Medical Waste Articles

“Taking out the trash” is a lot less simple when it includes cast-off wound dressings, hypodermics used on patients with potentially infectious diseases, and tumors and other excised tissue. Different types of medical waste get handled according to their content and risk levels, but many people working in healthcare are unaware of what actually happens to the waste.

Facility-acquired infections are a big problem in healthcare circles, and preventing them is an issue that looms large for healthcare facilities – and not just for larger hospitals and nursing facilities. Small medical offices, clinics and other outpatient facilities must also be on guard against facility-acquired infections.

Medical waste disposal is serious business. Without its correct segregation, storage, containment, handling, and disposal, medical waste can potentially transmit infectious diseases or other hazardous risks to healthcare workers, the public, waste handlers, and the environment.

Most healthcare teams are keenly aware of the threat posed to humans and the environment by medical and hazardous waste, which requires them to follow certain protocols for its disposal. What you may not realize, however, is that you remain accountable for your waste until the very end of its lifecycle. Called “cradle-to-grave,” this responsibility is one companies need to take very seriously.

The average neighborhood pharmacy generates a good amount of medical and pharmaceutical waste, and the amount and types of waste they generate has been steadily increasing in recent years as their roles in their communities expand. While those roles were once largely limited to filling prescriptions and selling over-the-counter medications and other health-related merchandise, many are branching out to provide other services.

With one-third of medical waste generated every year coming from private clinics and practices, that’s a whopping 1.9 million tons requiring safe disposal. Managing medical waste is one of the least pleasant aspects of practice administration but one of the most essential, which means it's likely one of your priorities. When the medical team resists complying with your hard-won methods, your waste management vendor treats you like just another number, and you find yourself stuck between a rock and a hard place, it’s time to identify a service provider who works for you. Here’s what you should be looking for.

Congratulations, you finally got a handle on how to properly package your facility’s medical waste! Then you learn your state’s laws are just slightly different from federal regulations. Or you discover some staff members, even after careful training, aren’t complying with proper disposal. Now what?

Dealing with medical waste is one of the details of daily life in the medical environment that often flies under the radar of medical staff. However, it cannot escape the attention of office managers or administrators who are in charge of seeing that it is handled in compliance with state and federal disposal regulations. Typically, one of the more difficult aspects of managing this process is the day-to-day task of ensuring that the various categories of medical waste are properly disposed of by the clinical staff members who generate them. If this is an issue in your workplace, here are some steps you can take that may help to resolve it:

Managing medical waste is not for the faint of heart . . . and neither is managing a medical office. Your facility’s staff must adhere to strict, sometimes time-consuming medical waste guidelines and regulations while providing the highest level of patient care. You must protect the health of your patients, your employees, and on a larger scale, the community-at-large and the environment. Following best practices in health care delivery, medical waste management, and medical office management can streamline processes and help ensure the best delivery of service in each area.

However, no matter how well your staff follows processes and procedures, mistakes will be made. Handling medical waste can be confusing and your medical office is a fast-paced environment. To help, we’ve compiled a list of common medical office mistakes related to compliance for you to keep as a handy reference. Perhaps sharing these with your staff can jumpstart some helpful conversations related to compliance issues.

Hiring a medical waste service provider doesn’t mean you can surrender responsibility for how your waste is handled. Your medical facility is responsible for its medical waste from the moment it’s generated until the moment it’s rendered harmless and can be recycled or thrown away. Any incident with your medical waste is your organization’s responsibility, even when you’ve contracted with a fully permitted waste service provider. They can make mistakes that result in penalties and fines for your practice.