It's a new year, and that is always a great time to reevaluate your current medical waste management plan. If you fear you were overpaying in 2016, now is the time to review your current waste management costs and try to determine ways to minimize expenses—without sacrificing quality or reliability of service. To aid in keeping your cost of waste disposal low, the following are three important tactics within any cost-effective plan.
Cost of Waste Management: 3 Tips to Help Your Medical Facility Stay on Budget
Tip #1: Know the Difference between a Waste Management Contract and a Waste Management Service Agreement
One of the easiest ways to overpay your total medical waste disposal cost is by getting locked into a pricy multiyear waste disposal contract. Within these contracts, it's common to pay one high monthly fee for myriad services. However, because medical facilities so often do not require all these services month in and month out, it often leads to overpaying.
So, what's the alternative to waste management contracts? A service agreement tends to be a smarter financial choice for many medical facilities. Under a waste management service agreement, you simply pay for what you use that month. Period.
Of course, your individual facility will need to determine what makes the most financial sense for you. If you require a large number of medical waste–related services every month, a contract might be a good fit for you. You'll have to do your research, ask the right questions, and crunch the numbers.
Tip #2: OSHA Compliance Training Is Key
One key to reasonable waste disposal costs is to avoid unnecessary expenditures, and that includes hefty OSHA fines. If, during an OSHA audit, you or any of your employees are found to be in violation of OSHA's rules, regulations, or laws, it can quickly become very expensive. (And facilities need to be even more careful in 2017 because those rates recently increased.)
As the government becomes more stringent about compliance with all annual OSHA training, your facility needs to be vigilant about your compliance. Waste management cost is high enough; don't needlessly inflate your burden by adding fines on top of everything else.
Tip #3: Keep Waste Management Pricing Low with a Full-Service Company
In any industry, it's inevitably easier and cheaper to work with one full-service company rather than trying to juggle multiple businesses. Working with a full-service waste management company that can handle all your medical waste disposal needs can be an easy way to keep costs down. Especially if you periodically need a multitude of services (document destruction, OSHA compliance training, pharmaceutical waste disposal, and so on), one company that knows you and your business can cut down on dollars and cents but also the time and hassle of trying to logistically schedule and work with multiple companies.
Just make sure to work with a company that has all the permitting, insurance, and certifications required to handle and transport your waste types. Picking the right company is essential because you are ultimately responsible for that waste until its proper treatment and disposal. If the company you select causes damage with your waste, that financial liability can come back around to you.
For more information about tactics and techniques to legally and safely minimize your waste disposal cost, please feel free to reach out to a representative of MCF Environmental Services, a waste management Atlanta company.
