Today’s healthcare professionals are being challenged to reduce the environmental footprint their facilities create. Why the focus on greening healthcare? When you look at it broadly, the impact is huge.
Hospitals are fully operational 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The nation’s 8,000 hospitals spend more than $5 billion annually on energy, often equaling 1 to 3 percent of a typical hospital’s operating budget or an estimated 15 percent of profits. 2 It is estimated that for every dollar a not-for-profit healthcare organization saves on energy is equivalent to generating $20 in new revenue. Hospitals produce more than 30 lbs. of CO2 emissions per square foot and generate approximately 7,000 tons per day of waste, including infectious waste, hazardous waste, and solid waste1. Hospitals are also major consumers of water for domestic use, heating/cooling and landscaping.
While the facts are overwhelming, there are several ways in which suppliers and GPOs assist healthcare providers. One is through the purchasing department to implement an environmentally preferable purchasing program or EPP. EPP is the process of selecting products and services whose environmental impacts have been found to be less damaging to the environment and human health when compared to competing products/services.
EPP is a proactive approach, where providers can:
· Purchase products that result in less solid waste going to landfills such as products that require less packaging, are reusable or are more efficient;
· Decrease the amount of harmful chemicals in the healthcare supply chain by purchasing items that do not contain mercury, PVC, DEHP or flame retardants;
· Work with GPOs and suppliers to select more environmentally preferable products;
· Identify products to avoid in the supply chain;
· Increase reusable products or products with recycled content; and
· Identify products that receive certain environmental certifications such as Green Seal or EcoLogo certified products or energy star qualified products.
MedAssets supports hospitals through an Environmentally Preferable Purchasing Program, which helps providers become better environmental stewards by identifying opportunities for pollution prevention, waste minimization and toxicity reduction. The program provides information about key environmental issues in healthcare today. The MedAssets Green Index is a contract directory which provides a quick reference to environmentally friendly offerings, products and services available through MedAssets contracts, including more than 100 contracts addressing categories such as reprocessing, food service, consulting services, supplier recycling and reuse programs and more.
In 2009, MedAssets introduced ‘Green Group Buys’ as part of the MedAssets Group Buy Program. Timing for the Group Buy was considered as well as other data such as current installed base, market share trends by supplier, member criteria for selection and member satisfaction with suppliers. Green Buy suppliers provide an opportunity for customers to access market leading pricing and benefits for products or services that support green initiatives by having a measurable, reduced environmental impact and decreasing a facility’s carbon footprint. Green promotions or group buys offer a unique opportunity for customers to access enhanced pricing and promote the environmentally preferable purchasing of green products.
By working together, GPOs and suppliers can help hospitals reduce their solid and hazardous waste, use less toxic products, improve the operational efficiency of buildings, conserve resources and improve occupational and patient health, while also maintaining a tight control on expenses.
For more information about MedAssets’ Environmentally Preferable Purchasing Program, contact lschrubb@medassets.com.
Laura Schrubb l Program Manager, Outreach Services l MedAssets
1 US EPA: Source Link
2 US Department of energy: Source Link