161 Dan Vukelich of AMDR: medical device reprocessing

Jul 5, 2025

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Dan Vukelich, President of the Association of Medical Device Reprocessors, has spent 25 years campaigning and working to encourage reuse and remanufacturing of ‘single use’ medical devices, first in the USA and now in Europe and other countries.

To give you a feel for the scale of this, in 2024, over 55 million single-use devices were reprocessed and reused across 17 countries in Asia-Pacific, Europe and North America. By doing that, hospitals saved the equivalent of over USD 450 million. The interest in reprocessing and reuse really took off during the pandemic, and since then, supply chain disruption has become more of an ongoing risk for hospitals.

The Association of Medical Device Reprocessors (AMDR) was founded in 1999. It supports its members around regulation, legislation, and standard-setting, so hospitals and healthcare providers can increase quality, reduce cost, cut waste, lower emissions, and strengthen their supply chains.

Dan explains what reprocessing includes and talks us through the categories of devices that are currently reprocessed and remanufactured. He describes how the medical sector has shifted from high-quality materials that could be easily sanitised and reused, to a situation where even very complex and expensive devices are designed to be disposed of after just one use, wasting finite and critical materials.

We talk about the ethical and legal issues of reprocessing, and the role of regulations and standardization. Dan helps us understand the challenges for hospitals and how the shift to single-use has added a lot of extra costs to the health system and impacts all of us, either directly or as taxpayers. Dan also points to an important long-term trend, as more and more equipment manufacturers get involved, rather than pushing back on reuse.

International speaker, author and strategic advisor, Catherine Weetman helps people discover why circular, regenerative and fair solutions are better for people, planet – and prosperity.

Catherine’s award-winning book: A Circular Economy Handbook: How to Build a More Resilient, Competitive and Sustainable Business includes lots of practical examples and tips on getting started.

Stay in touch for free insights and updates…

Read on for more on our guest and links to the people, organisations and other resources we mention.

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Links we mention in the episode:

Links for our guest:

AMDR website https://amdr.org/
AMDR Mission and Credo
AMDR LinkedIn
Dan LinkedIn
Subscribe to AMDR’s quarterly newsletter
AMDR provides lots of research and resources on its website, including information on the continued growth in the use of reprocessed devices and reductions in waste and carbon emissions – see this data releaseand accompanying infographics

Books, people and organisations we mentioned

Episode 97 Alice Mah – Plastic propaganda https://www.rethinkglobal.info/97-alice-mah-unpicking-plastic-propaganda/

Catherine’s work:

Circular Economy Podcast on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/showcase/circular-economy-podcast/
Circular Economy Podcast website: circulareconomypodcast.com
Catherine Weetman on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/catherine-weetman-9419107/
A Circular Economy Handbook: How to Build a More Resilient, Competitive and Sustainable Business – buy from any good bookseller, or direct from the publisher Kogan Page, which ships worldwide (free shipping to UK and US) https://www.koganpage.com/CircEcon2
Interactive podcast index https://www.rethinkglobal.info/circular-economy-podcast-index/
Rethink Global www.rethinkglobal.info
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Guest bio

Dan Vukelich is the President of the Association of Medical Device Reprocessors and ex-officio member of the Board. He has been with AMDR since 2000. Mr. Vukelich is a member of two Association for the Advancement of Medical Instrumentation technical working groups. He received his Juris Doctor Degree from the American University’s Washington College of Law and his B.A. in Political Science and Public Communication with Pi Sigma Alpha honors, also from the American University in Washington, DC. Dan is a native of Minneapolis, a former National Debate champion, and a member of the Florida and District of Columbia Bars.

The Association of Medical Device Reprocessors (AMDR) is the global trade association for the regulated, commercial “single-use” medical device (SUD) reprocessing industry (known as “remanufacturing” in Europe).

Founded in 1999, AMDR promotes reprocessing as an important healthcare strategy that helps hospitals and healthcare providers increase quality, reduce cost, cut waste, lower emissions, and strengthen the supply chain. AMDR protects the interests of its members in regulation, legislation, and standard-setting.

AMDR is leading the way for reprocessing to play a defining role in the evolution and use of new device technologies that cost less, perform more safely, and produce less waste and emissions.

Playlist: getting started with the circular economy…

Want to know more about the what the circular economy really is, and how it can help your business? Here’s a playlist to help you get to grips with the concept, how it creates value, and the common myths (spoiler alert – it’s much more than recycling!)

#1 What is the circular economy: A quick intro to explain what the circular economy is and why it’s important. We explore how it helps create better products and services, and at the same time helps to make a better world. I break it down into my 5 circular economy components, helping you think about each part of your business.
#2 The linear economy and your risk checklist: We dig a bit deeper into the way we do business now, the linear economy, and why that’s creating problems for business, society and our living planet. Also, we’ll look at the risks that emerge from those big-picture issues, and how they might affect your organisation.
#90 Does circular mean it’s sustainable? Catherine Weetman is worried that companies are using circular economy solutions to grow their business (and their footprints).
#101 Circular is better for people, planet and profit! How three simple strategies can help you get started with circular and regenerative solutions that are better for people, planet and profit.
#120 Priorities are changing: people find life is better when we care for and share things – circular economy strategies make that better for business, too.

And here’s Catherine’s guide: What is the circular economy?

Want to dig deeper?

Why not buy Catherine’s award-winning book, A Circular Economy Handbook: How to Build a More Resilient, Competitive and Sustainable Business. This comprehensive guide uses a bottom-up, practical approach, and includes hundreds of real examples from around the world, to help you really ‘get’ the circular economy. Even better, you’ll be inspired with ideas to make your own business more competitive, resilient and sustainable.

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Podcast music

Thanks to Belinda O’Hooley and Heidi Tidow, otherwise known as the brilliant, inventive and generous folk duo, O’Hooley & Tidow for allowing me to use the instrumentals from the live version of Summat’s Brewin’ as music for the podcast. You can find the whole track (inspired by the Copper Family song “Oh Good Ale”) on their album, also called Summat’s Brewin’. Or, follow them on Twitter.