Category Archives: Blog
What is the Deal with Gloves and Hand Hygiene?
This is one of the most common questions we get. There’s more confusion about glove usage and hand hygiene than nearly anything else – even among the most senior clinicians! We spoke with a senior-level physician at one of our hospital partners r...
The Real Cost of HAIs: The Patients
Hospital-acquired infections (HAIs) are a looming cost and major problem for hospitals worldwide. In the increasingly competitive reality facing acute care hospitals in the United States, it’s very easy to get swept up in fees and ROI and lose ...
3 Strategic Risks of HAIs
Healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) cause preventable patient suffering and death and are expensive (click to read The Hidden Costs of HAIs). They’re also risky for three strategic reasons that many hospital executives haven’t considered: HCA...
The Hidden Costs of HAIs
Healthcare-associated infections are expensive, not even counting the tremendous human suffering they create. There are obvious, direct costs such as reimbursement and readmission penalties, along with the danger of getting on the HAC list. (Related:...
World Hand Hygiene Day Is May 5
The World Health Organization is calling on healthcare organizations to recognize World Hand Hygiene Day on May 5, 2018. Hand hygiene is widely recognized as the best way to reduce healthcare-associated infections, according to both the WHO and CDC: ...
Hand Hygiene By The Numbers: How Many Lives Could You Save?
Hand hygiene is the leading cause of healthcare-associated infections (HAIs). Period. Every major accreditation and infection control body has a statement that reflects this. If you improve hand hygiene, infections are prevented. Despite this, many p...
Introducing Concierge Contact Tracing™
A few years ago, I had a patient who was admitted with minor blunt trauma following a motor vehicle crash. A couple of days later, while preparing her for discharge, I noticed a cough. The patient mentioned that she had had a persistent cough, which ...
Is Yours A 21st Century Hospital?
Americans from the Silent or Greatest Generation (born roughly before 1945) have, until recently, made up a disproportionate number of healthcare patients as they age. These seniors tend to listen to their doctors, obediently follow their healthcare ...
Improving Human Connectivity in Healthcare
Last weekend, I watched a college soccer team compete against a professional team. The college team didn’t fare badly, but the professional team was clearly better. The difference in performance showed in the most basic activity in playing soccer &...
Big Data is Worthless Unless It’s Made Small and Actionable
What does Big Data have to do with patient safety? You might be surprised. Our electronic hand hygiene reminder system captures tens of millions of data points. To use another buzzword, we’ve turned formerly “dumb” hand sanitizer and soap dispe...