ENGLISH 
EspañolThe Future of Refurbished Medical Equipment: 2026 Trends
February 27, 2026
- AI Is Coming to Refurbished Equipment
- Demand for Imaging and Surgical Equipment Is Still Growing
- Sustainability Is Now a Procurement Factor
- How Soma Stays Ahead
The refurbished medical equipment market has moved beyond its image as a budget fallback. MarketsandMarkets values it at $16.93 billion in 2024 and projects it will reach $24.41 billion by 2029. The factors behind that growth are: sustained hospital budget pressure, AI adoption, and growing sustainability mandates.
Trend 1: AI Is Coming to Refurbished Equipment
AI-enabled diagnostics are no longer limited to new, high-cost systems. The FDA cleared 107 AI/ML medical devices in 2024, up from just six in 2014. Radiology accounts for 76% of all approvals to date, and given that imaging equipment makes up 38.9% of the refurbished market share, the overlap is explicit and expanding.
- 39% of refurbished diagnostic systems will now incorporate AI tools.
- In 2023, Apex Medical Equipment launched a line of surgical robots with AI capabilities for minimally invasive procedures.
- In March 2025, GE HealthCare and NVIDIA announced a collaboration to build autonomous imaging technology.
Trend 2: Demand for Imaging and Surgical Equipment Is Still Growing
The pandemic deferred billions in equipment procurement and pushed surgical backlogs for years. This gap has not fully closed. In categories such as orthopedics and outpatient imaging, volumes are above pre-COVID levels. Facilities operating on tight margins are addressing this jump with certified refurbished systems priced 40 to 60% below comparable new units.
- Joint replacement surgery volumes in 2023-24 were 50% higher than pre-pandemic figures, the highest annual total on record.
- The global medical imaging sector is projected to grow from $41.91 billion in 2024 to $68.43 billion by 2032.
- Hospitals absorbed $130 billion in Medicare and Medicaid underpayments in 2023 while spending $146.9 billion. This reinforces the case for refurbished procurement as a cost strategy.
Trend 3: Sustainability Is Now a Procurement Factor
Healthcare makes up nearly 5% of global greenhouse gas emissions, and regulators are beginning to formalize environmental reporting requirements for large organizations. Procurement teams are increasingly expected to document the ecological effect of purchasing decisions, and refurbished equipment carries a big advantage in that calculation.
- More than 70% of large U.S. hospital systems identify sustainability as a top priority, per a 2024 AHA report.
- The EU’s Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD), implemented in July 2024, requires large companies to disclose supply chain environmental performance, adding formal accountability to healthcare purchasing decisions.
How Soma Stays Ahead
These shifts are already modifying how hospitals evaluate vendors, not just on price, but on compliance documentation, technical capabilities, and environmental credentials. Soma Tech’s focus on capital medical equipment places it at the center of these trends: supplying certified refurbished imaging and surgical systems that meet current regulatory standards, support clinical performance requirements, and offer a documented sustainability advantage over new procurement. The refurbished market is growing because the reasons to choose it have multiplied. Cost is still one of them, but it is no longer the defining one.
Explore Other Blog Items By Category
Recent Posts
January 27, 2026
December 3, 2025