PERISCOPE


Healthcare providers shouldn’t be green about going green


by Jimmy Chung, M.D., MBA, FACS, FABQAURP, CMRP M


ost of us on this planet might consider 2020 and 2021 as the years when everything changed. Even as we struggled with the pandemic, climate change manifested itself in some of the most dramatic ways imaginable, such as record-setting temperatures, apocalyp- tic wildfi res and unprecedented drought. Every industry is refocusing on reducing environmental harm, and healthcare is no exception.


Of the nearly $1 trillion wasted annually


by the U.S. healthcare system, a signifi cant portion is attributable to unnecessary vari- ability and lack of standardization.1


For


example, one study showed that the aver- age neurosurgical case wasted nearly $1,000 of unused products due to variability.2 The average hospital could reduce supply expenses by 18% through standardization without sacrifi cing quality.3


ating rooms, depending on the facility.6 The wide range suggests variability that could be standardized to best practice, but most hospitals do not measure how much anesthetic gas is actually used or wasted into the atmosphere. In addition, among the commonly used anesthetic gases, there is as much as a 20-fold variance in their potency as a GHG.7


While this is a controversial


topic in the clinical community, no specifi c anesthesia gas has been shown to result in significant differences in any patient outcomes.8


Two very tan-


gible and high-yield opportunities can help operating rooms achieve this: reduction of GHG effect from anesthesia gases and opti- mized use of reprocessed products (RPs). Healthcare contributes about 10% of the total greenhouse gases (GHG) emitted in the United States. Hospitals produce about 40% of this, of which about half come from operating rooms, mostly through anesthesia gases, energy use and surgical supplies.4,5 Anesthesia gases may account for between 5% and 65% of the GHGs emitted by oper-


By changing practice, hospitals can reduce both cost and GHG emissions without affecting quality of care. Reprocessing of “single-use” surgical devices is a solution that could reduce cost and the amount of solid waste. However, this seemingly straightforward solution is not without challenges. One major chal- lenge is the stigma of the “reprocessed” label that incorrectly implies inferior qual- ity, like “used” or “refurbished” products in other industries, such as cars or per- sonal electronics. In reality, the method of “reprocessing” is often much more than simply cleaning and repackaging a used item; many reprocessed products (RPs) are technically “remanufactured,” utilizing used items as raw materials. Communicating the quality and reliabil- ity of RPs and dispelling myths about the reprocessing process to end users is critical


to the success of initiatives to optimize the use of RPs. A 2015 study that compared reprocessed diathermy devices to identical original equipment manufacturer (OEM) controls found fewer defects in the repro- cessed devices.9


One explanation for this


may be that RPs are individually checked and tested prior to being packaged for sale, whereas mass-produced OEM products are usually checked for quality through random selection. Optimal use of RPs must also include a thorough analysis of their true “end-to- end” environmental impact compared to OEM products. While use of RPs should decrease the amount of solid waste (and also the demand for OEM device produc- tion), factors unique to reprocessing should also be considered, such as the energy required to collect and ship used products, the water and energy used for reprocess- ing and potential impact of any cleaning chemicals. The concern for climate change and the role of supply chain cannot be overstated. Global efforts to use resources responsibly and reduce environmental harm must be sustainable and uniformly adopted by all industries. In healthcare, improving the use of anesthesia gases and increasing the adoption of RPs are just two of these oppor- tunities that can be implemented without delay as part of a broad and holistic strategy toward stewardship and sustainability. Supply chain professionals are uniquely positioned to lead these discussions and bring together the right multidisciplinary stakeholders through education and data analytics. HPN


Visit https://hpnonline.com/21245954 for references.


Matthew J. Eckelman , Jodi Sherman, Environmental Impacts of the U.S. Health Care System and Effects on Public Health https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0157014


44 December 2021 • HEALTHCARE PURCHASING NEWS • hpnonline.com


Jimmy Chung, M.D., MBA, FACS, FABQA URP, CMRP, is Chief Medical Offi cer, Advan- tus Health Partners, a subsidiary of Bon Secours Mercy Health, Cincinnati. Chung is a member of the Editorial Advisory Board of Healthcare Pur- chasing News, and next month becomes Chair, Association for Healthcare Resource & Materials Management (AHRMM) Advisory Board.


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48  |  Page 49  |  Page 50