Medical waste management and disposal is a crucial compliance and legal requirement for your practice. Over the years we have facilitated this service via our designated waste provider and have made this a seamless service. This Newsflash aims to update you on all relevant aspects to Medical Waste Services, protocols to be followed at your practice when ordering your waste bins and when making payment.

The Newsflash also includes increased pricing effective 1 June 2024 in line with the industry and our supplier’s

(Compass) annual increase. To note this is the first increase in over two and a half years.

Online request portal:

1. EMC, in collaboration with Compass, has built an online medical waste request ordering portal at: https://orders.compasswasteservices.co.za/Account/Login?SpecialLogin=EMC
2. The practice email address must first be verified, if you have not done so – use the Username and Password forwarded to the practice in this regard. Please contact Achmat Pandy at (achmat@emconline.co.za) or Sindi Khedama at (sindiswa@emconline.co.za) for assistance.
3. Please urgently send us your IPIWS Certificate if you have not done so yet. Compass will refuse to provide the service if we have not received the practice’s IPWIS Certificate

Price increase:

Effective 01 June 2024, please note the following price changes. DFPA members will still receive their free service of 2 x 90L Boxes and 2 x 5L Sharps per annum.

In addition, we have negotiated with Compass to discount high consumption items for the benefit of our members. i.e. 5L Sharps will be reduced by 30%.

Invoices and Statements

The Manifest document is a record of services rendered and not an invoice. This should be filed for IPWIS reporting.

1. The invoice for the medical waste service will be provided by EMC practice management monthly for services rendered the previous month.
2. Accounts over 30 days shall accrue interest. Practices to please pay within 7 days of invoice and appreciate that longstanding debts are costly to the organization.
3. Services will be suspended if the account becomes excessive and is long outstanding.
   

Pricing (Incl Vat)

Protocol at the surgery:

1. Practice managers to ensure that the bin/box is not overloaded with medical waste or sharps
2. In the event of the box being overloaded – the practice will be billed an additional container
3. For the discarding of needles – separate from the syringe and place the needle in sharps container; then place syringe in a non – sharps waste box.
4. Proof of discarding of medical waste can be obtained from EMC upon request
5. Practices must ensure that they are registered with IPWIS to comply with regulations or face hefty fines from the Department of Environmental Affairs
6. Free Medical waste collection services will be suspended to DFPA members who are in arrears with their DFPA membership fees
7. For new DFPA members who have signed up: the existing Medical Waste will be collected at a fee per kilogram by Compass Medical Services; thereafter the free quota will apply as above.
8. When making a payment, please include doctors’s surname as payment reference

Additions to the previous Protocol at the surgery are:

1. DFPA practices that order above the allotted free 2 x 90L Boxes and 5L Sharps will be charged
2. DFPA practices that order boxes and sharps that are bigger than the allotted free 90L Box and 5L Sharps will be charged
3. Doctors to inform the office if there is:
   1. A new practice site.
   2. Any change in practice details such as contact details,
   3. change in ownership
   4. change in practice hours
   5. change in practice staff handling waste requests

EMC practice management will then arrange for the Username and Password for the new practice to medical waste service online

1. Only EMC will invoice the practice, not Compass.
2. Practices to not interact with Compass directly but only via EMC
3. In the event of the practice being closed during its designated operating hours, there will be delivery charges incurred
4. Not to mix ordinary medical waste with pharmaceutical waste
5. To note: Pharmaceutical waste collection costs R30.00 more than the regular medical waste
6. Green pharmaceutical bins will be delivered by Compass on request. Subsequent collection will have to be arranged later.
7. To note: Online orders of pharmaceutical waste are to be done manually. Practice to forward Request form to EMC to arrange