Sunday, April 11, 2010

N.M. businessman charged after body parts found at medical waste facility

"A New Mexico businessman has been arrested after six heads and other body parts supposed to be cremated and returned to families were found in a truck at a waste facility in Kansas. Police say bodies intended for organ harvesting for research were dismembered with chain saws and other crude devices."


http://content.usatoday.com/communities/ondeadline/post/2010/04/nm-businessman-charged-after-body-parts-found-at-waste-facility/1

Incineration overused for medical waste

"Incinerators have faced increasing regulation for decades because they release toxic pollutants. But hospitals, labs and medical offices continue to send them wastes that could be processed with less environmental impact, authorities say.

"The truth of the matter is that 90 to 95 percent of the waste that goes to an incinerator doesn't need to go there," said Bill Patrakis, a N.C. Division of Waste Management official who interprets the state's medical-waste rules."


http://www.charlotteobserver.com/2010/04/09/1365463/incineration-overused-for-medical.html

Saturday, March 20, 2010

India: Infectious waste still disposed of in the open

Infectious waste, body parts and sharp discards continue to be mixed with general waste and disposed of in the open even as biomedical waste units have been established and measures taken for segregation at the points of origin. What is more appalling is that sharp objects like needles, syringes, blades and even plastic discards are being blatantly collected from the disposal points and most possibly making way to the illicit recycling units and thereby creating hazardous consequences. These have been brought to the fore in an inspection report submitted to the High Court by its appointed counsel PR Das.

WHO Medical Waste Guide



WHO Programme activities include developing technical guidance materials for assessing the quantities and types of waste produced in different facilities, creating national action plans, developing national healthcare waste management (HCWM) guidelines and building capacity at national level to enhance the way HCW is dealt with in low income countries.

WM Subsidiary Buys Medical Waste Collection Firm

WM Subsidiary Buys Medical Waste Collection Firm

http://wasteage.com/news/waste-management-subsidiary-buys-medical-waste-firm-20091028/

“Our acquisition of Mountain High Medical Disposal Services complements our overall healthcare offering so we can now provide multiple waste services to the healthcare industry,” said Ron Pierce, vice president of WM Healthcare Solutions, in a press release. “This investment represents an important strategic opportunity to offer disposal options, consulting and cost savings for hospitals, clinics, laboratories, doctors' offices and a variety of other healthcare operations in and around Utah and Idaho. The acquisition also adds to our capacity and geographic presence to treat and manage waste from healthcare customers.”

Saturday, March 13, 2010

MedClean Prospectus

http://www.medcleantechnologies.com/wp-content/themes/medclean/docs/v169161_MEDCLEAN-TECHNOLOGIES_424%28b%29%283%29_CLEAN.PDF
Medlcean Prospectus

Stericycle Q4 Analyst Call Transcript

http://seekingalpha.com/article/186827-stericycle-inc-q4-2009-earnings-call-transcript?page=-1&find=stericycle

Stryker Completes Acquisition of Ascent Healthcare Solutions

"The acquisition of Ascent Healthcare Solutions will enhance our value proposition by offering our customers one of the most impactful programs in use at hospitals, allowing for significant costs savings to the healthcare system," said Stephen P. MacMillan, Stryker's Chief Executive Officer. "With Ascent as part of Stryker, we will also help divert thousands of pounds of medical waste from landfills while simultaneously redirecting substantial financial resources to patient care quality initiatives."

http://bit.ly/77bRvF

Ascent helps hospitals act more environmentally responsible and improve the quality of healthcare through more sustainable resource allocations. We do this by reprocessing (cleaning, testing/verifying, packaging and sterilizing) and remanufacturing (disassembling, repairing, and manufacturing) delicate and costly devices that are marketed in North America as "single use" by the original manufacturer and often needlessly thrown away.

We provide the services to our partners needed to realize improved sustainability in medical device use:

* Initial assessment of opportunity to redirect important funds to patient care quality initiatives
* Education of clinical and support personnel
* Establishment and launch of collection programs
* Reprocessing/remanufacturing operations
* Program maintenance
* Supply chain improvement
* Materials Management Information System (MMIS) integration

Our partners include the full range of hospitals from small rural providers, community hospitals and surgery centers to large academic medical centers, integrated delivery networks, and group purchasing organizations. We deliver to our partners—including most of U.S. News & World Report's "Honor Roll" facilities—maximum positive financial and environmental impact through our innovative medical-device reprocessing and remanufacturing services.

Our expertise in advanced medical device technology, science-based quality assurance, and solutions-based clinical implementation, channeled through our unwavering commitment to patient safety and our partners’ success, has made Ascent an undisputed leader in improving patient care through the wise, efficient use of scarce healthcare resources.

Waste Management Is Approved as Medical Waste Mail-Back Vendor in Calif.

http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/waste-management-is-approved-as-mail-back-vendor-in-calif-84584082.html

Green Syringe

http://www.packworld.com/webonly-29272

The Syreen will cut average syringe packaging volume in half, and reduce weight by 30%. This is a massive improvement for an industry that produces over two million tons of medical waste annually, and about 6,600 tons every day.

http://www.fastcompany.com/1567552/green-syringe-to-cut-medical-waste-in-half

Stericycle Q4 2009 Presentation

http://bit.ly/d3HfLn

Stericycle's most recent investor presentation:

- Stericycle controls 12% of $10B global medical waste market
- Stericycle client retention >90%
- Completed 178 acquisitions since 1993