infection throughout the city . Snow took the basic principle of breaking the chain of infection by taking the handle off the pump . He inspired those in the audience to remember the basics of the chain of infection and then discussed the different microbes in the microbial jungle , some of the anatomy of those microbes and why they are so difficult to get rid of , and how EVS professionals need to remain vigilant and use the basic principles of trapping , capturing , and removing with healthcare-grade ultra microfiber and EPA-registered , hospital-grade disinfectants , with good pressure ( aka ‘ elbow grease ’), taking the time to clean surfaces and properly disinfect them .
• In the presentation , “ CQO in Health Care : Value Analysis Mapping for Environmental Services ,” Aaron Jett , CIC , CSP , T-CHEST , T-CSCT , MT-VPEI , clinical solutions manager for Cintas Corporation , John Scherberger , FAHE , CHESP , REH , principal of Health Risk Mitigation , and Robert Tussey , T-CSCT , VPEI , market director and national trainer for CommonSpirit Health , addressed the continuing trend in healthcare to lower costs and improve overall patient care without sacrificing quality . Multi-departmental value analysis teams meet regularly to discuss and evaluate products and services and make decisions for their organizations based on hard data . Increasingly , leaders of all aspects of healthcare are being called upon to become more strategic in their approach to product evaluation / implementation and operational management . This session explored the latest in mature value analysis mapping , and how to engage a multi-disciplinary team to ensure “ best value ” purchasing decisions that help facilities impact quality care and cost . Engage all leaders through methodical evaluation and team implementation , ensure change management , and support implementation of fluid and uniform departmental processes . In addition , attendees discovered and learned how to use the CDC framework for product assessment and received a toolkit to take back to their facilities .
• In the presentation , “ Environmental Services , Infection Prevention , and Clinical Engineering in Lockstep : Beyond Environmental Surfaces ,” Tim Livesay , system vice president of environmental services , Rob Tussey , market director of Houston , Texas national trainer , Brian Symonds , clinical engineering projects , and Roy Boukidjian , system vice president for infection prevention , all of CommonSpirit Health , shared their system ’ s COVID-19 pandemic response through tactical focus and a multi-disciplinary approach . Attendees heard how one of the nation ’ s largest healthcare systems successfully navigated the pandemic through tight alignment , adaptability , establishment of a multidisciplinary COVID task force , and implementing minute-by-minute action plans that included training , feedback , identifying pain points and quickly operationalizing new guidance .
• In the presentation , “ The New Normal for Standards , Quality and Safety : A CMS Update ,” Jean D . Moody-Williams , RN , MPP , deputy center director of the Center for Clinical Standards and Quality Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services , provided an update about the public reporting site and other imperatives . Attendees learned that CMS is the largest purchaser of healthcare in the world combined , with Medicare and Medicaid paying approximately one-third of national health expenditures costing approximately $ 800 billion . CMS covers 140 million people through Medicare , Medicaid , and the Children ’ s Health insurance program , or roughly 1 in every 3 Americans . The Medicare program alone pays out more than $ 1.5 billion in benefits payments per day through various contractors , while CMS processes more than 1.2 billion fee-for-service claims and answers about 75 million inquiries annually . CMS projects that healthcare spending is estimated to grow by 5.4 percent each year between 2019 and 2028 , meaning that healthcare will cost an estimated $ 6.2 trillion by 2028 .
The AHE panel tackled the tough issue of disposables versus reusables .
• In the panel , “ Benefits , Burdens , and Proper Application of Disposable and Reusable EVS Cleaning ,” experts David Koenig , PhD , life sciences global research and engineering for Kimberly-Clark Corporation ; Julie Nakos from PDI ; Aaron Jett , CIC , CSP , CMIP , T-CHEST / CSCT / CNACC , CPP , CVAP , MPH , VPEI , WACH , clinical solutions manager for healthcare at Cintas Corporation ; Sarah Wombell , product manager for Newell-Rubbermaid ; Linda Homan , RN , BSN , CIC , senior manager of clinical affairs for Ecolab ; John Scherberger , FAHE , CMIP , T-CSCT / CNACC , VPEI ; and Patti Costello , MT-CHEST , MT-CSCT , executive director of AHE , discussed how products included in an environmental disinfection bundle should be evaluated , covering topics such as differences in efficacy and substrates , de-carbonization strategies , reprocessing , ease of use , and best use cases for reusable and disposables . The panel also looked back
The complexity of U . S . healthcare continues to increase . Healthcare environmental management is a crucial safety net .