Executive Insight
May 2011
One of the tenets of environmental efforts is “reuse.” And more hospitals, looking to save cash and avoid unnecessary medical waste, are taking this tenet to heart with medical device reprocessing programs.
The reprocessing industry has experienced steady growth in recent years, and this trend continues as hospitals accept reprocessing as an effective way to save cash, as well as the environment.
More than 3,000 U.S. hospitals have adopted reprocessing as a standard of care. Moreover, it is not just the small or physician-employed facilities. The list of those who use reprocessing programs comprises many of the top 100 hospitals, as ranked by US News and World Report, including all of the “honor roll” hospitals and the top 10 cardiovascular hospitals. In addition, leading medical organizations support the use of reprocessed devices, including American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy, Association of Perioperative Registered Nurses and American College of Surgeons…
Reprocessing saves nearly 2.5 million pounds of medical waste from being sent to landfills each year. a typical 300-bed hospital would divert 35,000 pounds of medical waste from landfills and reduce device purchase costs up to 50 percent with savings of $410 a bed, according to Brian Sullivan, President and CEO of SterilMed, a third-party reprocessor…
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The author, Cheryl Schwanke, is Senior Marketing Manager for Customer Retention at SterilMed, an AMDR affiliate.
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