Tag: Waste

Medicare trust fund exhausted by 2030

Editor's Note A report from Medicare trustees on July 22 projects that the Medicare trust fund will be exhausted in 2030. The report also revealed that recipients of Social Security disability benefits could face steep cuts next year. The fund it expected to run out of money in 2016. Congress…

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By: OR Manager
July 22, 2015
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Help is available for managing pharmaceutical waste safely and legally

Like all healthcare facilities, ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs) generate medical waste. Some of that waste is well known to be hazardous, such as blood, tissue, or used needles and syringes. Another type of waste is leftover medication, which is subject to its own regulations and disposal practices. Compliance is a…

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By: OR Manager
April 17, 2015
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Managing the costs of explanted spine hardware

During spinal surgery, it is sometimes necessary to implant and then remove, or explant, instrumentation in the same procedure. Explantation occurs when an implanted plate or spacer does not fit, or implanted screws are too loose or too short. Explanted instrumentation cannot be reused and must be discarded, adding to…

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By: OR Manager
June 7, 2012
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Greener ORs: Keys to making the business case

Perioperative staff and managers face a variety of pressures: improving processes, enhancing patient outcomes, documenting savings, meeting regulations, and more, all in a time of tighter budgets. With so much to balance, it can be difficult to consider (much less sell to upper management) the idea of greening the operating…

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By: OR Manager
May 6, 2012
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Untangling pharmaceutical waste requirements

There’s general agreement that keeping unused pharmaceuticals out of the nation’s water supply is a good idea. But figuring out how to comply with the tangle of regulations governing unused pharmaceuticals isn’t easy. How intensely your facility is involved in managing pharmaceutical waste likely depends on how active US Environmental…

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By: OR Manager
May 5, 2012
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HVAC setback: Saving energy and reducing cost

Depending on your facility’s type and pattern of use, one or more of your ORs likely is not being used a majority of the time. Yet for most facilities, the heating, ventilation, and air-conditioning (HVAC) system operates continuously, providing air exchanges, humidity, and temperature control as if the OR were…

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By: OR Manager
May 4, 2012
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Going green in the OR brings financial, environmental gains

The OR generates more than 40% of a hospital's revenue and between 20% and 30% of its total waste volume, according to Practice Greenhealth, a nonprofit organization dedicated to environmental sustainability in health care. Given those numbers, it's no wonder that being environmentally friendly or "green" doesn't just benefit society—it…

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By: Cynthia Saver, MS, RN
June 1, 2011
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Greening of the OR initiative is launched

The Greening of the OR, a national effort to reduce surgery's big environmental footprint, was launched in May 2010 by Practice Greenhealth. The 2-year-old nonprofit, claiming 1,000 hospital members, sees the OR as a major target for making health care more sustainable. "ORs are the largest waste generators in the…

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By: OR Manager
July 1, 2010
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ORs go green for staff, planet benefits

Boulder Community Foothills Hospital, Boulder, Colorado, emphasizes sustainability. The hospital is flooded with natural light, which saves on utilities and provides respite for patients and staff. OR managers who participate in the design of new or renovated OR suites have an opportunity to promote a healthy environment. But can hospitals…

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By: Cynthia Saver, RN, MS
April 1, 2008
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