Medical Waste Disposal Indianapolis, IN

Medical Waste Disposal Indianapolis, IN

With over 30,000 employees working for St. Vincent Health and Indiana University Health, Indianapolis is a city fortunate to have world-class healthcare available to everyone who lives and works in the region.

Healthcare communities work as a team, with doctors, nurses, technicians, and a host of others are sharing information and resources to heal the sick and keep healthy people well. Support industries such as pharmacies, medical supply companies, and medical waste service providers also play a vital role in the system.

Medical waste is a classification under hazardous waste according to Indiana law and is defined as means a solid waste, or combination of solid waste that, because of its quantity, concentration, or physical, chemical or infectious characteristics may:

Cause or significantly contribute to an increase in mortality or an increase in serious irreversible, or incapacitating reversible, illness; or pose a substantial present or potential hazard to human health or the environment when improperly treated, stored, transported, or disposed of, or otherwise managed.

Hazardous wastes come in many forms. They can be liquid, solids, semisolid, or contained gases. They can be manufacturing process byproducts, sludge or spent materials or simply discarded products. Whatever their form, proper management is essential to protect human health and the environment.

In Indiana, medical waste is regulated by the Indiana Department of Environmental Management and information about rules and regulations, definitions and descriptions can be found at this website.

MedPro Disposal operates in 44 states including Indiana with a proven track record of safe and reliable collection, transportation, and disposal of these dangerous by-products of the medical industry.

We pride ourselves on being a responsive company, listening to doctors, nurses, and administrators who have expressed their needs and concerns over the years. Our response is a bundle of benefits we call the MedPro Advantage:

Low Costs: a major issue in the healthcare industry because of tight budgets – MedPro achieves low prices with (1) streamlined procedures, (2) right-sized service plans, and (3) simplified invoicing.

1. MedPro has a national presence in the industry and has the resources and experience to coordinate the collection and transportation of medical waste in a manner that saves mileage, fuel, and time. We are able to pass these savings on to our customers and therefore build trust, loyalty, and long-term relationships.
2. Service plans are based on “right-sized” fulfillment of our customer’s needs. If a hospital or physician’s office needs three pick-ups per week, we schedule three. A MedPro customer will never pay for services not necessary. At the same time, we are ever mindful of issues related to compliance and convenience for our customers.
3. Our Indianapolis customers receive a quote and commitment based on a monthly one-flat-fee basis. Invoices contain that fee and no hidden charges. We understand that the healthcare community is swamped with paperwork and we will not add to it.

Customer service: Each customer is introduced to a Dedicated Customer Advocate on the very first day of service, and this person is immersed in the details of his or her accounts. Calling MedPro for answers to questions or to express a concern is easy, the customer asks for their representative by name and resolution is prompt. No talking to robots, pushing buttons, and long hold times. We understand time is especially valuable in the healthcare industry.

Training and Compliance: A very large area of concern, as healthcare facilities in Indianapolis as well as medical waste disposal service providers are subject to frequent inspections. We all want patients, staff, and the public to be safe.

MedPro has a comprehensive and effective online education, training, and certification platform for the industry which is as-easy-as going online to: the MedPro Online Safety Compliance Portal. This amazing tool has dozens of functions including:

• HazCom, HIPPA, and BBP Training
• Online Safety Audits
• MSDS/SDS
• Online Safety Plans – including fire prevention and exposure control
• ICD9 to ICD10 conversion tool
• Indiana and Federal Regulations

Doing business with MedPro is as easy as picking up the phone and reaching out to our sales team. We will be happy to get you a price quote, and chances are very good it will be lower than what you expect. Our phone number is 888-641-6131.

Everything You Need to Know About Medical Waste Disposal in Indianapolis, Indiana

As stated by the Indiana Department of Health, there are over one hundred and sixty accredited hospitals across the state. Each accredited hospital, including one top-rated children’s hospital, provides services for 6.6 million residents of Indiana. In every medical field practiced in these hospitals, a large amount of medical waste is generated.

These healthcare facilities that produce medical waste are required by the Indiana Department of health to follow and pay close attention to the state’s medical waste management regulations. This is because mishandled medical waste has the potential to cause or greatly contribute to the following consequences:

• The increase in mortality or an increase in serious irreversible, or debilitating reversible, sicknesses.
• Create a present or potential hazard to the health of its patients and the surrounding environment.
• Non-compliance fines up to $70,000, compoundable for each day the violations stay unresolve

Medical Waste Disposal Indianapolis, Indiana

Indianapolis is home to world-class healthcare institutions, St. Vincent Health and Indiana University Health, which have over 30,000 employees who live and work in the region. These healthcare communities play a vital role in ensuring their local population is capable of healing the sick and keeping people healthy.

Given the importance of maintaining these facilities, medical waste disposal companies in Indianapolis also play an important role in the system. These companies ensure that biohazard disposal near Indianapolis, Indiana is done in accredited facilities.

What is medical waste?

Medical waste is classified by Indiana law as a combination of solid wastes created by health facilities or medical practices that can cause or contribute to severely hurting people and the surrounding environment.

When talking about medical waste, factors such as quantity, concentration, physical characteristics, chemical characteristics, and infectious characteristics are considered.

What is infectious medical waste?

Infectious waste refers to any waste that has the capacity of transmitting dangerous communicable diseases. This includes the following:

• Pathological waste
• Biological cultures and associated biologicals
• Infectious agent stock and associated biologicals
• Blood and blood products
• Laboratory carcasses, body parts, and bedding
• Contaminated sharps

When dealing with infectious waste, the Indiana State Department of Health provides a document that covers where one can find the relevant authority, guidelines, and affected facilities. Furthermore, under section 410 IAC 1-3-4 of the given document, one can find guidelines pertaining to sharps.

What are sharps?

Sharps are defined as objects that can cut or penetrate the skin and have already been in contact with blood or body fluids.

The term ‘sharp’ is associated with the following:

• Hypodermic or suture needles
• Syringe
• Scalpel blade
• Pipette
• Lancet
• Broken glass

How to dispose of Sharps?

Home-generated sharps are not currently regulated in Indiana. However, as sharps pose a significant risk to the public they should be handled appropriately.

According to the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA), sharps are best disposed of in the following way:

1. After use, immediately put all sharps in the appropriate sharps disposal container.
2. Sharps container disposal must be done in accordance with respective community guidelines.

Governing laws and regulations of Indiana

The Indiana Department of Environmental Management is in charge of regulating medical waste. Indianapolis’ medical waste regulations can be viewed under administrative codes. These administrative codes are posted on state government websites and give a list of specific regulations and laws for the relevant medical wastes created by health facilities. Furthermore, they also ensure that there are sufficient options for medical waste disposal near Indianapolis, Indiana.

Indiana specifically has the Indiana Code (IC) and the Indiana Administrative Code (IAC). Under these laws, there are different types of facilities that are directly required to comply:

• Hospitals
• Mortuaries
• Academic and industrial research laboratories
• Blood centers
• Diagnostic laboratories
• Ambulatory surgical facilities
• Diet or health care clinics
• Veterinary offices and hospitals

HIPAA

In 1996, the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) was legislated to augment the health care system and protect the information of all the relevant parties involved in these medical facilities, especially the patients.

It was drafted by the Department of Health and Human Services (HSS) as a series of regulations that aim to modernize and protect the flow of health information. It is made possible by the creation of a set of uniform electronic healthcare transaction codes.

OSHA

OSHA stands for Occupational Safety and Health Administration. It is an agency of the United States Department of Labor that is in charge of setting and enforcing standards to regulate health and safety in workplaces across the country.

The guidelines provided by OSHA are also used across the globe as it is known to provide training, education, and assistance to companies and other relevant parties that need their services to properly abide by the safety standards set by their states.