Last updated on February 23, 2022
This article is an update of the original published on July 7, 2021. Regulations change frequently. That’s why Sharps Compliance monitors updates and communicates any changes to its customers.
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 over $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 over $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.