By Jim Fedele, CBET
My articles are written a few months before they are published so the timing of when you read them may be late. As I write this article, we are still dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic and an important week is on the horizon. Since this article is written for the July issue of TechNation, I feel like everything will have been written and discussed about the current pandemic we are living through. I personally am ready for a break from it. Hopefully by the time you read this we will be living a more normal life knowing this virus will be around for a while. Given the challenges to daily life the pandemic has caused there are good things that have occurred because of it as well. One issue is the right to repair medical equipment.
Life during these times has certainly changed, I think about the Super Bowl party I had with friends just a few months ago. How we sat close together, and shared food and drinks. Hopefully, we will be returning to that carefree life soon. Given everything the pandemic has taken from us, it has also put a light on a battle we fight everyday as biomed techs. The right to repair equipment has been an issue for our industry as long as it has existed.
I remember when I started my career as a biomed (30 years ago). I was surprised to discover that a company that sold a product that my employer owned would prevent me from fixing it. I came from the consumer electronics industry, we were permitted to repair everything; we could get the tools, training and diagnostics necessary to fix TVs, radios, VCRs, etc. I couldn’t understand why the same support did not occur for medical equipment. However, I soon realized what was really going on. Keeping us from repairing equipment wasn’t about patients, or doctors, it was about service contracts and money. A former CFO at my facility used to call service contracts “the gift that keeps giving” one pays the initial cost for the equipment and then pays for it again over the next three to five years. It has always felt wrong to me how the OEMs have held us hostage. They have unchecked control of every aspect of service. They even get to make their own formula for “uptime” which can rarely be cashed in on. When OEMs are pressed for their reasoning regarding this, they dodge the question and say it is a business decision. They hide behind words like intellectual property, patient safety and quality. Insinuating and stating that only their trained technicians can safely work on the equipment.
Thankfully, due to the pandemic, the right to repair issue is gaining popularity/notoriety and has prompted a national discussion about the issue. So much so that Pennsylvania State Representative Austin Davis of Allegheny County, is the prime sponsor of House Bill 2326 (HB2326) aimed at requiring manufacturers to give hospitals the information they need to repair their own devices. The bill has bipartisan support and we are hopeful it can get passed. If you are from Pennsylvania, please take a moment to reach out to your state representative and ask them to support this bill.
Finally, I am writing this article in May, this information is important because during the month of May we celebrate HTM week. I would just like to recognize and congratulate all who work in and support this industry. Everyday we are doing great work that supports clinicians and helps patients. We are problem solvers, advocates, planners and the go-to department for every “gray-area” issue. When nobody works on it, we will. We do this because we know better than most that at the end of every activity in our field is a patient that needs our help. So, to all my colleagues I say please take a moment to pat yourself on the back and reflect on the good you do.
Jim Fedele, CBET, is the senior director of clinical engineering for UPMC. He manages six Susquehanna Health hospitals. He has 30 years of HTM experience and has worked for multiple service organizations.
