UVC light treatment is also completely safe for both patients and staff. Disinfection can be performed in a matter of minutes and patients and staff can occupy a room directly after decontamination.

The documented increase in hospital acquired infections in general and Medicare’s Hospital Readmissions Reduction Program should also be considered by hospital administrators. Hospitals that score low on meeting quality standards have the potential to lose up to 2 percent of their Medicare reimbursements. In real-world terms, a 300 bed hospital with below standard metrics could be penalized roughly $1.3 million.


DOTmed News: What settings are systems like these most commonly used in?

SG: UVC light systems are being used in acute and post-acute health care settings, in operating rooms, patient and isolation rooms, bathrooms, laboratories within hospitals, emergency rooms and waiting rooms. In previous years, hospitals were the primary users of the technology.

But with the recent rise in HAI infection rates and the high cost of treating HAIs, post-acute care facilities, nurse assisted living, general ambulatory, clinics and even private medical practices are now adding UVC disinfection systems to augment their infection control practices.

It’s important to recognize that HAIs are not covered by insurance plans, so health care facilities are charged with finding proven, reliable methods to reduce infection rates.

UVC systems are also being used in both collegiate and professional sports and by disaster recovery services, environmental cleaning companies and the federal government. In addition, they are used in office settings, where shared tools and electronic devices are targeted for disinfection.”

DOTmed News: Did the Ebola outbreak spark interest in this system and systems like this?

SG: The Ebola virus, in particular in recent months, has made health care providers scrutinize day-to-day adherence to infection control protocols. As a result, interest in alternative means of disinfection has risen greatly.

UVC light technology can simplify decontamination in many cases. The easy operation and speed of the disinfection cycle make UVC light treatment an easy layer of infection control to put in place particularly since many health care workers are already so busy.

Health care facilities are adding new methods to their infection protocols as a result of recent viral and bacterial outbreaks. Some facilities are focusing on changing garments more often, disinfecting offices and handheld tools and equipment, and, in some cases, disposing of everything in infection-exposed isolation rooms. Other health care facilities are using additional technologies such as UVC light in tandem with terminal cleaning.

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