Armed with a passion for repurposing, recycling, donation, and respect for the medical industry professionals who provide life-changing care through technology, Mimi and Tony Lively started ZRG Medical in 2013. Today, ZRG provides tailored asset disposition services for hospitals and health care facilities that want their surplus equipment to have a second life. By reselling, renting, donating, and responsibly recycling medical equipment they can keep these lifesaving devices out of landfills and give them a new life where they are needed. ZRG Medical is also Certified Women Owned by the Women’s Business Enterprise National Council (WBENC).
Sustainability • Diversity • Giving Back
ZRG Medical has become the leading medical asset disposition vendor in Southern California since its start in 2013 and is forecasting exponential growth in the coming years by expanding to service health care facilities on a national level. Their environmentally friendly and customer-centered approach is the future of health care asset disposition and is continuously evolving to benefit the global economy. At ZRG, they realize that every health care facility does not have the same needs and priorities when it comes to removing their surplus assets. Because they specialize in both the reselling and recycling of medical equipment, they can create tailored solutions for managing all surplus assets within a hospital or health care facility that fits the needs of the customer.
ZRG Medical is licensed by the California State Board of Pharmacy to sell medical equipment and follows all state and federal regulations. Having been an R2 and RIOS certified recycler for several years, ZRG follows strict recycling guidelines that ensure all assets removed are handled according to compliance standards, including HIPAA. Each piece of equipment removed is documented in ZRG’s customer portal and all confidential data and hospital identifiers are wiped clean to remove any liabilities and keep patient information secure. Depending on the condition, need and value, the equipment is then refurbished, resold, rented, donated or broken down for parts and responsibly recycled. Through their online customer portal, customers can view all equipment removed from their facility and access all documentation with clarity and ease. Inventory lists, releases of liability and certificates of recycling are at customers’ fingertips. Designed with convenience in mind, the portal can also be used to request new liquidation jobs and review past jobs ZRG has already completed.
ZRG Medical never charges a fee to remove medical equipment from health care facilities and will purchase the equipment depending on the value and condition of the medical devices. ZRG’s goal is to ensure that every piece of medical equipment removed from health care facilities receives a second life for the benefit of earth and mankind alike –- their mission statement reflects just that. According to Mimi Lively, CEO and owner of ZRG Medical, “Our mission is to give economically disadvantaged people access to outstanding medical care, create new jobs in a working environment that celebrates equality and diversity, and eliminate needless waste in landfills through the reselling and donation of hospital medical equipment.”
Mimi and Tony are active in the biomedical community, supporting the education of both existing and up- and-coming HTM professionals. Mimi spearheaded the Biomedical Technician course MiraCosta College now offers at its Technical Career Institute location in California. Mimi is especially passionate about helping people throughout the world to get the medical care they deserve – she works closely with charitable organizations to provide them with medical equipment to complete their missions. Tony sits on the California Medical Instrumentation Association (CMIA) board of directors and is a valuable networking resource for biomeds and supply chain management throughout the nation. He also helped in organizing the relaunch of the Arizona Healthcare Technology Management Association (AZHTM), that held its first in-person meeting just this past March of 2020.
One new venture ZRG Medical is taking on is the expansion of its parts division. Because they have worked closely with clinical engineers for many years, they have seen up close the struggle HTM professionals have getting access to parts for end-of-life equipment. According to Tony Lively, “We saw a need in the health care community and are doing our best to fill it.” The parts division will focus on providing hard-to-find preowned parts so health care facilities worldwide can continue to service their older or end-of-life equipment until it can be replaced.
I’m Sydney Humes, the new Director of Business Development and Strategic Sourcing at ZRG Medical as of March 2020. I have always been inspired by the works that Tony and Mimi do to support both the HTM community and world health. I can now say firsthand that company culture is extremely important at ZRG Medical. We work as a cohesive team and tackle issues head-on to maximize efficiency. Our company’s dedication to transparency incites honesty and accountability in our practices. The employees are the number one priority at ZRG Medical. Something Mimi told me when I was hired on at ZRG is, “We understand that without our team we’re not able to take care of our clients or follow through with our mission to benefit the environment and mankind.” By showing appreciation for the ZRG Medical team members, allowing for a healthy work-life balance, and approaching all situations with empathy, our team is able to pass that culture on to our clients, creating strong and trusting long term relationships.
