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D E C E M B E R 2 0 1 5 | O U T P A T I E N TS U R G E R Y. N E T
2. Prune your supply kits
Reviewing the contents of OR procedure kits and packs and elimi-
nating items that largely go unused saves an average of $1,028 per kit,
according to Practice Greenhealth's Healthier Hospitals 2015
Milestone Report (osmag.net/DK4Qej). At the University of Maryland
Medical Center (UMMC) in Baltimore, staff monitored the contents of
their packs and identified an unused or return rate of more than 10%.
Since 2010, they have reduced the return rate to 1.2%, which resulted
in savings in 2014 of more than $140,000.
3. Move (back) to reusables
More than 80% of Practice Greenhealth's award-winning hospitals use
reusable devices in the OR. According to Practice Greenhealth, UMMC
moved to reusable textiles more than 15 years ago, and in 2010, diverted
138,748 pounds of waste and saved $38,850 in avoided waste disposal
costs. The medical center also saved $39,000 in returned instruments
alone. Kaiser Permanente reduced its regulated medical waste (RMW) by
3.8% and diverted 30 tons of medical waste by using reusable surgical
gowns and basin sets.
4. Segregate regulated medical waste
With minimal upfront or capital costs, you can save big on RMW.
All it takes is education, benchmarking, staff training, appropriate
receptacle size, color and placement, as well as regular auditing and
data tracking. Magee-Womens Hospital of the University of
Pittsburgh Medical Center achieved a 47% reduction in RMW, divert-
ing 28,795 pounds of waste and saving $89,000. By diverting and
recycling surgical waste, Inova Fairfax Hospital in Falls Church, Va.,
decreased RMW in its ORs by 18.6% over a 6-month period, resulting
in $15,000 in savings.