Trust Medical Waste Management to the Professionals
As the healthcare industry in our country continues to develop, it’s exciting to think about the future, and the possibilities for continually improving our quality of life. But there is a growing downside to the advances being made: the medical waste that is generated is becoming increasingly harder to handle. And as healthcare becomes more and more advanced, the costs continue to go up as well, which causes a lot of healthcare professionals to stress about saving money. This can lead some to consider handling their medical waste themselves, thinking that would be more cost effective than hiring someone else to handle it, but there are numerous reasons why that could end up costing you a lot more in the long run.
The Facts of Medical Waste
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), here are some current statistics about medical waste:
- Of the total amount of waste generated by health-care activities, about 85% is general, non-hazardous waste. The remaining 15% is considered hazardous material that may be infectious, toxic or radioactive.
- Every year, an estimated 16 billion injections are administered worldwide, but not all of the needles and syringes are properly disposed of afterwards.
- Health-care waste contains potentially harmful microorganisms, which can infect hospital patients, health workers and the general public.
- Health-care waste in some circumstances is incinerated, and dioxins, furans and other toxic air pollutants may be produced as emissions.
Because there are two different kinds of medical waste – Regulated Medical Waste (RMW) and Unregulated Medical Waste (UMW), it can be tempting to dispose of everything at the same time and in the same place. While some unregulated medical waste can be thrown in your garbage can, regulated medical waste has to be disposed of in compliance with federal and state laws. So unless you have the proper equipment, training, licensing and compliance standards for RMW disposal, your best option is to hire a professional medical waste disposal company to manage it for you.
Leave it to the Professionals
There are a lot of medical waste management companies out there, so it may seem daunting to find the right one. There are two main things to keep in mind when looking for the best management company for your needs:
Compliance – Any company worth their salt will be fully compliant with all federal and state laws surrounding any type of medical waste, but very specifically for RMW. Most healthcare professionals are aware of the basic requirements of these laws, but have no idea about the intricacies to each one. This is why professional waste management companies and their employees are trained and certified to use the right equipment and methods for proper disposal of RMW, including using the required types of containers for collection and transportation. In addition, any certified waste management company should be able to provide you with certificates of destruction, so you have the appropriate paper trail for your records, removing any doubt that your RMW is disposed of properly.
Service Options – Find a company that can securely manage all of your waste, not just one specific type. Whether it’s sharps, biomedical or red bag waste, personal health information (PHI) or document destruction, a full-service waste management company should be able to cover all of your disposal needs, saving you time and money. Good customer service can be hard to come by, so make sure that the company you choose is efficient, safe and ready to respond when you have a question or a concern.
In most situations, leaving certain jobs to the professionals is the best approach, and medical waste disposal is definitely one of those jobs. If you need help with expert waste management, contact us at SecureMed – we can assess your current needs and provide you with a free quote. Give us a call today!
