Innovative Health Highlights New CHARME Workbook on Single-Use Device Reprocessing and Calls for Broader Manufacturer Accountability

New workbook offers practical guidance for hospitals seeking to expand the financial and environmental impact of reprocessing programs

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz., June 1, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Innovative Health, a leader in single-use device reprocessing, today highlighted the publication of a new workbook from CHARME, the Collaborative for Healthcare Action to Reduce MedTech Emissions, focused on helping hospitals strengthen single-use device reprocessing programs.

The workbook was released as part of CHARME's first round of collaborative workbooks, announced during the 2026 CleanMed conference in St. Louis. Innovative Health's Lars Thording, senior vice president of marketing and public affairs, co-authored the workbook as an active member of CHARME.

CHARME is a multi-stakeholder initiative that brings together health systems, medical device and equipment suppliers, distributors, group purchasing organizations, reprocessors, industry experts, and other stakeholders to define, implement, and champion best practices that reduce emissions from the medical technology supply chain. The initiative was co-founded by Kaiser Permanente and Vizient and is convened by the Sustainable Purchasing Leadership Council.

The new single-use device reprocessing workbook provides practical guidance for hospitals seeking to improve the performance of their reprocessing programs. It includes case examples of successful programs, recommendations for strengthening hospital participation, and guidance on how reprocessors can help make programs easier to manage and scale.

"Single-use device reprocessing is one of the clearest examples of how hospitals can reduce both cost and environmental impact without compromising care," said Thording. "The CHARME workbook is important because it recognizes that hospitals and reprocessors both have a role to play in improving these programs. But the next step is just as important: Manufacturers must also be brought into the accountability framework. Healthcare cannot maximize reuse if original manufacturers are allowed to sit outside the process while designing products and commercial practices that discourage it."

The healthcare sector faces mounting pressure to reduce emissions while also addressing severe financial strain. Medical devices and supplies account for a meaningful share of the U.S. health sector's greenhouse gas footprint, and hospitals continue to face rising technology costs, reimbursement pressure, staffing shortages, and increasing margin challenges.

Single-use device reprocessing helps address both sides of this equation by enabling hospitals to safely reuse eligible devices through FDA-regulated third-party reprocessing facilities. These programs can reduce waste, lower supply costs, and support broader sustainability goals.

However, Innovative Health noted that industry-wide progress will require deeper cooperation across the full medical technology ecosystem. While many manufacturers operate responsibly and support sustainability goals, the company believes future healthcare sustainability initiatives should more directly address the role original manufacturers play in product design, sales practices, and support for hospital reuse programs.

"Multi-stakeholder collaboration is exactly what healthcare needs right now," Thording added. "CHARME is helping establish the models and best practices that can make healthcare more sustainable and more resilient. To achieve the full potential of reprocessing, every stakeholder has to co-own the solution, including the manufacturers whose design and commercial decisions directly affect whether reuse can flourish."

Innovative Health encourages hospitals and healthcare sustainability leaders to review the CHARME workbook and consider how single-use device reprocessing can be expanded as part of broader efforts to reduce supply chain emissions, strengthen hospital finances, and build a more sustainable healthcare system.

About Innovative Health
Innovative Health is an advanced medical device reprocessing company that offers smarter utilization of medical devices in hospitals' cardiology and electrophysiology programs.

SOURCE Innovative Health