Colorado Smartly Exempts Medical Devices from Right to Repair

Last month, the Colorado state legislature passed some of the broadest right to repair laws in the country following the wet ink signature of Governor Jared Polis. While this is a major stride in the right to repair world, it should also be noted that Colorado rightfully ensured that medical devices would be excluded from its law.

Most critical medical devices are regulated instruments and right to repair laws stand to jeopardize their functionality and patients’ well-being. Opening up proprietary devices to untrained and unregulated servicers would open up a whole host of unnecessary risk that could be avoided with the inclusion of a medical device exemption in such legislation.

Recently, Colorado State Senator Byron Pelton weighed in on the issue in a column published in Colorado Politics, titled “Right to repair is not without its limits.”

Pelton shared his legislative experience with the right to repair within the Colorado legislature, emphasizing that while these policies are appropriate for certain industries, they should not extend to the healthcare sector. He underscored the importance of adhering to FDA regulations for anyone involved in repairing medical devices. Additionally, Pelton urged Colorado legislators to ensure that medical devices remain excluded from any future right-to-repair legislation, should it ever arise.

It’s clear that more and more states are catching on to the high-risk complications that can occur if medical devices are opened up to third-party repair servicers who don’t need to follow FDA regulations. Other states should follow in Colorado’s footsteps and ensure that all medical device repairs remain in the hands of regulated and trained professionals. Patients’ lives are riding on it.