Cleanzine: your weekly cleaning and hygiene industry newsletter 25th April 2024 Issue no. 1111

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Hospital sees immediate monthly cost savings with infection prevention program

UMF Corporation, a manufacturer of high performance, color-coded cleaning products, partnered with Baptist Easley Hospital, a member of Prisma Health, providing a comprehensive PCPLUS program in support of ensuring safe patient environments.

With PCPLUS, the world-class hospital was able to cut its monthly laundry management costs in half, support infection prevention, decrease environmental impact, and free up capital.

PCPLUS is a comprehensive, all-inclusive program that includes customized commercial washers and dryers that are technology-enabled for efficient water and chemical use; high-performance, color-coded flat mops and wipers; hardware; and all other products required to process patient environments. Onsite hygiene specialist and operating room (OR) processing training are included in the program. PCPLUS also consists of ongoing equipment maintenance, a comprehensive warranty, parts and service, and annual loss-replacement of PerfectCLEAN products based on customer requirements.

"Through PCPLUS, we immediately realized monthly savings," commented Baptist Easley Environmental Services Supervisor Harriet Lugo-Weaver. "Infection prevention is a top priority for Baptist Easley, and with PCPLUS, we're easily able to meet our stringent infection prevention and environmental services standards, as well as patient satisfaction needs. In addition, with PCPLUS, we are reducing capital costs and ensuring maximum environmental sustainability via reduced water and energy usage."

As part of the program, Baptist Easley uses a 45-pound steam washer - which easily attains a constant wash and rinse temperature at the CDC-recommended 160+ degrees Fahrenheit - and a 65-pound dryer, also steam heated to ensure a temperature range sufficient to provide thermal disinfection. Baptist Easley also benefits from color-coded PerfectCLEAN products and environmental services training to support optimal infection prevention throughout the hospital.

"PCPLUS is the only program that combines the financial flexibility of outsourcing with the superior quality and control of on-site processing," said George Clarke, CEO of UMF Corporation. "It is tax advantaged because it can be written off as an expense without laundry equipment on the balance sheet - so, no capital is tied up in the equipment. With PCPLUS, laundering becomes a utility service - just like water, gas, and electricity. Furthermore, as a patient service, it qualifies for CMS reimbursement."

With PCPLUS, customers conserve capital resources while ensuring product availability and optimal infection prevention. PCPLUS innovations include:
* Comprehensive 3-par inventory - all PerfectCLEAN products required for all patient environments.
* Color-coding - a one-per-room color-coded methodology supporting infection prevention to eliminate cross-contamination in patient rooms, ORs, guest rooms and classrooms.
* Automatic water savings (AWS) - as much as 40% on small loads. AWS calculates the weight of each load and adds precisely the right amount of water, thus reducing water and energy costs.
* Smart dosing - smart dosing works with AWS to adjust the ratio of laundry chemicals to water, resulting in lower costs and a superior wash.
* Eco-Power dryer - saves up to 15% on each cycle with reverse dryer cylinders to optimize savings. Determines when garments are dry and automatically reduces dryer temp, thus lowering gas consumption.
* Hygiene Specialist Training - comprehensive training on best practices for environmental services department.
* OR processing - on-site training includes checklists and best practices for processing the OR.

"We've been using the PCPLUS program for more than three years, and we've been very satisfied with the program," added Lugo-Weaver. "From the start, UMF Corporation has served as a true partner to Baptist Easley. Initially, their team worked closely with our facilities department to ensure seamless implementation of PCPLUS hardware, determining an optimal hospital location for the hardware, and working with an outside contractor to run water, steam, drain, intake and exhaust ducting, and electricity to the room. Since then, they've provided us with regular training and support whenever issues arise."

For more information on PCPLUS by UMF Corporation, please visit www.perfectclean.com

27th February 2020