New data indicate increased spending on certain medical devices.
Amid growing tariff pressures, some US healthcare facilities may be increasing purchases of certain medical devices, according to GlobalData, which notes recent spending shifts that could reflect efforts to get ahead of potential price hikes.
According to GlobalData’s US Healthcare Facility Invoicing Database, across 56 tracked medical device markets, the top 20 facilities by March 2025 have spent an average of 6.7% more in April. This increase doesn’t appear to be attributed to specific markets. Across most covered markets, some facilities increased their spend in April, while others decreased spend.
“Necessary procedures such as aspiration thrombectomy will need to continue being done, whereas elective procedures such as hip reconstruction can be delayed,” says Amy Paterson, medical analyst at GlobalData, in a release. “If prices of devices are driven up by tariffs, hospitals will either face shrinking profit margins or increase the cost to patients, and patients might not be able to afford the increased procedure costs.”
Spending on Medical Devices for Elective vs Necessary Procedures
The data suggests that hospitals may be pre-purchasing devices used in elective procedures in anticipation of rising costs, while maintaining steady purchasing patterns for devices used in urgent procedures.
For aspiration thrombectomy, considered a necessary procedure, there was a 30% decline in purchasing from March to April 2024. Consistently, the period from March to April this year also saw a 30% decline. This suggests that the top facilities have not been stocking up on aspiration thrombectomy devices despite tariffs.
In contrast, facilities showed increased purchasing of devices used in elective procedures. From March to April 2025, US healthcare facilities increased their average spending on hip reconstruction devices by 18%, compared to a 3% decline during the same period last year. Spending on knee reconstruction devices also rose 9% over the same timeframe, compared to a 13% drop from March to April 2024.
GlobalData expects steady purchasing for essential procedure devices to continue. For elective-use devices, such as those used in hip and knee reconstruction, recent purchasing increases may lead to slower future orders if facilities have already built up supply in anticipation of higher costs.
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