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The New York Presbyterian Hospital, Weill Cornell Campus
Following a detailed Waste Audit at NYPH, we determined that 60% of the regulated medical waste was actually solid waste. Walsh undertook a shared savings program whereby we supplied The Waste Tracker System and all support and training, in return for a portion of the incremental savings. We carried out the following work.
Waste Reduction Program
Walsh’s account manager spent the first 10 weeks at the hospital, delivering numerous training and in- service sessions to housekeeping, nursing, labs and any others involved. Walsh’s promotional campaign, including signage and handouts, was critical to people’s understanding and cooperation in this mission. Monthly Waste Audits tracked performance and reinforced the message.
Policy
We worked with Infection Control to ensure that policy was up-to-date and appropriate. These policies became an important part of the overall message that Walsh was delivering.
Technology
Using our proprietary Waste Tracker technology, our account manager performed ongoing surveys of NYPH’s waste stream. He recorded comments, took digital photographs, and suggested improvements, all using the hand-held Waste Tracker computer.
Follow up
Every day, e-mails were sent to those departments that had been visited with the Walsh Waste Tracker, alerting them to instances of non-compliance or congratulating them on waste reduction success.
Results After One Year
- Reduced medical waste by 65%, which represents 450 tons annually.
- Reduced the total RMW cost by over $400,000 annually.
- 90% reduction in dioxin and mercury pollution from incineration.
- 60% reduction in greenhouse gases from incineration.
Next Steps
Expansion: Due to the tremendous first-year success of the Waste Tracker System, the NYPH is expanding the Waste Tracker to their 1000 bed uptown campus.
Recycling: With red bags under control, a comprehensive recycling is now being implemented to further reduce waste management costs and to help the environment. We anticipate saving an additional $200,000 per year from this environmental initiative.
The University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics
In 1996, the UIHC undertook an initiative to reduce their medical waste. By 1998, they had reduced their medical waste volume by 30%. They realized that any additional reductions would require some sort of “Power Tool” to get the job done.
The Walsh Waste Tracker was installed in January 1999, and by the end of the first RMW volume by over 320,000 lbs, or 50%. This project paid for itself in less than a year, and has helped with regulatory and compliance issues as well.
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