With close to 20 years experience in this field, I have developed a few simple guidelines that can and will shave thousands off of your medical waste bill.
1. Research
This is the first and foremost important part of the whole process. Do your homework. Most of the medical waste companies have been in the medical waste business longer than you have been in the medical field. Their goal is to get you to agree to a long lasting agreement in which they can impose rate increases, stop fees, fuel surcharges and other hidden fees. If you are not sure how the process works, hire an expert to assist you in this process. I have found that buying groups are not the answer. Simply, they are trying to bid a group and pass that group rate along to you; hoping it will work for you.
2. Contracts
Contracts are good if they protect your interest. Some medical waste companies have no end contracts or they provide windows, which you must remember, to get out of the contract without a severe penalty. Always include an escape clause to protect your interest.
3. Container Sizes
When accepting bids for your waste, remember to specify a container size and type. Without this clause, you may be stuck with a container you did not expect and a cost you didn’t anticipate.
4. Background Checks
Do a little extra work and talk to other customers of the prospective vendors before making a final decision. This can save you thousands of heart aches.
5. Networking
This final aspect is very important. All across this country is a network of smaller medical waste companies that are still independent. These companies can service your facilities with better rates and response times tailored to your needs. You do not need to be forced to take a company just because they can service your facilities coast to coast. A simple phone call to Gmed Services can help you find other companies to bid on your waste, saving you thousands of dollars on your medical waste stream.
Whether your facility is large or small, these simple steps can save you money.
Gary Gilliam is a medical waste consultant, president of Gmed Services. The openions reflected in this article are his own. For more information visit www.gmedservices.com or email Mr. Gilliam at gilliam.gary@
