Like other Joint Commission certifications, it requires healthcare organizations to follow evidence-based practices.

The link between sustainability and health outcomes is becoming more widely accepted. According to the American Hospital Association, environmental factors contribute to chronic diseases, including asthma and cancer. The AHA has committed to helping its members — more than 5,000 health systems and hospitals — by outlining guidelines to get started.

A 2023 study of healthcare systems by the Commonwealth Fund found four in five believe it’s important for their hospital to address climate change with sustainability programs.

Patients are also increasingly concerned about healthcare sustainability.

Research by Cleanlink shows 94% of patients say sustainability matters when choosing a provider. Efforts to create hospital sustainability have evolved since then, as has the public’s perception of the importance of these efforts. Today, there is a growing push to incentivize health systems to undertake climate mitigation initiatives, from reducing energy consumption to implementing greener waste disposal practices.

Sustainable Healthcare Certification Program Objectives

The Joint Commission’s Sustainable Healthcare Certification incentivizes hospitals to decrease waste and reduce their carbon footprint through several key objectives:

• Reducing the environmental impact of healthcare facilities by reducing medical waste
• Promoting resource efficiency, encouraging the efficient use of energy, water, and materials
• Enhancing the health and wellbeing of patients, staff and the broader community by fostering healthier environments
• Encouraging healthcare leadership to adopt renewable energy infrastructure projects and other innovative strategies

Criteria for Achieving Sustainability Certification

The Joint Commission evaluates health systems based on several criteria categorized into key areas. To achieve certification, they must demonstrate competency in these areas:

Leadership and Governance

Hospitals and health systems must maintain a comprehensive sustainability policy. They must demonstrate leadership’s active involvement in promoting and implementing sustainable practices. Staff must also be engaged, ensuring that all levels of the organization align with their sustainability goals.

Energy Management

The Commission evaluates how organizations use renewable resources and their ability to monitor and consistently report energy consumption and savings.

Water Management

Healthcare facilities must implement measures to reduce water consumption and effectively manage wastewater. Regular monitoring and reporting are essential to ensure that the organization continually improves its water management practices.

Waste Management

Strategies to minimize waste generation are evaluated, along with the implementation of comprehensive recycling programs for various types of waste. Safe handling and disposal of hazardous waste ensures the safety of staff, patients and the environment.

Sustainable Procurement

The Joint Commission evaluates healthcare facilities on procurement of environmentally friendly products and materials. It’s crucial to engage with suppliers to promote sustainable practices and consider products’ environmental impact throughout their lifecycle.

Indoor Environmental Quality

The Commission evaluates whether the facility offers patients and staff a healthy and safe environment. Critical factors include:

• • • • • Steps to ensuring good indoor air quality
        • Using energy-efficient and health-promoting lighting systems
        • Using non-toxic and sustainable materials in construction and furnishings

Partner with WasteMedX to Achieve Your Sustainability Goals

The Joint Commission’s Sustainable Healthcare Certification is a significant step toward promoting environmental responsibility in the healthcare sector. Waste disposal is a critical component of the certification process. Effective waste management practices are essential to minimizing healthcare facilities’ ecological footprint.

By adhering to stringent waste disposal standards, the healthcare sector can significantly reduce pollution and contribute to a cleaner, safer environment, aligning with the certification’s goals of promoting sustainability and resource efficiency.

WasteMedX partners with healthcare providers to implement a more sustainable, eco-friendly waste disposal process. Our technology treats red bag waste, sharps, trace chemo, and more, dramatically reducing our client’s disposal costs. As healthcare leaders work toward reducing their carbon footprint and improving energy efficiency, WasteMedX helps them achieve the cleaner waste disposal required for the Joint Commission Sustainable Healthcare Certification.

Are you interested in cutting your greenhouse gas emissions by 50%?

Contact WasteMedX today for a consultation.

Trace Chemo

Trace chemo is medical waste that has come into contact with very small or ‘trace’ amounts of chemotherapeutic agents. Examples include empty vials that once housed chemotherapy drugs and IV bags used to administer chemotherapy.

Because this type of waste has only minimal traces of chemo, it is seen as less hazardous than bulk chemo waste that contains higher agent quantities. However, trace chemo still requires careful disposal based on the chemicals’ toxicity.

Sharps

In medical waste, sharps refer to any items that can potentially puncture or cut skin. Needles, syringes, and scalpels all fall under this umbrella, as do broken test tubes.

While the safe disposal of sharps is critical in preventing needlestick injuries to healthcare and waste management workers, it’s also a matter of avoiding transmission of bloodborne pathogens.

Non-Hazardous Pharmaceuticals

Non-hazardous pharmaceuticals are medications that are not classified as hazardous waste by industry regulators. When disposed of properly, these medicines — a list that includes non-prescription drugs like aspirin and ibuprofen — are not deemed to pose a significant risk to human health or the environment.

HIPAA Documents

HIPAA documents are considered part of the medical waste stream because they contain protected health information. To maintain confidentiality and avoid unauthorized access to sensitive patient information, these documents must be discarded in a secure manner.

Pathological Waste

Pathological waste refers to tissues and other biological materials removed in medical procedures. Because of its potential to be infectious, this category of medical waste is generally considered hazardous, with special handling and disposal methods required.

Effective Waste Disposal Starts With Segregation at the Source

When it comes to disposing of medicines, sharp, and other non-hazardous materials, proper segregation at the source is critical. By accurately categorizing and separating waste, healthcare facilities can enhance safety and compliance while lowering costs.

For example, over-the-counter medications often get added to red bag disposal containers even though it’s unnecessary. This can increase the volume of red bag waste and the subsequent costs for handling and disposing of biohazardous materials. Careful segregation at the outset of waste management helps keep costs in check.

The use of clearly labeled, color-coded bags and containers helps ensure staff adhere to protocols.

Ensure Containers Are Durable Enough To Handle Waste Needs

While on the topic of medical waste containers, it’s important to ensure containers are able to safely accommodate stored waste. Generally, this means medical waste containers should be leak-proof and outfitted with secure lids.

When handling sharps, puncture-resistant containers become especially critical. Sharp medical waste containers are generally made from durable, thick plastic and include fill-level indicators to ensure they aren’t over capacity, which would increase the risk of punctures.

Leverage Sustainable Treatment & Disposal Options

Neutralizing or destroying medical waste of various types is achieved through a few different routes:

• Autoclaving (steam sterilization): Waste is subjected to a high-pressure steam that kills microorganisms and makes the waste safe for disposal. This is a common method for treating infectious waste like contaminated sharps.
• Incineration: Often used for pathological waste and pharmaceuticals, burning waste thermally treats it and destroys pathogens.
• Chemical treatment: Suitable for liquid waste like laboratory solutions, disinfectants or other chemical agents are used to neutralize pathogens.

While autoclaving and chemical treatment are recognized as more eco-friendly options to treat and dispose of medical waste, there’s an even better option on the table: ozone treatment technology.

Ozone treatment technology effectively destroys pathogens in medical waste without generating byproducts or greenhouse gases. Ozone treatment systems generally use less energy than conventional waste treatment options, and the process leaves behind no residue or ash, further minimizing the overall waste that requires disposal.

One of the other main benefits of ozone treatment technology is that it can be applied to a wide range of medical waste streams. Healthcare facilities can use it to effectively treat non-hazardous regulated medical waste in the six categories described above: sharps, red bag waste, trace chemo, non-hazardous pharmaceuticals, pathological waste and HIPAA documents.

Turn to WasteMedX for Your Medical Waste Disposal Needs

WasteMedX is dedicated to providing healthcare facilities with safe, efficient, and cost-effective solutions for medical waste disposal. Utilizing state-of-the-art ozone treatment technology, we can effectively treat and dispose of a wide range of medical streams such as red bag waste, trace chemo, sharps, non-hazardous pharmaceuticals, HIPAA documents, and pathological waste.

Learn more about our services.