Ascent Reports - Hospitals Benefit from Sustainability Initiatives with More Than $138 Million in Savings in 2008

PHOENIX--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Ascent Healthcare Solutions announced today that their hospital partners eliminated 4,300,000 pounds (2,150 tons) from local landfills, and realized a record $138,142,000 in supply cost and waste savings in 2008 related to remanufacturing/reprocessing of medical devices. Supply cost savings are up 27% since last year. Many of these hospitals have adopted remanufacturing and reprocessing of medical devices as the cornerstone of their sustainability initiatives because it is a sensible way to have a direct impact on cost savings and environmental stewardship. Savings realized by reprocessing/remanufacturing can be reallocated to increase the number of nurses on staff or reinvested in medical equipment, ultimately resulting in improved patient care.

The nation’s largest hospitals are finding out how easy it is to “go green,” leveraging remanufacturing and reprocessing programs as key components of their sustainability initiatives - and the benefits are immediate and high impact. The savings realized through these programs makes it easier for hospitals to use their resources more effectively, and to do the right thing for the environment and their patients.

J. Michael Jones, Director of Clinical Education and Sustainability, Healthtrust Purchasing Group, stated, “Providers are waking up to the fact that healthcare delivery is one of the largest contributors of waste in the U.S. There are successful strategies available which make it possible for hospitals to be both patient care focused and responsible stewards of our environment. Among these, remanufacturing and reprocessing stand out as remarkably impactful, representing a new model for sustainability in healthcare.”

Ascent clients include community-based providers, as well as a majority of the hospitals ranked among the best in North America. Of the U.S. News & World Report’s 2008 “Honor Roll,” a majority are Ascent clients.

While the nation and the U.S. government are scrutinizing the nation’s healthcare delivery system and looking for ways to improve it, increasing numbers of hospitals and surgical centers are taking actions to make a difference now. In 2008 alone, Ascent’s customers increased their utilization of medical device remanufacturing/reprocessing programs by 20%, according to John Grotting, Ascent’s CEO. Ascent expects to see this trend continue in 2009 as more and more hospitals, group purchasing organizations and integrated delivery networks discover remanufacturing/reprocessing as the single most impactful sustainability initiative for revolutionizing resource planning and decision making. “Hospitals are already responding to economic conditions by pursuing Ascent’s programs more vigorously and relying on the results to enhance their survivability,” stated Grotting.

Ascent’s remanufacturing/reprocessing programs cover 86 FDA 510(k) cleared medical device products, with more currently in development. During the past 20 years Ascent’s customers have collectively reduced in excess of $1 billion in supply costs, and eliminated an estimated 24 million pounds of waste using Ascent’s reprocessed/remanufactured devices.

ABOUT ASCENT HEALTHCARE SOLUTIONS

By continuously pioneering sustainability initiatives in healthcare, Ascent Healthcare Solutions has become a leader in the medical device industry. Ascent’s programs target inefficient practices to reclaim and redirect consumable and financial resources to promote healthy and responsible hospitals. Today, Ascent’s medical device sustainability programs deliver remanufactured and/or reprocessed medical devices, as well as comprehensive recycling and redistribution initiatives. Ascent has been recognized as a “Champion for Change” by Hospitals for a Healthy Environment (now Practice Greenhealth) in recognition of the dramatic environmental benefits its remanufacturing and reprocessing programs provide to U.S. hospitals and surgery centers. Ascent’s more than 1,800 hospital partners include most of the U.S. News & World Report “Honor Roll” hospitals. The company has agreements with all leading national group purchasing organizations, as well as numerous nationally recognized hospital integrated delivery networks. For more information about Ascent Healthcare Solutions, visit www.ascenths.com.