Why the RA/QA Department Should Change Its Name

In many medtech and pharma companies, Regulatory Affairs and Quality Assurance (RA/QA) is seen as a cost centre. It’s the team that slows things down, introduces procedures, and asks the tough questions — the kind that challenge timelines and force rework. But those questions prevent bigger problems later. They ensure what’s built can be approved, not just imagined.
That’s not overhead. That’s enablement.

RA/QA protects the business from regulatory risk, ensures audit readiness, and supports fundraising or acquisition due diligence — all in service of a single goal: to get to market and stay there.
That’s why it’s time to reframe the department’s identity: call it the Department of Market Access (MA).

This isn’t just semantics. It’s about strategy, identity, and value recognition. Market Access better reflects the mission: enabling product launch, supporting scalability, and aligning development with regulatory expectations. It encourages cross-functional collaboration, because everyone shares the same goal:
Getting products in the hands of patients and users.

It also encourages early involvement. RA/QA is too often brought in at the end, as a final hurdle. A Market Access mindset moves regulatory thinking upstream, leading to smarter planning and fewer delays. Especially in startups, renaming this team Market Access sends the right signal: this isn’t back-office bureaucracy. It’s a driver of success.

The tasks stay the same — documentation, audits, post-market surveillance — but the framing changes. The name “Market Access” shows this team is not a barrier, but an enabler. It supports speed, scale, and sustainability.
Let’s stop calling it RA/QA. Let’s call it what it really is: Market Access.

What do you think? Leave your comments below.