This article was written by Marty Anthony, President, Ambler Surgical.
The surgical instrument industry has experienced many changes in the last five years including greater instrument specialization, tighter regulations about instrument reprocessing, infection control and patient safety, improved ability to process orders online and a focus on more customer-centric business practices. This transformation has resulted in a proliferation of new information and standards — all directly related to the bottom line: finding quality surgical instruments at the lowest possible pricing. So when it comes to the price of surgical instruments, how is one to distinguish which companies offer true quality and value or even which instruments are low quality "knock-offs"? Let's consider how to discern instrument quality and whether it's possible to shop by price alone.
1. Will huge up-front savings mean savings in the long-run? When it comes to surgical instrument quality, it's important to understand whether you are getting true value for your purchase. Many unknown and off-brand companies offer lower-cost replicas of instruments that they claim are "apples-to-apples" to those of major brands. However, there are also numerous well-known, brand names that either offer or substitute an extremely low-priced instrument line. While these companies can appear to offer a tremendous bargain, purchasing these "bargain" instruments comes with great risks. These risks can include surgery delays and cancellations; surgeon frustration because of reduced instrument reliability and functionality, increased need for repairs, budget inefficiencies and a higher cost per procedure.
Many times these low-cost replicas or "exact matches," also known as "knock-offs," can be appealing yet they can fall well short in consistent quality. How can you determine if the surgical instruments you purchased, which appear to be "Rolex-quality," are going to perform like a "Rolex" for a week or for years, like a high-quality instrument should? If you order three identical instruments, will they all have identical specifications, sharpness, finish and functionality? Are you risking your surgeon's performance, or possibly the surgical outcome, by using ophthalmic instruments bought at seemingly "incredible bargains"?
2. "Too good to be true" pricing usually means it is! Extremely low-priced surgical instruments are typically indicative of poor quality. The initial low-cost may not be worth the long-term expense of repeated need for replacement, which is sure to surpass the higher upfront cost of purchasing high-quality instruments. Due to the lower quality of the raw materials used, these "bargain" instruments demand more frequent repairs and in many cases are deemed semi-reusable because often times they can't even be repaired.
3. How are some surgical instrument companies able to offer instruments at bargain pricing? Many companies offering dramatic discounts source instruments manufactured in Pakistan, India and other Asian countries. Pakistan in particular, which has a huge surgical instrument manufacturing industry, is listed with the U.S. Department of Labor as a country known to engage in child labor for the production of surgical instruments. Because child labor laws are not enforced in these countries to the degree that they are in the U.S., Pakistan produces instruments using unskilled labor at a considerably lower cost than instruments made in Germany or the U.S. What does that mean for consumers? Instead of having experienced craftsmen, skilled at operating machinery that make quality surgical instruments, children are making surgical instruments, therefore exchanging quality, craftsmanship and workforce safety for cost savings.
4. Can you tell if you are buying a $200 dollar instrument at a great bargain of $50, or is it really an instrument of much lower quality only worth $25? How do you know whether an instrument labeled German-made stainless steel is genuine? – The raw cost of 100 percent German or U.S. stainless steel surgical instruments, before they are forged, is typically higher than many low-priced instruments labeled "Stainless Germany." If you consider the cost of raw materials, it helps give a better idea of whether you are getting a quality surgical instrument or whether you're purchasing a low-quality substitute.
5. What are the consequences of purchasing low-quality "knock-offs"? In some ways these micro-ophthalmic instruments are more quality dependant than other surgical specialties since the smallest imperfection affects their performance. Microsurgical ophthalmic instruments have to be made 100 percent to the surgeons' specifications, so when you're dealing with lower-cost replicas, quality must be of the highest level. Therefore, it's important to work with a supplier known for quality as opposed to low-pricing. Your instrument company should also exhibit ophthalmic instrument expertise, to ensure that all your instruments meet your surgeons' needs. One instrument that rusts can affect your entire tray during sterilization! Shouldn't you know whether you are getting the quality and performance you believe you are purchasing, or if your ophthalmic instruments are produced by child labor?
When you consider that ophthalmic instruments are extremely exact in specifications and a surgeon demands that each instrument be identical to the one being replaced, you might start to wonder how surgical instrument companies selling low-priced, " knock-offs" measure up.
Also see "5 Ways to Optimize Surgical Up Time" by Marty Anthony.
The surgical instrument industry has experienced many changes in the last five years including greater instrument specialization, tighter regulations about instrument reprocessing, infection control and patient safety, improved ability to process orders online and a focus on more customer-centric business practices. This transformation has resulted in a proliferation of new information and standards — all directly related to the bottom line: finding quality surgical instruments at the lowest possible pricing. So when it comes to the price of surgical instruments, how is one to distinguish which companies offer true quality and value or even which instruments are low quality "knock-offs"? Let's consider how to discern instrument quality and whether it's possible to shop by price alone.
1. Will huge up-front savings mean savings in the long-run? When it comes to surgical instrument quality, it's important to understand whether you are getting true value for your purchase. Many unknown and off-brand companies offer lower-cost replicas of instruments that they claim are "apples-to-apples" to those of major brands. However, there are also numerous well-known, brand names that either offer or substitute an extremely low-priced instrument line. While these companies can appear to offer a tremendous bargain, purchasing these "bargain" instruments comes with great risks. These risks can include surgery delays and cancellations; surgeon frustration because of reduced instrument reliability and functionality, increased need for repairs, budget inefficiencies and a higher cost per procedure.
Many times these low-cost replicas or "exact matches," also known as "knock-offs," can be appealing yet they can fall well short in consistent quality. How can you determine if the surgical instruments you purchased, which appear to be "Rolex-quality," are going to perform like a "Rolex" for a week or for years, like a high-quality instrument should? If you order three identical instruments, will they all have identical specifications, sharpness, finish and functionality? Are you risking your surgeon's performance, or possibly the surgical outcome, by using ophthalmic instruments bought at seemingly "incredible bargains"?
2. "Too good to be true" pricing usually means it is! Extremely low-priced surgical instruments are typically indicative of poor quality. The initial low-cost may not be worth the long-term expense of repeated need for replacement, which is sure to surpass the higher upfront cost of purchasing high-quality instruments. Due to the lower quality of the raw materials used, these "bargain" instruments demand more frequent repairs and in many cases are deemed semi-reusable because often times they can't even be repaired.
3. How are some surgical instrument companies able to offer instruments at bargain pricing? Many companies offering dramatic discounts source instruments manufactured in Pakistan, India and other Asian countries. Pakistan in particular, which has a huge surgical instrument manufacturing industry, is listed with the U.S. Department of Labor as a country known to engage in child labor for the production of surgical instruments. Because child labor laws are not enforced in these countries to the degree that they are in the U.S., Pakistan produces instruments using unskilled labor at a considerably lower cost than instruments made in Germany or the U.S. What does that mean for consumers? Instead of having experienced craftsmen, skilled at operating machinery that make quality surgical instruments, children are making surgical instruments, therefore exchanging quality, craftsmanship and workforce safety for cost savings.
4. Can you tell if you are buying a $200 dollar instrument at a great bargain of $50, or is it really an instrument of much lower quality only worth $25? How do you know whether an instrument labeled German-made stainless steel is genuine? – The raw cost of 100 percent German or U.S. stainless steel surgical instruments, before they are forged, is typically higher than many low-priced instruments labeled "Stainless Germany." If you consider the cost of raw materials, it helps give a better idea of whether you are getting a quality surgical instrument or whether you're purchasing a low-quality substitute.
5. What are the consequences of purchasing low-quality "knock-offs"? In some ways these micro-ophthalmic instruments are more quality dependant than other surgical specialties since the smallest imperfection affects their performance. Microsurgical ophthalmic instruments have to be made 100 percent to the surgeons' specifications, so when you're dealing with lower-cost replicas, quality must be of the highest level. Therefore, it's important to work with a supplier known for quality as opposed to low-pricing. Your instrument company should also exhibit ophthalmic instrument expertise, to ensure that all your instruments meet your surgeons' needs. One instrument that rusts can affect your entire tray during sterilization! Shouldn't you know whether you are getting the quality and performance you believe you are purchasing, or if your ophthalmic instruments are produced by child labor?
When you consider that ophthalmic instruments are extremely exact in specifications and a surgeon demands that each instrument be identical to the one being replaced, you might start to wonder how surgical instrument companies selling low-priced, " knock-offs" measure up.
Also see "5 Ways to Optimize Surgical Up Time" by Marty Anthony.