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A recent trade publication op-ed by Tom Leary of HIMSS on 24×7 Magazine argues that extending right-to-repair principles to medical devices risks patient safety because healthcare technology is too complex, too interconnected, and too consequential to be serviced outside manufacturer-controlled channels. The concern is understandable. Medical equipment is not a phone screen or a household appliance. A miscalibrated imaging system, a failed software update, or an improperly installed component can affect diagnosis, treatment, cybersecurity, and patient outcomes.

But that framing misses the central issue. The right to repair is not a demand to let unqualified people perform unsafe work. It is a demand to give qualified professionals the information, parts, diagnostic tools, calibration procedures, and software access they need to perform safe work promptly and according to applicable performance standards.

In healthcare, repair access is not the enemy of patient safety. Repair access is often what patient safety requires.