By Laura Vernon, Sustainability Consultant
As our health system begins a shift towards encouraging population health as a way to reduce costs, the focus on a healthy environment must take on added urgency.
Karen Conway, Immediate Past AHRMM Board Chair and Vice President, Healthcare Value at GHX passionately stated, “Many of the decisions made in procurement result in waste streams or increased energy usage. More sustainable procurement practices can help reduce unnecessary purchases and source products and services that reduce the negative impacts on the environment.”
The Purchasing Power Of The Healthcare Community
Think about the purchasing power of the healthcare community—on average, hospitals spent $3.8 million per hospital on medical supplies in 2013, which was 15 percent of total expenses. Some hospitals attributed as much as 40 percent of its expenses to supplies, according to research published in Medical Care Research and Review last year. One study found hospitals on average spent $4,470 per admission on supply expenses.”
The Importance Of Environmentally Friendly Products
The purchasing power of the healthcare supply chain is a testament to its importance and how busy healthcare supply chain professionals are. However, with great power comes added responsibility to protect the environment and its people. Are healthcare supply chain professionals knowledgeable of the toxic chemicals, such as DEHP, BPOEs, BPA, that are present in medical devices and other purchased products? Do they know how the materials purchased will be disposed and what impact it may have on the environment? How many know whether #5 polypropylene plastic is recyclable or not? There are a lot of nuances in understanding which materials and products are less toxic for patients, or are “environmentally preferable.”
Sustainability Education For Busy Professionals
Busy professionals need information that is vetted, trusted and is easy to access when on-the-go—things are looking up in that regard. Since the healthcare sector launched efforts into Environmentally Preferable Purchasing (EPP) almost 20 years ago, with the leadership of Practice Greenhealth, today most GPOs (Group Purchasing Organizations) have dedicated resources to assist members in navigating this complexity.
MindClick has pulled together a database containing environmental health profiles of mainstream products currently used in healthcare. In partnership with Vizient and Premier, the rapidly growing database already contains medical and nonmedical products from over 80 suppliers covering more than 100 product categories.
Making the Case for Sustainability In The Healthcare Supply Chain
The world and its inhabitants cannot thrive if the environment is polluted and dangerous. Therefore, improving the health of the natural world is a foundational step in improving the health of the population. The products and materials used in healthcare matter as they do have a carbon footprint. Healthcare supply chain professionals should recognize the population health impacts of that footprint and minimize it while also reducing costs and continuously improving care.
Organizations that prioritize population health often find these efforts congruent with environmental sustainability programs which aim to promote clean air, clean water, clean landscapes, and clean food. These organizations then find it easier to align sustainability and health promotion goals, and for example, switch to green cleaners, serve antibiotic-free chicken, specify flame-retardant-free furniture, or manage a robust and cost-effective recycling program.
What You Can Do In Your Organization
To perform an assessment of your organization’s procurement practices with regard to sustainability, here are a few questions you can ask.
- Does your organization have a sustainable, preferable purchasing policy awareness?
- Is including EPP criteria a part of the CQO, value analysis process
- Is supply chain a part of your organization’s green team?
- Do you know your GPO’s sustainability expert contact? (If not, call them!)
To learn more about sustainability and healthcare, please visit the Sustainability Roadmap for Hospitals.