If it is determined that the origin of the infection is from the hospital, insurance plans will not cover the cost.  This can be considerable.  The average cost to cure an infection is $13,700 and the average hospital operates at a 3 to 5 percent margin, so every penny counts!  The effect on the patient can be far worse.  When a patient incurs an infection from the hospital, the patient will spend on average, 6.5 more days in the hospital, is 5 times more likely to be readmitted, and sadly, 3 times more likely to die.

Presuming the patient fully recovers, it’s an issue that is not over for the hospital.  Under the new healthcare laws which will take fuller effect in 2014, customer satisfaction surveys are increasingly important for performance reviews, and payment is based on these reviews.  York Chan, a member of the Advisory Board for “The Joint Commission” which accredits approximately 90% of the hospitals in the United States said in a conference to healthcare facility directors, “Environment has  a lot to do with with hospital infections [and] everything to do with patient satisfaction surveys.”*

Creating a more healing environment for the patient
Many of these infections are caused by poor air exchange rates in operating rooms and complications from other medical procedures.  However, your choice of plastic laminate casework can help minimize the risk of patient infection by reducing the ability of microbes to adhere or grow on hospital surfaces, much of which consists of casework, which virtually every room in a hospital has. Case Systems of Midland, Michigan and Carroll Seating have industry exclusive solutions that can cut down the the chances that a patient would become infected due to a visit to the hospital.

Anti-Microbial surfaces for use in healthcare is the answer!
Carroll Solutions works with Case Systems who has invested heavily in the science of creating a plastic laminate anti-microbial surface that will resist these organisms, and thus creating a more safe environment for both patient and caregiver.  It’s all in the technology.  The anti-microbial properties that coat the plastic laminate form a molecular covalent bond and therefore it cannot wear off.  As long as the surface itself is not broken or compromised in any way, the anti-microbial surface remains fully effective.  It is permanent.

Does this limit my choices of colors or sizes in my choice of case work?
Not at all!  Despite the science that goes in to creating such a safe and effective anti-microbial surface, it does not limit the selection of colors, sizes, and design available in plastic laminate casework.  Our casework remains AWI certified “premium grade”,  a standard higher than most casework available in the industry.

Is it more expensive?
Choosing casework that creates less risk of infection has a slight up-charge (less than 5%). But this is a small price to pay to increase patient safety.  Call us for a comparison.

* Statistics and information in this section taken from a conference by York Chan at the Healthcare Engineering Society of Northern Illinois (HESNI) on 8 November, 2012. Mr. Chan is Director of Facilities for Advocate Healthcare System and a nationally known speaker regarding issues of healthcare environments.  He is a  board member for the American Society for Healthcare Engineering and the Healthcare Engineering Society of Northern Illinois.  He is a member of the Joint Commission Environment of Care Advisory Board and part of the faculty of “Joint Commission Resources” and a member of the editorial board of the “Environment of Care News”.