now, researchers with the French General Inspectorates of Social Affairs and of the Environment and Sustainable Development have released a report offering a roadmap on how this experiment could be carried out. The report analyzes various challenges and opportunities regarding reprocessing and identified AMDR member Vanguard as a natural partner to work with in the experiment. As the report is in French, please email Dan for an English translation and summary.

Georgetown Climate Center: Decarbonizing Health Care: New Policies Can Build Markets for Low-Carbon Supply Chains
June 28, 2024
In their new report, the Georgetown Climate Center – a non-profit research center affiliated with Georgetown University – cites AMDR to extensively endorse medical device reprocessing among a number of practical strategies for decarbonizing healthcare supply chains. Of critical importance, the report condemns the Veterans Health Administration’s policy of prohibiting the use of reprocessed devices in its hospitals and clinics. As the only major U.S. health system to maintain such a policy, AMDR welcomes and amplifies this message. As FDA-approved and -regulated products backed by over thirty years of research and scrutiny, there is no reason to doubt the safety, efficacy, or considerable economic or environmental benefits of reprocessed devices. Like the authors of this paper, AMDR will continue to advocate for the VHA to change their policy on these devices, so that American veterans can join the rest of us in enjoying a more affordable, green, and resilient healthcare system.

Digital Health in the Circular Economy: Circular Design in Healthcare: A Far-Fetched Dream or Impending Reality?
June 11, 2024
Amid healthcare advances, rising healthcare e-waste emerges as a significant challenge, with 83 million new medical wearables introduced globally in 2020. Only 9% of plastic waste is recycled in the EU, and 45% of e-waste is unaccounted for. In their new report, the DiCE project, in collaboration with TU Delft, highlights the need for circular design in medical devices. Their research revealed that out of over 1400 digital health devices analyzed, only 346 implemented at least one circular strategy, such as reuse or remanufacturing. Promising initiatives include reusable devices and remanufactured dual CT scanners, driving towards sustainable healthcare. Engineers are urged to expand circular design practices, incorporating easy disassembly, non-mixed materials, and traceability to support recycling and remanufacturing efforts, paving the way for a greener healthcare future.

Resources, Conservation & Recycling: Circular economy for medical devices: Barriers, opportunities and best practices from a design perspective
June 2024
In an era where disposable medical devices pose environmental challenges, transitioning to a circular economy through practices like reuse, remanufacturing, and recycling offers promise. This paper, through desk research, literature review, and expert interviews, examines the current state of circular design in electronic medical devices. It identifies barriers such as perceived safety risks, regulatory difficulties, financial constraints, and challenges in device collection and separation, while also presenting opportunities to overcome these hurdles. Highlighting the circular potential of existing devices, the paper reveals that reuse and remanufacturing are relatively common, with remanufacturing practices breathing new life into devices like dual CT scanners. However, other practices like recycling are underutilized. The research provides 29 design-specific recommendations for creating circular medical devices, urging design engineers to integrate sustainable principles, including remanufacturing, without compromising safety, quality, or functionality, thus paving the way for a more sustainable healthcare future.

Health Affairs: The Role Of Payers In Achieving Environmentally Sustainable And Climate Resilient Health Care
May 30, 2024
This article explores the significant impact of US healthcare on greenhouse gas emissions and proposes strategies for payers to enhance sustainability. Key recommendations include reducing low-value care, transitioning to clean energy, providing environmentally preferable services, supporting a circular economy, and promoting whole-person care for climate resilience. Notably, the authors emphasize the potential of medical device remanufacturing to reduce waste and emissions, urging payers to support reimbursement mechanisms that incentivize the reuse and regeneration of medical products.

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health: School of Nursing Climate Commitment: Nursing Faculty Bring Climate to the Classroom
May 3, 2024
The Nurses Climate Challenge (NCC) School of Nursing Commitment, launched to integrate climate change education into nursing curricula, has seen significant engagement, with 61 nursing schools across 30 states joining. This initiative, supported by resources like the Nurses Climate Challenge, encourages a variety of sustainable practices – including medical device reprocessing, as highlighted in Figure 1 of the report. Over 37,700 students have been educated through 439 sessions, emphasizing the impact of climate change on health. Faculty use NCC materials in diverse courses, promoting climate literacy and action among future nurses. Despite challenges, the program’s distributed leadership model and focus on environmental stewardship are driving meaningful change in nursing education.

Proceedings of the Design Society: Remanufacturing as a circular design strategy in healthcare: integrating socio-technical and environmental-economic assessments
May 2024
This paper examines the role of remanufacturing in healthcare as a key circular design strategy, particularly for medical devices, assessing its socio-technical, environmental, and economic dimensions of sustainability. Through a detailed case of ultrasound catheters, it demonstrates how remanufacturing can lead to resource conservation, cost savings, and enhanced product lifecycles in health care without compromising quality and patient safety. The study argues for systemic changes in healthcare practices to fully integrate remanufacturing, underscoring its role beyond a technical solution.

Gastroenterology: Single-Use vs Reusable Duodenoscopes: How Infection Knowledge Gaps Are Driving Environmental Harm and What Can Be Done
March 3, 2024
More than 500,000 duodenoscopies are now performed annually in the United States. 1 Increased reports of duodenoscope-associated infections (DAIs) after endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) over the past decade have sparked discussions about how to reduce the incidence of DAIs and have propelled the adoption of single-use duodenoscopes (SUDs) as an infection mitigation strategy. Meanwhile, potential downsides to SUDs, including increased environmental and public health impacts, costs, and supply chain risks, also warrant discussion, especially because the true benefits of these devices remain unclear. A better understanding of DAI incidence is essential for the rational use of SUDs.

New York University Stern Center for Sustainable Business: The Business Case for Decarbonization of a Healthcare Delivery System – A Case Study on Switching from Single Use to Reprocessed Medical Devices
January 2024
This comprehensive case study by the NYU Stern Center for Sustainable Business (CSB), supported by The Commonwealth Fund, highlights the significant environmental and financial benefits of reprocessed medical devices. As the healthcare sector accounts for a substantial percentage of global greenhouse gas emissions, initiatives like the HHS pledge aim to drastically reduce these emissions by 2050. CSB’s study, in collaboration with Advocate Health, employed the ROSI™ framework to measure the benefits of switching from single-use to reprocessed devices, revealing a net positive financial benefit of approximately $20.3 million over ten years. This practice not only reduces procurement and waste disposal costs but also lowers GHG emissions and enhances supply chain resilience. Despite challenges such as navigating procurement contracts and data management, the study emphasizes the crucial role of sustainable practices like reprocessing in achieving both economic and environmental goals in healthcare.

LinkedIn: Stryker’s Sustainability Solutions’ Reprocessed Product Emits 38% Less Greenhouse Gas
July 25, 2024
Learn more about this exciting step forward as we work to create a more sustainable #circulareconomy in #healthcare and beyond!

LinkedIn: NAM Initiative to Accelerate the National Climate and Health Movement
July 23, 2024
AMDR is proud to join the NAM’s “Accelerating the National Climate and Health Movement” initiative as we collaborate with members to advance #netzero goals by accelerating #circulareconomy solutions like #reprocessing of “single-use” #medicaldevices (R-SUDs) that protect public health by cutting #ghgemissions.

Join NAM in accelerating the growing climate and health movement when you sign up by August 30, 2024: https://ow.ly/NW0V50SHUgg

Together we will continue to help #hospitals expand green initiatives that improve health outcomes, strengthen the medical #supplychain, and reduce their #carbonfootprint.

LinkedIn: Innovative Health Showcases Bioscience Lab in New Video
July 17, 2024
Check out this excellent video that provides an inside look at Innovative Health LLC‘s bioscience lab!

LinkedIn: Cardinal Health Moves Forward with New Integrated Delivery Network
July 16, 2024
Congratulations on taking this important step forward as we work to accelerate supply chain resilience on the pathway toward creating a more sustainable #circulareconomy in healthcare and beyond!

LinkedIn: Supporting Our Member Vanguard’s Statement to the German Health Ministry on Remanufactured Devices
AMDR, the trade association for professional, commercial, regulated #medicaldevice reprocessing companies, strongly urges the German Ministry to preserve the ability for reprocessors to, as they have for years, demonstrate conformance with the #EU MDD and #MDR and obtain CE marks for their ‘remanufactured’ #medicaldevices.

We are a green, innovative and #circulareconomy business model. Now is the time for the #healthcare system to reduce costs, cut waste, and decrease #ghgemissions. The proposal on the table to undercut our ability to obtain CE marks is bad public policy and should be rejected.

LinkedIn: Cut From a Different Cloth: AMDR Members Welcome Regulation, Transparency in Medical Device Reprocessing Industry.
June 18, 2024
Read AMDR’s new article👇to learn about us and how our member companies go above and beyond what is mandated to embrace regulation and transparency, helping to advance #netzero goals in the #reprocessing industry and make this tremendous progress possible.

A growing body of research, LCAs, and an expanding track record of success shows that #reprocessing greatly cuts costs, waste, and #ghgemissions from #hospitals 🏥 while protecting public health — building unprecedented support among providers, researchers, and journalists for this simple, #sustainable, and effective solution.

LinkedIn: Remanufacturing as a circular design strategy in healthcare: integrating socio-technical and environmental-economic assessments
June 12, 2024
Congrats to the authors of this recent mixed-methods study shared in Design Sustainability, which points to the environmental and cost-savings benefits of using #reprocessed ultrasound catheters compared to new devices. https://ow.ly/P2Oa50S8IYk

Learn how this simple, sustainable solution helps #hospitals cut #ghgemissions by 33% each month and could save them approximately 160,000 euros per year.

LinkedIn: Innovation and resource stewardship collide: A review of the 2024 Heart Rhythm Society conference
June 11, 2024
More physicians understand that accelerating sustainable technologies like #reprocessing of “single-use” #medicaldevices (R-SUDs), embracing greater resource stewardship to advance #netzero goals, and saving costs all go hand in hand. Learn more in this fantastic DOTmed.com, Inc story: https://ow.ly/yUaq50SxOeF

Read how expansion of R-SUDs in the #electrophysiology space could be part of the solution in helping providers improve patient care and save costs, while empowering #hospitals with new tools to strengthen the medical supply chain by offsetting shortages, decreasing backorders, and slashing waste.

Thanks to Lars Thording of Innovative Health LLC for contributing this insightful analysis of the recent Heart Rhythm Society (HRS) Conference and sharing ways we can potentially harness green innovations to protect the health of populations by cutting #ghgemissions while reducing costs too.

LinkedIn: AMDR member Innovative Health and US Endovascular partner to drive cost savings in ambulatory surgery centers and office-based labs
July 9, 2024
What an exciting step forward as we work together to build a greener #circulareconomy in the health sector that helps strengthen the medical supply chain and saves costs too!

LinkedIn: AMDR Statement: FDA’s Recently Published Guidance Document, “Remanufacturing of Medical Devices,” Addresses Reusable Devices, not Reprocessed Single-Use Device
June 7, 2024
New AMDR Statement: The FDA’s recent guidance document addresses the remanufacturing of reusable devices, not FDA-regulated, commercially #reprocessed “single-use” devices (rSUDs) that research shows reduce waste while strengthening the medical #supplychain and saving costs. See release: https://ow.ly/heQv50SbBOG

Learn more about “Remanufacturing of Medical Devices: Guidance for Industry, Entities That Perform Servicing or Remanufacturing, and Food and Drug Administration Staff” and explore the differences between reusable, #remanufactured devices, and rSUDS, which growing research finds cuts #ghgemissions by 41% on average compared to using virgin devices each time.

LinkedIn: Vanguard AG Attends CleanMed 2024 Europe
June 3, 2024
Join Vanguard AG – Medical Remanufacturing at CleanMed Europe today!

Learn how we can accelerate more sustainable solutions, like reprocessing of “single-use” #medicaldevices, to help create a #circulareconomy in healthcare that cuts waste and strengthens the #supplychain.

LinkedIn: Comparative Carbon Footprint of Reprocessed Single Use Medical Devices
May 30, 2024
Learn how #reprocessing of “single-use” #medicaldevices gives #hospitals a simple, immediate solution to help them cut their #carbonfootprint by reducing waste and strengthening the #supplychain.

LinkedIn: RWTH Aachen Campus Certificate Course Sustainability Director | Blended Learning
May 28, 2024
Learn about this exciting certificate course that explores opportunities to build a greener #circulareconomy in healthcare through #sustainable technologies like #remanufacturing and more.

 
LinkedIn: AMDR Staff and Members Present at CleanMed 2024
May 22, 2024
Wonderful to see a packed room at CleanMed 2024 and hear Dr. Cassandra Thiel and Arjo’s Dave Newton discuss use of reprocessed single use devices and product design to reduce Scope 3 emissions and drive a more circular economy.

LinkedIn: Prescription for plastic medical waste: How hospitals, medical suppliers are aiming to be greener
May 21, 2024
What exciting news! Find out how #reprocessing of “single-use” #medicaldevices is helping #hospitals 🏥 cut toxic waste and strengthen the medical supply chain to become environmental sustainability leaders. 🍃

Learn how the Stryker’s Sustainability Solutions team in Canada has partnered with Hamilton Health Sciences on their successful reprocessing program!

LinkedIn: The U.S. Government Wants to Hear from You on Potential Violations in Healthcare Purchasing
May 15, 2024
Find out how the public can report potential violations of fair competition in healthcare purchasing through a new online portal the U.S. government recently launched: https://lnkd.in/dFgWHV_k

LinkedIn: Green Surgery Report: Case Studies
May 14, 2024
The UK Health Alliance on Climate Change recently unveiled a series of case studies showing that #reprocessing medical devices helped four health systems cut costs and carbon emissions in half, compared to single-use devices, while also diverting 366.92 kgs of waste from landfills and incineration. Read more: https://ow.ly/qw9z50RGaPz

The studies were provided by Barts Health NHS Trust, LEEDS GENERAL INFIRMARY, Royal Devon University Hospital (Royal Devon University Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust), and Royal Surrey NHS Foundation Trust, all of whom successfully collaborated with AMDR member Vanguard AG – Medical Remanufacturing as part of a #remanufacturing initiative. Learn how this research demonstrates that environmentally-friendly innovations not only give #hospitals tools to reduce harmful #ghgemissions but can save them money too.

Join us in thanking these health systems and Vanguard for working together to build awareness and support for green strategies like reprocessing/remanufacturing on the pathway to creating a more sustainable #circulareconomy in healthcare!

LinkedIn: AMDR Releases Free CO2 Calculator
May 9, 2024
AMDR recently unveiled its free CO2 calculator that gives sustainability managers a new tool to track emissions reductions at #hospitals 🏥 using #reprocessed “single-use” medical devices (rSUDs) 🩺 from AMDR members. Explore this groundbreaking resource: https://ow.ly/2N4Q50RA6bj

Research from eight peer reviewed LCAs powers the calculator, which finds that rSUDs help hospitals cut #ghgemissions by an average of 44%.

“LCAs have been providing valuable data and insights in other industries for decades, and we’re proud to help translate this science into meaning for hospitals,” said sustainability researcher, Cassandra Thiel, PhD, President and CEO, Clinically Sustainable Consulting, who advised on the project. “Based on the research, a switch to more reprocessed devices is a straightforward way for hospitals to reduce their carbon footprint.”