ent orthopedic pro-
cedures," says
Martin Jones, the
facility's director of
green environmental
management servic-
es. "It didn't take
very long before it
was very clear that
there were clear
benefits associated
with their use.
Orthopedics is a
fluid-intensive spe-
cialty, so never stop
looking for new and better ways to dispose of fluid waste."
Direct-to-drain closed or wall-mounted systems are more expensive
than traditional open-canister disposal methods, yet their proven abili-
ty to reduce staff exposure and to decrease the cost of medical waste
disposal make them worth the investment. Plus, as Mr. Jones points
out, disposable canisters are a direct cost in your OR budget. You
need to consider the purchase price for each canister and the expens-
es associated with delivery, storage and disposal in regulated red bag
waste, which costs 20¢ to 50¢ per pound to have removed.
Iowa City VA Medical Center purchased direct-to-drain mobile col-
lection units for each of its 6 main ORs, its cystoscopy room and for
its 17-OR ASC. The facility paid $16,000 per unit and $12,500 per dock-
ing station. The systems save the medical center about $25,000 a year
in costs related to the manpower and time it takes to collect and dis-
A U G U S T 2 0 1 8 • O U T PA T I E N T S U R G E R Y. N E T • 2 7
• STOP THE FLOW Arthroscopic procedures often require a high level of suction to
keep fluid off the floor.
Overlook
Medical
Center
