As new 2015 Affordable Care Act penalties take effect, Kutol Products Company reminds hospitals that practicing good hand hygiene lowers Hospital Acquired Infections (HAIs). Starting this year, if a hospital falls into the bottom 25 percent of HAIs on a national basis, it will lose one percent of its Medicare revenue. Additionally, HAI rates are posted publicly online for consumers to view.

There are a number of factors that contribute to HAIs, however the easiest to address is proper hand hygiene. In a study conducted by the Joint Commission Center for Transforming Healthcare, hand hygiene compliance averaged just 47.5 percent across participating hospitals. It was shown that improving hand hygiene compliance from 40 percent to 65 percent reduced HAIs by 37 percent.  

The World Health Organization (WHO) has weighed in, stating that “hand hygiene contributes significantly to keeping patients safe” and notes how healthcare workers may think certain procedures are safe, but in fact are capable of spreading microbes via their hands. 

Some of the procedures that enable the transfer of microbes include:
•    Taking a pulse
•    Taking blood pressure readings
•    Taking a temperature
•    Touching a patient’s hand, shoulder or groin.

“One of the best reminders to healthcare workers to keep hands clean is to have plenty of hand hygiene stations in logical areas of the facility, such as at each patient room door,” notes Dan Renner, marketing director at Kutol Products Company. “Since studies tell us that posting signage is also effective in increasing hand hygiene compliance, it makes sense for hospitals and healthcare facilities to place hand hygiene signs near dispensers.”