Medical waste management industry association forms

The interim board of directors for the Phoenix-based Medical Waste Management Association (MWMA), a nonprofit trade group for the biohazard and medical waste disposal industry, announced the association’s official launch July 1, 2016. The organization seeks to promote operating standards, research, education and regulatory advocacy for organizations that transport, process, store or dispose of biological and medical waste. MWMA says it also welcomes membership from health care professionals charged with their organization’s medical disposal logistics and compliance.

Rob Marshall, owner of San Antonio-based Medsharps and MWMA president, says the time is right for the creation of such an organization.

“Up to now, the medical waste disposal industry has not had a strong independent trade organization to promote its interests,” Marshall says. “There are hundreds of companies across the United States, and far more around the world, providing this critical service that will benefit from having a strong, unifying voice.”

Marshall says he also believes health care organizations using medical waste disposal services will benefit from the MWMA.

“Philosophically, we feel that creating a well-informed customer is the best way to assure proper disposal of biologically hazardous materials,” he says. “In that regard, the association will also focus on customer education and has created a specific membership category for those responsible for medical and biological waste disposal compliance for their employer.”

Initially, MWMA says it will focus its energies on member outreach but expects to advance an agenda that not only confronts current industry challenges but addresses emerging issues, such as the eventual classification of human biological waste as protected health information (PHI) under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA).

The MWMA can be contacted through its webpage at www.medwasteonline.org. The association is headquartered at 3030 North 3rd St., No. 940, Phoenix, AZ 85012, which is also the headquarters for the National Association for Information Destruction (NAID), the trade association for companies that provide secure information destruction services.