A quiet announcement might provide a huge increase in the use of 3D printing.
The announcement came from HP, which produces industrial 3D printers for manufacturing. They say:
“3D printing has now been recognized as a reimbursable fabrication method for prosthetic devices in the U.S.”
Evidently a consortium organized by HP lobbied relevant organizations to make changes to the rules for coverage. Specifically there are two companies that now recognize 3D printed medical devices, Durable Medical Equipment Medicare Administrative Contractors (DME MACs) and the Pricing Data Analysis & Coding (PDAC).
This means that medical professionals can now prescribe 3D printed prosthetics with far less concern for patient affordability, as the prosthetics would now be covered under relevant plans. This effectively removes a considerable amount of friction for this particular 3D print application.
It’s likely that as practitioners learn about the coverage possibility, they will order more units for their patients. Over time this will build up this application to a much larger scale than as it exists today.
That’s good news for the industry, as it should eventually result in the sales of additional industrial 3D printer. HP would be one of the beneficiaries, but the new rule changes are not tied to that company. Any 3D printed prosthetic would theoretically be covered under the new rules.
Consider the case of dental aligners, a very large 3D print application. Today there are 3D print factories that endlessly print custom dental aligners. For some 3D print companies dental aligners are a major revenue source.
The same might eventually take place with prosthetics. Today we see only occasional prints taking place, but the demand should rise significantly. We could ultimately see “dental aligner” sized 3D print factories dedicated to prosthetic printing.
It’s about time.
