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D E C E M B E R 2 0 1 5 | O U T P AT I E N T S U R G E R Y M A G A Z I N E O N L I N E
return on investment
after 8 months.
Boulder Community
Hospital in Colorado
spent $150,000 on
rigid sterilization con-
tainers in 2003 and by
2005 had reduced its
annual blue wrap pur-
chase expenses from
$250,000 to $60,000 —
less than a 2-year pay-
back. Additionally, the
hospital substituted
peel pouches for blue wrap in preparing sterile towel packs, which
were the most frequently sterilized items. To date, the hospital has
saved over $1 million in avoided supply costs.
7. Go direct-to-drain for fluid waste
Fluid waste management systems dramatically reduce RMW
and the risk of exposure to bloodborne pathogens. Automatically
discharging fluid waste directly into the sewer system in compli-
ance with local and state regulations can replace the need for dis-
posable plastic suction canisters and chemical solidifiers. In 2010,
the technology let Bronson Methodist Hospital in Kalamazoo,
Mich., avoid generating 8 tons of RMW and reduce the volume of
plastic suction canisters purchased for a savings of $7,200. St.
Mary's Hospital Medical Center in Green Bay, Wis., implemented a
fluid management system in 2007 that reduces its regulated med-
ical waste by 5,400 pounds each year for an annual savings of more
z HARD EVIDENCE Sterilization
containers eliminate the need to
purchase and dispose of blue wrap.
