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CASE STUDY B:
Medium Private Hospital (MPH)
Description
MPH is a 383-bed hospital and related healthcare system that autoclaves their medical waste. MPH was a "mercury free facility" at the start of the HCEPT project.
Purchasing Practices
MPH uses a General Purchasing Organization (GPO) to purchase its products. A Product Evaluation Committee is responsible for product selection decisions.
HCEPT Implementation
The facility selected five products to analyze using the tool (see Table 1). Three suppliers were selected for IV bags, two suppliers for IV tubing, one supplier for both types of ID bracelets, and another supplier for the smoke evacuator tubing set. A total of eight product inquiries were made. The purchasing agent sent the tool to regional or area managers in an effort to "hit a level much higher than sales." MPH orders a truckload of IV products daily.
Table 1: Selected products for MPH in HCEPT study.
Product
Substance of Concern
ID bracelets (regular)
PVC
ID bracelets (radiation)
PVC
IV bags
PVC
IV tubing
PVC
Smoke evacuator tubing set
PVC
Supplier Response
Four of the suppliers responded to MPH’s inquiries. The Environmental Scores for ID bracelets, IV bags, IV tubing, and the smoke evacuator tubing set ranged from 6 to 14.75. Using the Alternative Products List, suppliers of IV bags and IV tubing indicated that they offer products with lower PVC content. The supplier of IV bags included the company’s environmental policy. However, MPH did not receive sufficient information to be able to differentiate between suppliers based on environmental attributes, as the HCEPT was intended to do.
MPH surveyed the supplier of a smoke evacuator tubing set the facility was in the process of purchasing. The supplier responded promptly. This suggests that there could be a better response rate when the vendor is in the process of trying to sell the product.
Impact of HCEPT on Facility
MPH is considering switching their IV tubing. They currently purchase about 21,600 units per month. They predict that this process will take six months to one year. To date, they are not aware of a comparable product. MPH also reported that "environmental attributes" was moved up as a priority in deciding which products to purchase.
According to MPH, the project "was a positive experience." The facility contact said that the tool gave them an effective way to integrate environmental considerations into purchasing. It is effective because it is "structured." The tool makes environmental attributes a formal part of the process.
Possible lower PVC content in 260,000 items per year
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