Another common sustainability strategy centers on finding more efficient data storage solutions. Nearly all acute care centers now use electronic health records systems, and it’s estimated that the average hospital produces about 50 petabytes of data each year.
Priscilla Sandberg, senior healthcare strategic alliances manager at Pure Storage, describes working with a major healthcare company that had been using several dozen storage arrays before switching to an alternative system that required fewer than 10 to host the same amount of data.
“IT departments can look at their existing suite of hardware and analyze the power, cooling and space required for them,” Sandberg says, “and consider partnering with vendors that can reduce that spend and physical footprint, which reduces environmental impact.”
How Does ESG Data Play a Role in Healthcare Sustainability?
ESG data enables healthcare organizations to measure their sustainability performance across sectors and identify areas for improvement.
“Health systems can use the data collected in a storage array to do analytics on electrical consumption across the enterprise and define where they can ratchet it down,” Sandberg explains.
“Data is everything,” Hughes agrees. “For example, we measure the energy consumed per square foot in our 20-plus buildings. This helps us understand which buildings are the most efficient and how we can replicate that performance.” He says Rush uses the free ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager tool to track its energy usage.
Sandberg adds that ESG data can help provide insights on how best to utilize hospital staff, citing medical coding teams as an example.
“Let’s say you ran a study that looked at how much energy usage could be reduced if coders, which is a perfectly acceptable remote position, worked from home,” she says. “Your coders driving back and forth and working in an office has environmental impact.”
READ MORE: Find out how CDW is approaching sustainability.
Why Is ESG Data Important for Sustainability?
One reason ESG data is consequential is that it can help draw patients and new hires.
“It’s important for the community to see what we’re doing because it might be a factor in them choosing Rush for their medical care versus a competitor. They may like that we’re paying attention to our environmental impact,” Hughes says.
ESG data also informs critical business decisions, such as whether a medical center should transition to renewable energy sources. “That has to do with operational expenses and long-term contracts with renewable energy developers,” Hughes explains. “When talking to C-suite executives, they don’t want a fluffy story about sustainability. They’re looking for the high-level evidence, and that’s where ESG data is informative.”
“You can’t just say you’re being sustainable and that it’s beneficial,” Sandberg echoes. “You have to prove where and how your initiatives are having a positive impact.”
She adds that ESG data also plays a role in mitigating concerns about risks to quality. “So, you switched to a more energy-efficient storage array. Does the new system compromise the applications that are running? You have to prove to your shareholders and your staff that your changes are not going to cause risks to patients,” Sandberg says.
