Don't Forget Energy When Cutting Costs is a Priority

The savings are potentially pretty large. Cleveland Clinic is on the back end of a three-year program in which it has saved $19 million since 2008

That doesn't meant the energy spending has decreased, however. Cleveland Clinic spends essentially the same amount on energy that it did in 2008. But energy costs have risen significantly since then, and total avoided energy use measured in BTUs is a number that's almost inconceivable: 223,667,369,000. That translates into another big number: 60,456,265 pounds of CO2 equivalent saved in 2010. If that's still too big, it's the same as taking 5,280 cars off the road for a year.

The message is clear. In these times in which healthcare leadership is asking for employees to contribute ideas to reduce waste in process and in supplies, it's a mistake to leave out energy.