Axion researching medical equipment refurbishment model

United Kingdom-based Axion Consulting says it is working in partnership with Philips, a maker of medical imaging systems and therapy devices, on a research project into how U.K. hospitals can refurbish high-value medical imaging and ultrasound equipment, offering potentially large savings.

The six-month CircMed project, co-funded by Innovate UK, will “explore how the proposed circular economy business models for supplying refurbished equipment can work within the U.K. health care sector,” Axion says in a news release.

Launched in September 2015, the feasibility study focuses on a range of medical imaging equipment, including MRI scanners, ultrasound equipment, CT scanners, interventional X-ray equipment and mobile surgery devices.

Feedback via a short survey is being solicited from National Health Service (NHS) and private sector medical professionals. The survey is designed to gain an understanding of what conditions need to be met for the health care sector to adopt alternative business models for refurbished medical imaging devices.

“Currently, circular economy business models for refurbished equipment are not common practice within the U.K. health care sector,” says Axion Consulting Senior Consultant Nichola Mundy. According to Mundy, though, other countries, including Germany, have made progress on this front.

“We will be examining fresh ideas and alternative business models - similar to car leasing concepts – including the provision of fully-managed equipment services, pay-per-use and incentivized return and reuse,” says Mundy.

An added benefit would be the preservation of “significant amounts of critical raw materials,” says Axion including gallium in LCD screens and integrated circuits, beryllium in CT scanners and niobium superconducting magnets and helium in MRI scanners.

“By keeping control of these rare materials that can be harvested for reuse or eventual recycling we can preserve valuable resources for future generations,” says Mundy.

Philips is a global partner of the Ellen MacArthur Foundation and describes itself as “a pioneer of circular economy innovation in the areas of health care, consumer lifestyle and lighting.”

Innovate UK is the new name for the former Technology Strategy Board, which describes itself as an “innovation agency accelerating economic growth” that can “fund, support and connect innovative businesses through a unique mix of people and programs.”