Environmental Hygiene Solutions
Have You Checked the Pulse of Your Infection Prevention Program Lately?
According to a report in Mdedge, between 1999-2009, there were 23 patient notification events in 14 states. An estimated 129,157 patients were notified, and 78% of these notifications were associated with delivery of healthcare in non-hospital settings, primarily physician's offices and subspecialty clinics. All were the result of breaches in basic infection control practices.
Today's emphasis on treating the whole patient, rather than individual diseases, means preventing the preventable. Physician offices and outpatient clinics are often the first point of contact for patients seeking medical care. Approximately 20% of all outpatient visits are for infectious disease, with acute upper respiratory infection being one of the most commonly diagnosed conditions. The reception and waiting areas of ambulatory care facilities present unique opportunities for transmission of infectious agents among patients and accompanying persons.
Keeping a practice environment hygienically clean is a key factor in delivering effective infection prevention and control as well as caring for the whole patient. Stringent healthcare-based cleaning protocols provide the practice environment with the foundation necessary for developing infection prevention programs that follow recommended CDC guidelines.
Wherever patient care is provided, adherence to evidence-based infection prevention programs is essential to ensure that all care provided is safe care.
What Isn't Known May be Hurting Your Patients
Compared to other office settings, medical practices require a much higher standard of cleaning and disinfection to prevent the transmission of disease to patients and staff. Cleaning requirements for exam rooms are very different and much more detailed than those for the billing office. To provide an environment that is safe for patient care, ambulatory care practices need a company that specializes in healthcare hygiene.
Infection control practices have long been recognized as an important component of prevention. More and more data supports the role of the environment in preventing healthcare-acquired infections. Keeping the environment hygienically clean is a key factor in delivering effective infection prevention strategies as well as improving patient wellbeing. However, not all cleaning services are versed in the guidelines and regulations unique to disinfecting healthcare environments, placing practices in jeopardy. According to one report, most of the outbreaks reported in outpatient facilities were the result of noncompliance with infection prevention procedures. Stringent cleaning protocols provide the foundation for a continued reduction of healthcare-acquired infections.
A recent study conducted by the Centers for Disease Control identified that of 64 practices in three states, 18.8% had deficiencies in the environmental disinfection practices, supporting the need for specialized cleaning services with healthcare focus. Read the full report here.
How About Now?
A culture of this IV pole revealed 14 types of bacteria including MRSA and VRE. Hygienically clean means cleaning for the unseen. That's the Healthcare Cleaning Services of America difference.
Would you feel comfortable placing your patient in this room?
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Cross-contamination of high-touch surfaces contributes significantly to healthcare-acquired infections. Healthcare-level cleaning addresses this by emphasizing disinfection of surfaces that have the most human contact throughout the day.
Do you know what is hiding in your practice?
Find out how easily pathogens are transferred from person to person in your practice.
Hygienically clean requires cleaning for the unseen.
Find out what was hiding in plain sight.
Germs often hide on surfaces that otherwise appear clean to the naked eye. Healthcare-level cleaning addresses this by emphasizing high-touch surface disinfection.
Our Approach to Infection Prevention
The transition of healthcare delivery from inpatient to more outpatient care has focused a spotlight on infection prevention practices in ambulatory care. The emergence of drug-resistant pathogens, facility transfers, and other factors have contributed to the rise of community-acquired infections. These patients present for treatment in ambulatory practices, and without appropriate cleaning protocols, these pathogens can survive in the practice environment for months at a time.
Our programs combine more than 20 years of experience in healthcare environmental services, with evidence-based practices and the latest research, to hygienically clean your practice, ensuring pathogens are not left behind. Healthcare-Level Cleaning is an unrivaled combination of technique, training, and infection prevention practices used in hospitals, but tailored to the uniqueness of ambulatory care practices. You may not always need a room terminal cleaned, but when the need arises, you can rest assured that Healthcare Cleaning Services of America has the knowledge, experience, and training to provide this heightened-level of disinfection.
Program Highlights:
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Microfiber tools - Proven to reduce 99.999% of surface pathogens
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Appropriate low-level disinfectants approved for healthcare
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Steam cleaning technology - a greener clean
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Regulatory Compliance - Our programs adhere to and exceed the guidelines for healthcare recommended by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention and the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology
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High-Touch and High-Risk disinfection - Disinfection of surfaces known to be leading contributors in the transmission of pathogens is critical to preventing cross-contamination
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Monitoring Compliance
Regulatory changes proposed to eliminate healthcare-acquired infections will require ambulatory care practices to provide documentation of compliance with infection prevention guidelines. At Healthcare Cleaning Services of America, our quality monitoring processes follow the Center for Disease Control and Prevention's Level II monitoring for environmental cleaning.
Using a combination of ATP (Adenosine triphosphate) testing and black-light monitoring, we provide you with real-time quantifiable evidence of the efficacy of our programs and of your compliance. These mechanisms for monitoring environmental hygiene provide you with peace of mind and documentation of your ongoing efforts at infection prevention.
Service Excellence
At Healthcare Cleaning Services of America, each of our associates is carefully selected based on their commitment to our core principles of passion for quality outcomes, infection prevention, excellence, and service above self. We improve their talents through ongoing training and development, providing opportunities for advancement, and rewarding star performance.
Excellence begins with meaningful and purpose-driven work.
This is the first job where I feel like I'm doing important work. With the Coronavirus going around, we work hard to keep oour community safe.
