Are medical equipment asset disposition vendors who recycle and donate medical devices able to make a difference in not only the environment’s health, but health around the world?
To get an idea of how much equipment hospitals need to operate these days and their rate of turnover:
- US hospitals spent an estimated $173.1 billion on medical equipment in 2016, or 5.2 percent of total national health expenditures.
- If we take all 6,146 US hospitals and assume medical technology is evenly distributed among them, then the average US hospital has just over 19,300 connected medical devices and clinical assets.
- On average, most connected medical devices have a functional lifespan of about 7–10 years. So, a statistically average US hospital will have around 2,270 devices that are nearing end-of-life per year that will need to be responsibly managed.
With so many devices circulating in a single health system, it can be difficult and costly for hospitals to manage end-of-life equipment themselves. By having a medical asset disposition vendor who is well-versed in the regulations for recycling and donating used medical equipment, any mishandling of environmentally hazardous materials will be drastically minimized. This will ultimately improve the health of the environment and help hospitals with limited resources to better treat patients with equipment they have been donated.
To put it in perspective:
- ZRG Medical alone recycled 367,629 pounds of medical equipment in 2019
- ZRG Medical donated hundreds of medical devices in 2019 to various medical ministries like MedShare and Adventist Health Global Missions
Is it making a difference?
To better understand how recycled and donated medical devices and resources are making a difference globally, take a look at these stats recorded by MedShare:
- 17.5 million pounds of equipment has been diverted from landfills
- 102 free clinics in the US are served each year
- 3,400 medical mission trips have been equipped through donations
- Countless lives have been impacted
To keep these numbers growing, consider all the recycling and donation options before sending used medical devices straight to a landfill. By using an asset disposition vendor to professionally manage decommissioned medical equipment, this will ensure that these devices are recycled responsibly—improving the overall sustainability of our planet.
Furthermore, a vendor who is actively involved with charitable organizations will be able to easily connect your unneeded, yet functioning equipment to medically underserved areas around the world, benefiting the earth and mankind alike.
