Ascent's remanufacturing programs help hospital partners save $82 million

Ascent Healthcare Solutions, a leader in delivering healthcare resource sustainability, today announced that its hospital partners saved an astounding $82 million in unnecessary supply chain costs in the first six months of 2009 with Ascent’s reprocessing and remanufacturing programs. This represents a 25% increase in savings over the first six months of 2008, as hospitals discover reprocessing and remanufacturing as a key recession-proof strategy that simultaneously saves money and reduces waste. The program successfully diverted over 2.5 million pounds (1,286 tons) of waste from local landfills in the first half of 2009.

“Ascent’s program enables hospitals to generate supply cost savings and focus on environmental stewardship,” stated Amy Anthony, senior vice president of supply chain services at VHA Inc. “VHA members are leading the charge to reduce costs and harm to the environment, with $38 million in savings and one million pounds of waste diversion in 2008 alone. With the recent expansion of our agreement with Ascent, we look forward to seeing even better results in 2009 and beyond.”

Ascent is the only company that offers this magnitude of value – from both the cost savings and environmental perspectives. Its award-winning products, professional services, sustainability programs and commitment to healthcare transparency have earned the trust and confidence of hospital management, physicians, and clinicians nationwide. Reprocessing and remanufacturing with Ascent Healthcare Solutions offers hospitals the single most impactful solution to reduce medical device expense, protect the environment and improve patient care:

• Drive Supply Chain Savings – Ascent’s programs are designed to ensure immediate results and long-term success. Its intuitive product packaging and waste storage containers, as well as proprietary educational programs and a true partnership approach, affect a seamless transition in clinical workflow to jump-start results and increase compliance to optimize savings opportunities.
• Accelerate Environmental Stewardship – Hospitals can quickly and efficiently become more responsible stewards of the environment and protect the communities they serve by diverting waste from local landfills with Ascent’s reprocessing and remanufacturing program. Ascent’s program goes beyond the basic environmental benefits of reprocessing; it is the only program that also incorporates an environmentally conscious approach to handling and disposing of devices that cannot be reprocessed or remanufactured, reducing the devices to their component parts and properly recycling the materials.
• Enhance Patient Care – With dramatic savings opportunities, hospitals are able to reinvest the savings from Ascent’s programs in patient care initiatives. From continuing education for nurses and educational tools for physicians and interns, to upgrading equipment and increasing or maintaining bedside staffing, Ascent’s programs are having a direct and vital impact on improving the quality of patient care.

“It is exciting and rewarding to hear about the innovative ways our hospital partners are redirecting the savings from reprocessing and remanufacturing to maintain or enhance patient care,” stated John Grotting, CEO of Ascent Healthcare Solutions. “Our programs are on the front lines of hospital sustainability, empowering hospitals with effective resource utilization, robust savings opportunities, and an immediate and expansive environmental stewardship program.”