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Driving Supply Chain Savings and Environmental Stewardship in the Healthcare Industry
Hospitals partner with Ascent Healthcare Solutions to save more than $82 million in first half of 2009 through reprocessing and remanufacturing programs
Phoenix — September 2, 2009 — While the debate over healthcare reform rages, Ascent Healthcare Solutions of Phoenix is leading a quiet revolution in reprocessing and remanufacturing that is helping to save hospitals tens of millions of dollars.
Ascent partners with hospitals to implement programs for 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.
Hospitals working with Ascent have saved $82 million in unnecessary supply chain costs in the first six months of 2009, according to the company. This represents a 25 percent increase in savings over the first six months of 2008 as hospitals discover reprocessing and remanufacturing as a key recession-proof strategy that simultaneously saves money and reduces waste.
The private company also takes what it calls an "environmentally conscious approach" to handling and disposing of devices that cannot be reprocessed or remanufactured, reducing the devices to their component parts and properly recycling the materials. The program successfully diverted over 2.5 million pounds (1,286 tons) of waste from local landfills in the first half of 2009, Ascent said.
"Ascent's program enables hospitals to generate supply cost savings and focus on environmental stewardship," said Amy Anthony, senior vice president of supply chain services at VHA Inc., a national health care network that partners with Ascent. "VHA members are leading the charge to reduce costs and harm to the environment with $38 million in savings and one million pounds of waste diversion in 2008 alone. With the recent expansion of our agreement with Ascent, we look forward to seeing even better results in 2009 and beyond."
Ascent offers product packaging and waste storage containers, as well as proprietary educational programs and a partnership approach to help effect a seamless transition in clinical workflow to jump-start results and increase compliance to optimize savings opportunities under its programs.
The company says that by realizing savings opportunities through its programs, hospitals are able to reinvest the savings in patient care initiatives, ranging from continuing education for nurses and educational tools for physicians and interns, to upgrading equipment and increasing or maintaining bedside staffing.
"It is exciting and rewarding to hear about the innovative ways our hospital partners are redirecting the savings from reprocessing and remanufacturing to maintain or enhance patient care," said John Grotting, CEO of Ascent Healthcare Solutions. "Our programs are on the front lines of hospital sustainability, empowering hospitals with effective resource utilization, robust savings opportunities, and an immediate and expansive environmental stewardship program."
Ascent partners with hospitals to implement programs for 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.
Hospitals working with Ascent have saved $82 million in unnecessary supply chain costs in the first six months of 2009, according to the company. This represents a 25 percent increase in savings over the first six months of 2008 as hospitals discover reprocessing and remanufacturing as a key recession-proof strategy that simultaneously saves money and reduces waste.
The private company also takes what it calls an "environmentally conscious approach" to handling and disposing of devices that cannot be reprocessed or remanufactured, reducing the devices to their component parts and properly recycling the materials. The program successfully diverted over 2.5 million pounds (1,286 tons) of waste from local landfills in the first half of 2009, Ascent said.
"Ascent's program enables hospitals to generate supply cost savings and focus on environmental stewardship," said Amy Anthony, senior vice president of supply chain services at VHA Inc., a national health care network that partners with Ascent. "VHA members are leading the charge to reduce costs and harm to the environment with $38 million in savings and one million pounds of waste diversion in 2008 alone. With the recent expansion of our agreement with Ascent, we look forward to seeing even better results in 2009 and beyond."
Ascent offers product packaging and waste storage containers, as well as proprietary educational programs and a partnership approach to help effect a seamless transition in clinical workflow to jump-start results and increase compliance to optimize savings opportunities under its programs.
The company says that by realizing savings opportunities through its programs, hospitals are able to reinvest the savings in patient care initiatives, ranging from continuing education for nurses and educational tools for physicians and interns, to upgrading equipment and increasing or maintaining bedside staffing.
"It is exciting and rewarding to hear about the innovative ways our hospital partners are redirecting the savings from reprocessing and remanufacturing to maintain or enhance patient care," said John Grotting, CEO of Ascent Healthcare Solutions. "Our programs are on the front lines of hospital sustainability, empowering hospitals with effective resource utilization, robust savings opportunities, and an immediate and expansive environmental stewardship program."
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