Not sure you got my point(s) about programming of the standard smart batteries to the OEM requirements or the reasons why compatibility between the smart battery, battery management units and the medical device charger itself is so important.
Despite the battery fitting in the slot and apparently working how do you determine full compatibility with the charger, that the SoC and SoH are working as they should be (as the medical device manufacturer intended)?
It seems to me, from what you've posted, you feel it's valid to ignore that issue, make assumptions, take a chance, and go ahead and purchase something that's standard with the same form-factor and electrical specification (but not necessarily the same battery management) anyhow. Not an attitude to be encouraged given guidelines on battery management from the MHRA.
I do in fact, contrary to popular belief, have plenty of "hands-on" experience and know for a fact that some "standard packs" supplied by 3rd parties for use with M3 monitors can cause problems because they're not fully smart-compatible. By standard do you mean the 3600mAh NimH or 7200mAh Li-Ion used in these type of monitors??
You need to check to see if the device manufacturer has picked a standard battery or custom, most times companies are going to pick standard since one of the advantages of smart batteries is standardization and proven (although new) technology, the battery has probably be used in many similar curcumstances and there's probably less chance that sometime down the line it's going to cause you problems.
It's a fact newer batteries are life-cycle and age limited and degrade over time irrespective of supplier, whether they're custom or standard and whether they've been abused or not. This must be factored into the lifetime costs.
We should expect replacement of up to 2 packs using newer battery technologies over the lifetime of a medical device that uses them and should therefore factor this into the purchase price, get a one-off discount on the purchase to cover a pack replacement, or arrange replacements when required, FOC, contractually. It can be done, should be done and it's a forward-thinking approach; it has been tried where I work.
Li-Ion, for example, give about 150-250 useful cycles, degrade more quickly at higher operating and storage temperatures and when stored fully charged - they have a 3-5 year shelf-life that's more or less fixed dependent upon the quality (consider you get what you pay for) and the countdown is from the day they're manufactured.
