By Erica Cottey, Sr. Manager, Alsco
Healthcare facilities of all types rely on clean, fresh linen, scrubs, isolation gowns, and more to serve their patients. A healthcare facility’s choice of provider for linen and uniforms matters. Not taking that service seriously can cause a whole host of problems that are difficult to quantify.
Some healthcare facilities prefer to do laundry in-house. While that is not always the best way to go, some facilities make it work. For everyone else, healthcare linen and uniforms are outsourced to providers. However, not all providers are created equal.
Does your facility outsource linen and uniforms to a third party? If so, are the decision-makers happy with that provider? Below are three reasons a facility’s choice of linen providers matters.
1. PATIENT SAFETY MATTERS
Patient safety is a priority. When you are talking healthcare linen and uniforms, you’re talking about products that could be unsafe to patients if they are not laundered properly. It is imperative that facilities only trust their linen and uniforms to providers capable of returning clean, hygienic products after delivery.
2. FACILITY REPUTATION MATTERS
Healthcare is a business like any other. As such, patient perception is important. If a patient goes into a facility and has a bad experience due to flimsy patient gowns, worn-out bed linens and stained bath towels, he or she will not leave that facility with a very good impression. The patient will also tell others of the experience, which will only harm the facility’s reputation.
The same goes for staff uniforms. Uniforms are one of the most critical components when making first impressions. A healthcare facility that wants to maintain a solid reputation cares about patient perception—it’s just that simple.
3. BOTTOM LINE MATTERS
We can’t talk about healthcare linen and uniforms without mentioning the financial aspect. Like anything else, healthcare facilities must remember the bottom line when choosing a linen provider. But the bottom line is not just a matter of weekly delivery costs. What a facility pays for with a linen and uniform service encompasses everything from product quality to weekly quantity to the customer service that backs everything up.
In the long run, a well-designed and implemented linen and uniform plan should save healthcare facilities money. A good plan relies on high-quality linen and uniforms that are properly laundered and processed. A good plan also supplies facilities with exactly what they need when they need it. Do your homework when looking for a linen and uniform provider.
About the Author:
Erica Cottey is a Senior Manager at Alsco, a premier healthcare linen and uniform service. Alsco’s HealthAssure program guarantees that its linens are processed according to a scientifically developed system that meets all the safety guidelines established by the CDC, OSHA and The Joint Commission. Furthermore, HealthAssure guarantees that our healthcare linen and uniforms are processed for the right amount of time, at the right temperature and with the right treatment —assuring that laundered items are hygienically clean.
