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O U T P A T 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 | D E C E M B E R 2 0 1 5
Going Green Can Save You Green
10 ways that environmental stewardship can really pay off.
G
oing
green
is the
right thing to do
for the environ-
ment, but taking
steps to reduce
your facility's
carbon footprint
can also result
in significant
returns on eco-
friendly invest-
ments. Here are 10 ways you can save big by reprocessing, reorganiz-
ing, reducing and recycling.
1. Reprocess SUDs
When you outsource the sterile processing of single-use devices
(SUD) to government-regulated third-party vendors, you buy back the
devices at typically half the original cost. In 2014, hospitals with sin-
gle-use-device reprocessing programs saved an average of $130,286,
with additional savings in lower waste disposal fees, according to
Practice Greenhealth's 2015 Sustainability Benchmark Report
(osmag.net/CmGy6Z). The University of Washington Hospitals in Seattle
diverted 5.8 tons of waste and saved $496,123 in 2008 by reprocessing
more than 100 different SUDs.
B U S I N E S S A D V I S O R
Julie Moyle, MSN, RN
z FLOW CHART Direct-to-
drain fluid waste management
systems limit the amount of
costly regulated medical waste.