As at February 2015, the average price paid for electric beds by healthcare facilities was 45% more than what was paid in the same month of the previous year. Modern Healthcare/ECRI Institute Technology Price Index has it that this increase is as a result of interest in beds made for intensive-care units.
Latest available data in the Technology Price Index has it that $15,627 was the average price paid for electric beds. It is the duty of the TPI to make available monthly and annual data about pricing of about 30 supply and capital items purchased by medical facilities, hospitals, and other provider organizations based on three-month rolling averages.
40% of the total interest in electric beds among ECRI member organizations was from higher-cost ICU beds. This was a 20% increase during the same time the previous year. Typically, the cost of an ICU bed ranges between $25,000 and $30,000 each. This is obviously greater than the cost of medical/surgical beds. A surgical/medical bed costs between $5000 and $10000 according to figures retrieved from one of the pricing analysts with ECRI’s SELECTplus procurement advisory service. Bariatric beds are actually more costly. They cost between $35000 and $40000 each.
The major players in the electric bed market are Hill-Rom, Linet and Stryker (the company responsible for the acquisition of CHG Hospital Beds, a Canada-based company).
The data from tracked purchases by ECRI suggests that replacement orders were actually more. This simply means the replacement of an old bed for a new one by a hospital.