According to AAMI, the recent Supreme Court ruling in favor of Impression Products (Impression Products, Inc. vs. Lexmark International, Inc.) has the potential to reignite the ‘right to repair’ debate. With the Court’s ruling, “Lexmark’s patent rights were exhausted with the first sale of its toner cartridges, despite restrictions it tried to impose, dealing a blow to companies that use patent law as a way to defend against other companies refurbishing and reselling their products.”
Medical device service translates into “big business as healthcare delivery organizations look for ways to contain rising costs and original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) look for solutions to revenue and profitability challenges.” Drawing data from a MarketsandMarkets report that forecasts that the global medical equipment maintenance market is expected to grow by 16.7% between 2015 and 2020, topping $2,240 million by 2020.
Backed by consumer advocates, repair professionals, and other interested stakeholders, the goal of the “right to repair” movement is passing legislation that would make it harder for manufacturers to keep repair information proprietary-something healthcare technology management (HTM) professionals have complained about for years despite the NFPA 99 Health Care Facilities Code requiring manufacturers to provide service manuals. Read More.