Microeconomics of Healthcare: Regulatory Challenges for Abbot Industries

Navigating Regulatory Challenges: Compliance and Risk Management in Healthcare Industry

Abbot Industries specializes in the production and marketing of varied healthcare products. The materials for these products are purchased from several suppliers around the world. They manufacture a wide range of products extending into pharmaceuticals, medical diagnostics and devices, nutritional products, and data management software. Some of their products are jointly marketed with firms in related fields.

Abbot Industries’ products are marketed and sold worldwide. They are generally sold straight to wholesalers, healthcare facilities, pharmaceutical firms, government agencies, and their distributors.

There are many risk factors that Abbot Industries must face being part of the health care equipment industry as they are dealing with products that affect people’s lives, and so there are stricter regulations. As there are so many governmental regulations, it can be expensive to create products with a process that complies with all of them.

Microeconomic Implications of Regulatory Compliance and Risk Management for Abbot Industries

If the regulations are met, then a process must be undertaken in order to receive the necessary approvals. Getting the approval on the met regulation is high-risk in that they are expensive and prolonged. These approvals might not be permitted on a convenient time scale for the firm if the approval is even permitted at all in the end. In the absence of approvals for the products, Abbot Industries cannot go through with production or distribution and so substantially increases their additional cost. These delays or failures to gain approvals result in suspended or reduced product revenues.

Since there is no assumed guarantee that Abbot Industries will remain within regulation requirements after approval, many of their facilities undergo periodic continued inspections. In order to comply with these complex regulations, Abbot Industries must subject themselves to large amounts of expenses and time. If they are found not to be in compliance with any regulations, they will face large fines and civil penalties and even can have their products seized. This can result in significant changes to the Abbot industry’s industry practices in that they may be required to extend refunds or recall certain products. Depending on the violation, they may even be forced to partially shut down while the violation is being remedied. These failed checkpoints disrupt production and cause a substantial material reduction in Abbot Industries’ revenues and profitability.

On top of having to be approved to comply with many regulations, Abbot Industries must also gain patent protection on the products they produce. These patents do not last forever, and so another risk this firm faces is in the healthcare equipment industry.

References

1. Healthcare Industry Regulatory Compliance. (2020). Understanding Healthcare Regulations: A Comprehensive Guide. Healthcare Publications.
2. Regulatory Risk Management in Healthcare. (2018). Managing Regulatory Challenges in the Healthcare Sector. Regulatory Press.
3. Legal and Regulatory Challenges in Healthcare Production. (2019). Navigating Legal and Regulatory Issues in Healthcare Manufacturing. Healthcare Law Publishers.