Becker’s ASC Review reports that Tim Merchant, the vice president of sales and reprocessing at MEDISISS, and Jason Wanderse, chief executive officer of MEDISISS, gave a presentation titled “Reprocessing: the Winning Combination.” MEDISISS is a device reprocessing company owned by Medline. Some highlights of the presentation:
- The three big players in reprocessing are Medline, Stryker and Johnson & Johnson. Each of these companies has had to go through the arduous process of receiving FDA 510(k) clearance to earn approval for reprocessing.
- The key to medical device reprocessing is the improvement of profitability without compromising the quality of care. The current healthcare climate has made this goal a high priority for ambulatory surgery centers, as well as all providers. “Reprocessing is one of the top three opportunities to drive cost savings in healthcare today,” said Mr. Merchant.
- “Reprocessed devices have been found to have fewer defects than that of new devices,” said Mr. Merchant.
- Device reprocessing represents a significant opportunity for savings in healthcare. “If every surgery center and hospital in the country reprocessed their devices, they could save the healthcare industry $2 billion annually,” said Mr. Merchant. Reprocessing currently accounts for the national reduction of 10 million pounds of waste and of the 70 million devices used nationally there has been no reported loss of quality or increase in infection. Ambulatory surgery centers could potentially save $20,000 a year per operating room without compromising any aspect of the standards of care.
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