For budget-conscious healthcare providers, preowned medical imaging and treatment devices may be an alternative to new systems. However, some refrain from buying used systems – they have heard too many tales of poor quality and unsafe or inefficient equipment. Based on COCIR’s (European Coordination Committee of the European Radiological, Electromedical and Healthcare IT Industry) Green Paper on Good Refurbishment Practice, reluctant procurement managers may reconsider their opinions. The guideline aims at solving such quality, safety, and effectiveness issues.

“If we want to promote the idea of refurbishment, we need to show we are acting responsibly when it comes to safety, performance, and quality issues,” says Nicole Denjoy, Secretary General of COCIR, explaining the driving force behind the Green Paper. To meet these criteria, the COCIR outlines are based on many years of experience from its member companies – Siemens with its Proven Excellence program prominently among them – in refurbishing medical imaging and treatment systems.

The first version of the Green Paper has been very well received with COCIR’s members, other industry associations, as well as government and regulatory agencies in the European Union (EU) and beyond. Positive signs have also come from NEMA (National Electrical Manufacturers Association, USA), JIRA (Japan Industries Association of Radiological Systems), MIISC (Medical Imaging & Information Systems Council, Canada), the US Department of Commerce, and the Chinese Hospital Association. Currently, COCIR is collecting the feedback of all stakeholders for a second version, which is then to become the basis for a future international standard.

Key benefits of the Green Paper on Good Refurbishment Practice