Benjamin Franklin said, "The only things certain in life are death and taxes." With the Supreme Court's blessing last summer, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA), generally referred to as Obamacare, can now be added to the list of certainties. Whether you are for it or against it does not really make much of a difference at this point. Big changes are coming as PPACA is implemented, and it is important to recognize where these changes may affect you.
It is imperative that we realize Obamacare will change the way health care is administered and used. You might be wondering, what does Medical Office Cleaning have to do with Obamacare? The implementation of Obamacare impacts the future of health care in many different ways. First of all, the entire medical delivery system will be under enormous pressure to cut costs. One place many facilities’ managers may look to cut costs is in facility maintenance which includes Medical Office Cleaning.
Why Medical Office Cleaning Is Not the Same As General Office Cleaning
Medical Office Cleaning is substantially different than general office cleaning. If a janitorial company misses some cleaning in an office building, the customer gets frustrated and the cleaning company gets a complaint call. If a janitorial company misses some cleaning in a medical facility, patients can get sick.
Michigan medical cleaning services are an important component of health care and assurances of safety that can make or break a hospital or doctor’s offices reputation. Utilizing a general office cleaning service to ensure your medical facilities are clean and safe can not only result in wasted money and major headaches, it could also put patient health and employee safety at risk. No matter how experienced a cleaning company is, if they do not specialize in medical office, then they will no doubt overlook the important needs your medical areas require.
Compromises in Medical Office Cleaning Can Equal Compromises in Health & Safety
The Center for Disease Control estimates that the average cost of a hospital acquired infection in 2007, ranged from $11,874 to $34,670 per case. Why cost containment is important, it should not compromise patient health. Medical office cleaning professionals must be trained to clean for health. Professional, high-quality medical office cleaning must always make use of the highest standards of cleaning, the most effective cleaning products, practical safety measures, stringent training and commitment to the health and safety of everyone involved.
What kind of measures are necessary? These include procedures like using specifically targeted disinfectants and allowing the proper amount of dwell time on surfaces for those disinfectants to be effective. It involves things like specific training in the risks associated with blood borne pathogens.
What does high quality, safe and effective medical cleaning really net your facilities?
Finding a qualified, professional safe Medical office cleaning company to clean and care for your facilities can be challenging when you manage a health care facility and require a high standard of medical cleaning services. Cleaning a medical environment requires thorough staff training, special attention to health and safety concerns and comprehensive cleaning, sanitizing and disinfecting techniques not common in a typical office building.
What to Look For to Find the Best Medical Office Cleaning Services
Look for a medical office cleaning service that has a minimum of 5 years experience in the field of medical office cleaning. Be certain that the company you choose trains their employees for the specific work required in a medical environment. Supplemental training with biohazard matters, such as blood borne pathogens, is essential.
Work in tandem with your medical office cleaning service to identify precisely what your specifications are and work out which areas of your medical office will require extra attention. Likewise, look for companies that have specific, detailed procedures to address when things are not done to standard or need to be adjusted.
Don’t be tempted to go for the low ball bids that won't make the health and safety of your patients and staff a priority. Maintaining a sanitized medical environment generally costs more than general office cleaning services because of many factors, including specialized products, extensive training and even how your facilities are used.
It is prudent to find a company that will work with you if your space changes or your requirements change. For instance, certain times of the year may be busier requiring extra help. Likewise, if you turn an exam room into a medical records area, this will change your needs and a company that puts your needs first can adjust to fit them and add help or reduce your costs accordingly.
We understand that Obamacare will have medical providers searching for ways to streamline costs, with quality, professional medical office cleaning from the right provider you can protect health and safety while not forgetting the importance of keeping costs in line.