Hospital waste you pay for!

M

MarciKS

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I couldn't think of a better place to put this than the Health section. There was some discussion in another thread about charges on a hospital bill. Our health care costs are outrageous and the healthcare system itself doesn't help bring this down any with the amount of waste that goes on. I wrote up a list of just the things I have to throw away when a patient is discharged and I go in to clean the room. Depending on the room and the patient the items vary. Here is what I wrote up of what I witness every day:

Plastic mug with hospital logo $6.30
10 pack of toothbrushes $1.10 per brush
Toothbrush kit with paste and mouthwash $3-$5
8 ct. of shaving or bathing wipes is approx $4 a package
plastic drinking cup for taking pills 25¢ each
Adult diapers 55¢ each
Disposable pee pads 25¢ each
travel size toothpaste $1.99 each
travel size mouthwash $1.99 each
travel size hair and bodywash $3.99
travel size J & J body lotion $1.30 each
travel size room deoderizer $2.50 each
roll on deoderant $3.99
emesis basin 17¢ each
wash basin could be as much as $10

All this is just what they use in general for almost every admit. This doesn't include all the bed pans and disposable pads to move patients with, the chair alarms pads, the plastic chair cushions, the cuffs they use on your legs to keep you from clotting, cushioned boot for ones foot, the foam pads that are angled for laying on or for positioning of certain body parts, blood pressure cuffs, medicine cups, syringes, and those boxed of plastic covers they put on the thermometer before they put it in your mouth. Various plastic bags. These are all things we have to throw away when someone is discharged. This isn't even all of it.

The things I highlighted are just the basics I see in every single room. That adds up to $35.50 based on estimates of cost I found online. Some of the rooms have several of each of these things. Even if you don't use them you're paying for them. I have cleaned rooms where I have found as many as 15 unused syringes for adding things to an IV. Those can't be cheap. I mentioned this to my boss but I don't know that anyone cares. I think it's horrible that we pay for all that crap. I'm sure this doesn't do anything for health ins. costs. If it were me I'd be taking that stuff home with me. Just a little food for thought for the next time you're in the hospital.
 

I agree that we all should do what we can to reduce or eliminate waste, but I would prefer to have fresh disposable items than run the risk of infection from using someone else’s leftovers.
 
Aunt Bea said:
I agree that we all should do what we can to reduce or eliminate waste, but I would prefer to have fresh disposable items than run the risk of infection from using someone else’s leftovers.
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That's not what I meant. I'm not talking about using leftovers. I'm talking about staff taking better care to not drag 6 bags of bath wipes into a room that may only use one bag. Does that make more sense now Bea? You're paying for them to be lazy because they don't want to step into the hall and grab another bag out of the closet that is just outside your room.
 

I hear you.

If the staff worked for free it would be easy to agree.

It may be cheaper in the long run for the staff to enter the room prepared instead of making additional trips.

I probably shouldn’t have offered an opinion without having your level of first hand experience with the issue.

I agree that anything to reduce costs benefits us all.
 
MarciKS said:
I couldn't think of a better place to put this than the Health section. There was some discussion in another thread about charges on a hospital bill. Our health care costs are outrageous and the healthcare system itself doesn't help bring this down any with the amount of waste that goes on. I wrote up a list of just the things I have to throw away when a patient is discharged and I go in to clean the room. Depending on the room and the patient the items vary. Here is what I wrote up of what I witness every day:

Plastic mug with hospital logo $6.30
10 pack of toothbrushes $1.10 per brush
Toothbrush kit with paste and mouthwash $3-$5
8 ct. of shaving or bathing wipes is approx $4 a package
plastic drinking cup for taking pills 25¢ each
Adult diapers 55¢ each
Disposable pee pads 25¢ each
travel size toothpaste $1.99 each
travel size mouthwash $1.99 each
travel size hair and bodywash $3.99
travel size J & J body lotion $1.30 each
travel size room deoderizer $2.50 each
roll on deoderant $3.99
emesis basin 17¢ each
wash basin could be as much as $10

All this is just what they use in general for almost every admit. This doesn't include all the bed pans and disposable pads to move patients with, the chair alarms pads, the plastic chair cushions, the cuffs they use on your legs to keep you from clotting, cushioned boot for ones foot, the foam pads that are angled for laying on or for positioning of certain body parts, blood pressure cuffs, medicine cups, syringes, and those boxed of plastic covers they put on the thermometer before they put it in your mouth. Various plastic bags. These are all things we have to throw away when someone is discharged. This isn't even all of it.

The things I highlighted are just the basics I see in every single room. That adds up to $35.50 based on estimates of cost I found online. Some of the rooms have several of each of these things. Even if you don't use them you're paying for them. I have cleaned rooms where I have found as many as 15 unused syringes for adding things to an IV. Those can't be cheap. I mentioned this to my boss but I don't know that anyone cares. I think it's horrible that we pay for all that crap. I'm sure this doesn't do anything for health ins. costs. If it were me I'd be taking that stuff home with me. Just a little food for thought for the next time you're in the hospital.
Click to expand...

Oh, I believe you @MarciKS ... hasn't this been going on forever?
 
Aunt Bea said:
I hear you.

If the staff worked for free it would be easy to agree.

It may be cheaper in the long run for the staff to enter the room prepared instead of making additional trips.

I probably shouldn’t have offered an opinion without having your level of first hand experience with the issue.

I agree that anything to reduce costs benefits us all.
Click to expand...
Oh Bea you are always welcome to comment. I have always enjoyed your posts. Always!
I just think it's unfair to the patients to have to pay for 6 bags of wipes for example if they only are gonna need 2 bags. As much sitting and playing on their phones and talking as they do they can manage those few extra trips. :ROFLMAO:
 
Do you ever wish you could go on some sort of campaign to whomever is in charge of all these places with a group of people and better ideas for change?
 
When I had a hysterectomy the nurse told me I could take their little plastic electric fan when I checked out because otherwise they would throw it away. It's been 9 years and I still have it and it still works, what a pity it would have been to just throw it away.
 
HoneyNut said:
When I had a hysterectomy the nurse told me I could take their little plastic electric fan when I checked out because otherwise they would throw it away. It's been 9 years and I still have it and it still works, what a pity it would have been to just throw it away.
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oh yeah I forgot about those. we have little table top battery operated fans for the patients. those are probably very costly.
 
I always take everything when I leave. Did that when my husband was sick, when my Mom was sick and when a friend was sick. Why leave it there, I knew we were paying for it so it came home with us.
 

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