AMDR BLASTS STATE DEVICE REPROCESSING BILL

The Association of Medical Device Reprocessors (AMDR), an association representing third-party device reprocessors, is criticizing state legislation that requires that patients have notice and give consent before being fitted with reprocessed devices.

In a recent statement, AMDR argued that Massachusetts' S.B. 1321 would limit the ability of hospitals and patients to benefit from reprocessed devices and reduce the practice of recycling these products.

"S.B. 1321 would have the effect of discouraging hospitals from using safe, effective, low-cost, reprocessed medical devices. By doing so, the bill would greatly increase costs for Massachusetts' hospitals, and would have a significant detrimental effect on the environment," the group argued.

While the bill's proponents have argued that requiring notice and consent benefits patient safety, AMDR argues that the move was prompted by other factors. "This bill is not about patient safety, it is about economics," the group said. "The Massachusetts legislation is yet another attempt by original equipment manufactures to do at the state level what they could not accomplish federally -- to rid themselves of the economic competition posed by the reprocessing industry."