One of the challenges of managing a kidney stone treatment center is the cost of fragile instruments. The fragility of flexible ureteroscopes has been universally bemoaned in the urology community. Many high profile studies have been performed over the years typically showing an average of six cases per scope before repair is required. This is especially true of repaired scopes.

One particularly interesting study looked at the cost of the repair program relative to the profitability of the procedure as a whole. The results of the study were that the average repair cost of their devices came out to $605 per case. The authors concluded the procedure was profitable so long as the repair costs were lower than $1200 per case. Basically, there was $1200 of profit in the procedure and flex scope repair was eating half of it.

This figure does not include the initial capital cost of the purchase of the ureteroscopes themselves, a figure that would likely be substantial. At typical prices for ureteroscopes, (~$12,000 +) it is easy to imagine that stocking an OR with 5 or 6 of them could easily burn through a sum of $115,000 making this profitable procedure substantially less profitable, if at all.

MaxiFlex has created the SemiFlex Scope™ to address the issues of flexible ureteroscope costs. Delivering superior optical and deflection performance for a total cost per case that is less than current repair figures, it is easy to see how much the SemiFlex Scope™ can save you on your flexible ureteroscopy program. The next time you are considering purchasing or repairing a flexible ureteroscope, consider the SemiFlex Scope™ and what it could do for your patients and your bottom line.