July 7, 2021 New Medication Disposal Regulations Can Help Long-Term Care Communities Lower Costs With many long-term care (LTC) communities already struggling with staff shortages, rising salaries, declining resident census, and other challenges, new government regulations can seem like just one more burden. However, changes to federal medication disposal regulations can actually help assisted living facilities, skilled nursing facilities, memory care facilities, and other providers realize significant savings. If your facility would like to save money on medication disposal, including hazardous waste pharmaceuticals (HWP) and labor costs, review our recent white paper: Cost-Saving Solutions for Compliant Medication Disposal in Long-Term Care Communities We explain how key provisions of the following laws and regulations apply to LTCs: Secure and Responsible Drug Disposal Act of 2010 2014 Disposal of Controlled Substances, Final Rule Management Standards for Hazardous Waste Pharmaceuticals and Amendment to the P075 Listing for Nicotine (EPA Pharma Management Rule) You’ll learn how LTCs can lower costs by using on-site medication collection or mailback options for unused pharmaceuticals, including HWPs. Many facilities may realize significant cost savings. For example: Labor costs: LTCs utilizing on-site pharmaceutical collection receptacles could save as much as $10,000 annually, per community, in salary expenses for the time it takes two RNs to prepare medications for disposal via a multi-step process, as opposed to the simple solution of placing medication wastes into a collection receptacle. Disposal costs: Communities utilizing drug disposal receptacles or mailback packages could potentially realize a savings of nearly $12,000 annually, per community, by consolidating all their medication disposal options into a single solution. Would your facility like to reduce costs without cutting staff or patient services? Download our white paper to learn how Sharps Compliance can help you manage your pharmaceutical waste disposal. Read More
October 23, 2019 No More Flushing: Better Options for Safe Medication Disposal in Senior Living Facilities Last updated on April 13, 2021 Many senior living providers aren’t aware that some common medication disposal methods may actually be putting them at risk from a compliance standpoint while reducing operational efficiency and eroding the bottom line. A new white paper published by Sharps Compliance and Senior Housing News explains how “best practices” in medication disposal are changing and how senior living providers can benefit from new, safer pharmaceutical disposal options. The new white paper discusses: Proper medication management disposal in senior living communities The latest disposal regulations from the EPA and DEA Cost-saving methods Environmental considerations In particular, the paper addresses the common practice of “sewering,” or flushing medications down the toilet. This disposal method does not meet the Drug Enforcement Agency’s “non-retrievable” standard for destruction of controlled substances. In February 2019, the EPA issued a rule titled “Management Standards for Hazardous Waste Pharmaceuticals and Amendment to the P075 Listing for Nicotine,” which explicitly urged all senior living facilities to stop flushing all medications. There are better medication disposal options that are safe, compliant, and affordable. Learn more about them when you download our free white paper. Read More
