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| Infection Prevention 101: The Laundry Room Do your facility's laundry practices halt the spread of infections? Linens notoriously play host to soil and microbes, which can travel if items are laundered improperly. CMS notes under Tag F441 §483.65(c), Linens, that "personnel must handle, store, process and transport linens so as to prevent the spread of infection."1 We've created the handy checklist below to serve as an overview of the key points of the agency's guidance.1 | |||
| Bagging Contaminated Laundry | ||||
| ◻ | Bag and contain contaminated linen at the point of use to avoid contaminating the air, surfaces and persons in other areas | |||
| ◻ | Double-bagging is only recommended if the outside of the bag is visibly contaminated or wet | |||
| ◻ | Leak-resistant bags are recommended for linens contaminated with blood or body substances | |||
| ◻ | No special precautions or categorizing is recommended for linens originating in isolation rooms | |||
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| Stocking the Laundry Room | ||||
| ◻ | The laundry area should have handwashing facilities and products | |||
| ◻ | PPE (i.e., gloves and gowns) should be available for workers to wear while sorting linens | |||
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| Washing Tips | ||||
| ◻ | Don't leave damp linens in machines overnight | |||
| ◻ | Destroy microorganisms in laundry through hot water washing at temperatures above 160° F for 25 minutes | |||
| ◻ | Low-temperature washing at 71° to 77° F plus a 125-part-per-million chlorine bleach rinse has been found to be effective and comparable to high temperature wash cycles | |||
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| Bedding Replacement | ||||
| ◻ | Replace mattress covers with tears or holes (patches do not provide an impermeable surface over the mattress) | |||
| ◻ | Clean and disinfect mattress covers between residents using an EPA-approved germicidal detergent | |||
| ◻ | Fabric mattress covers should be laundered between residents | |||
| ◻ | Launder pillow covers and washable pillows in hot water between residents and when they are contaminated with body substances | |||
| ◻ | Discard mattresses if fluids have penetrated the mattress fabric | |||
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Professional Medical stocks everything you need for your laundry room, including carts, chemicals, dispensers and color-coded bags. To learn more, contact your territory manager, visit us online at www.promedsupply.com or give us a call at (800) 648-5190. Reference 1 Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. State Operations Manual. Appendix PP – Guidance to Surveyors for Long Term Care Facilities (Rev. 70, 01-07-11). http://www.cms.gov/ Regulations-and-Guidance/Guidance/Manuals/downloads/som107ap_pp_guidelines_ltcf.pdf. Accessed July 10, 2013. | |||
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Join Us for Our July 18 Perfect Survey Webinar! There's still time to join us for this Thursday's complimentary Perfect Survey webinar! If your survey preparation strategy isn't giving you the results you want, let us show you how our exclusive online tool can help you gear up for both the QIS and traditional survey. During the webinar, we'll introduce you to the site's contents, including the actual forms that surveyors use, guidance broken down by F tag and care area and exclusive tips from industry veterans. We'll also show you the fresh content that was recently added to the site. This month, we'll be focusing on CMS's new Quality Assurance and Performance Improvement (QAPI) program. |
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Click on the link above to register for our July 18 webinar, which will be held from 8-9 a.m. CST. | |||
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Our distribution cart
is constructed of healthcare-grade PVC pipe and fittings. It is reinforced at all stress-related areas for additional strength and available in a wide variety of standard mesh and solid vinyl colors. Additional features:
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| Product pricing is only visible to registered promedsupply.com customers. If you are not yet registered, give us a call at (800) 648-5190 and our Customer Care Professionals will be happy to get you set up. | |||
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