Hazardous Waste at the Dentist, School Medical Waste, and More…

Here’s what you missed in medical waste news on the Red Bags blog this month.

All About Lidocaine

Lidocaine is a numbing medication that comes in lots of forms, including gel, cream, injection, and patch. It works by deadening the nerve endings in the skin, which, in turn, blocks the pain signal to the brain. This agent is used in numerous medications such as Burnamycin, Lidoderm, and Xylocaine. It causes pain relief without the sedative effects of general anesthesia or narcotic pain medication. What does this have to do with medical waste and how can dentists safely dispose of lidocaine? Read here to find out more.

Best Practices for Dental Carpules

Dental carpules are small, cylindrical glass tubes that are designed to deliver dental anesthetics.  These devices are single-use only, which means they are disposed of according to a specific set of criteria. Dental carpule disposal involves understanding local, state, and federal regulations and agencies. These agencies and regulations are designed to keep you and your patients safe.  What exactly happens to dental carpules once they are used? Here’s what you need to know.

Spa Waste at the Medical Spa

Many clinics are opening medical spas – hybrids of medical clinics and day spas – that help patients with cosmetic enhancements.  This includes Botox injections, skin rejuvenation, laser hair removal, laser vein therapy, collagen induction therapy, and medical grade peels. These types of treatment generate hazardous waste – or medical waste – and therefore, are susceptible to the same rules and regulations as medical facilities. What kind of waste is generated at the medical spa and how is it disposed of? Get the 411 on medical spa waste here.

OSHA and HIPAA Violations: A Costly Matter

Ensuring OSHA compliance in a healthcare environment can be a daunting task, mostly because of the amount of activity and work environment settings that occur in these types of organizations. It is up to healthcare facilities to go far beyond patient and staff safety by also maintaining OSHA compliance, which is crucial to reducing not only costs, but risks to the facility itself.

For HIPAA compliance, the safety lies with protecting personal health information, or PHI. HIPAA’s privacy rule requires that covered entities apply appropriate administrative, technical, and physical safeguards to protect the privacy of medical records and other PHI for whatever period that such information is maintained by a covered entity, including through disposal.

How much can these violations cost you? Read here to find out more.

Medical waste is a highly regulated industry, making it essential that you have a company that can guide you through every step of the process – from proper packaging, to storage, to transportation to final disposal.  Stay up to date on medical waste regulations and news by subscribing to the Red Bags blog.

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