Health Facilities Management
October 2012
By Jeff Ferenc, senior editor
Hospitals committed to sustainability increased their savings substantially in 2011 compared to the previous year, largely by expanding tried-and-true conservation actions that cut waste and use of resources.
The 2012 Sustainability Benchmark Report recently released by Practice Greenhealth, Reston, Va., shows that the 149 hospitals that qualified as the organization’s 2012 Environmental Excellence Award winners saved a combined $55 million in 2011 by cutting waste in several operational areas.
That’s a 22 percent increase compared with the $43 million in savings achieved by the 2011 award winners in 2010, says Lin Hill, director of awards, Practice Greenhealth. The three levels of award winners depend on their sustainability achievements.
…Of the $55 million in waste reductions achieved by the hospitals analyzed, about $49 million was derived through single-use device (SUD) reprocessing, recycling and electric power reduction.
The $18.3 million in savings through SUD reprocessing was the most in any single category, and represents a 35 percent increase from the $11.8 million saved in 2010, says Hill. Pulse oximeters, compression sleeves and catheters were the most commonly reprocessed devices. “The nice thing about reprocessing is that it’s applicable to every organization whether you’re small or large,” says Wadhwa…