A new US PIRG Education Fund report finds that manufacturer-imposed barriers are hampering the work of biomeds and healthcare technology managers, with rural hospitals bearing a disproportionate burden.
A majority of biomedical engineers and healthcare technology managers say that repair restrictions on medical equipment are routinely increasing device downtime and delaying patient care, according to a new report from the US PIRG Education Fund.
The report, Hospital Repair Restrictions II, surveyed more than 100 biomeds and healthcare technology managers and found that approximately 83% of respondents report that equipment downtime increases from repair barriers either “somewhat frequently” or “most of the time.” The findings build on an earlier US PIRG Education Fund report published in 2020, at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Many people often don’t realize how important the maintenance and servicing of medical equipment is, both for patient safety and equipment downtime,” says Henry Welch, US PIRG Education Fund’s Right to Repair Campaign associate and co-author of the report, in a release. “The repairs, preventative maintenance, and equipment management activities of biomeds and [healthcare technology managers] are critical, and repair restrictions often hinder the work of qualified professionals to ensure our hospitals have functioning, safe, and long-lasting equipment.”
Manufacturer-Imposed Software Restrictions Are the Leading Barrier
According to the report, manufacturer-imposed software restrictions are the most prevalent barriers to repair. Seventy percent of survey respondents say they “commonly” experience diagnostic tool restrictions causing a delay in prompt patient care—making it the most frequently cited driver of care delays among all restriction types.
Respondents across the survey indicated they are at least “somewhat frequently” denied access to service information for equipment they are qualified to maintain—ranging from infusion pumps to multi-million dollar MRI machines.
Rural Providers Face Greater Impact
The report also highlights a disparity in how repair restrictions affect different care settings. Survey respondents who more commonly service devices in rural settings are more likely to report that repair restrictions “commonly” impact prompt patient care, according to the report’s findings.
This rural gap compounds existing challenges for smaller and under-resourced healthcare delivery organizations (HDOs), where reliance on timely in-house repair is often greater and access to manufacturer service teams more limited.
Biomeds and Healthcare Technology Managers Back Right to Repair Reforms
The survey found broad support among device repair professionals for policy reform. Ninety-four percent of respondents believe that patient safety would be improved by enacting Right to Repair reforms.
“When manufacturers restrict the competition for repair markets, consumers are left with higher costs for their care,” says Nathan Proctor, US PIRG Education Fund’s Right to Repair executive director and co-author of the report, in a release. “Right to Repair reforms have gained momentum across the country because consumers want the freedom to fix their own stuff. We’ve seen for years that hospitals face these same issues, and they should be able to repair their equipment as well.”
FDA Has Weighed In on Third-Party Servicing
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has previously stated that the current regulatory environment around medical equipment servicing—whether by original equipment manufacturers, in-house teams, or independent service organizations—is sufficient to ensure patient safety. A 2018 FDA report noted that the availability of third parties to service medical equipment is “critical to the functioning of the US healthcare system.”
The US PIRG Education Fund report argues that arguments from some manufacturers for restricting access to repair materials are unsubstantiated, and that access to service information, parts, and diagnostic tools should be provided to hospitals and their chosen servicers on fair and reasonable terms.
ID 414543573 © Almas Hafeez | Dreamstime.com
