Timely insights on whole room disinfection.
HospitalsJune 2, 2015
In Pay for Performance, Halo Disinfection Saves Dollars, Makes Sense
Clostridioides difficile is expensive, deadly—and preventable
At a time of sweeping reform, healthcare institutions will be rewarded for value rather than volume, with reimbursement linked to how well they care for patients rather than the number of patients and procedures.
Currently, one of every seven hospitals in the U.S. is receiving 1 percent less from Medicare, a penalty for not controlling injuries and specific infections, including central-line infections.
That’s an estimated $373 million for failing to prevent harm that could have been avoided. It doesn’t include the staggering cost of caring for patients who get even sicker in a hospital setting or the inestimable cost of human suffering.
Clostridioides difficile was the most reported pathogen in a recent survey of 183 hospitals, causing 12 percent of HAIs. In 2017, Medicare will start penalizing hospitals that don’t control C. diff, MRSA and other HAIs.
Preventing C. diff saves money. Even more important, it saves lives. In 2010, 30,000 Americans died from C. diff, according to a recent study conducted by researchers at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and published in the New England Journal of Medicine.
In an era of pay-for-performance, it’s imperative that healthcare organizations up their games by preventing costly HAIs.
The Halo Disinfection System kills C. diff and other pathogens at an average cost of less than $15 per room.
HaloMist has an EPA-registered 6-log kill rate of C. diff spores when it’s fogged. That’s 99.9999 percent. Halo’s touchless fogging system provides total room disinfection, from floor to ceiling and all the room’s nooks and crannies , not just the surface areas that can be reached with wipes or expensive UV light systems.
Preventing HAIs with the Halo Disinfection System improves patient safety and makes financial sense. Healthcare institutions should not wait until 2017 to begin to eradicate C. diff. The time to act is now.