Becker's Clinical Quality & Infection Control

40 Executive Briefing How 2 Hospitals Used Pulsed Xenon UV Disinfection to Slash HAI Rates As the share of hospitals' reimbursements tied to infection control and quality increases, hospital leaders need to be smarter than ever about their investments in disinfection tools and products. Investing in pulsed xenon ultraviolet disinfection is one of those smart decisions every hospital should consider, for the sake of their wallets and, more importantly, for the benefit of their patients. Chances are, you've seen the advertisements for Xenex's "germ-zapping" robots — they kind of look like R2-D2's New Age cousin. You may have even wondered how these pulsed xenon UV droids are different than other UV devices on the market. The most important difference between Xenex and other UV robots is the growing body of research and outcome studies at hospitals across the nation that show Xenex's pulsed xenon UV robots can effectively reduce infection rates by destroying dangerous (and costly) pathogens like Clostridium difficile, methicillin- resistant Staphylococcus aureus and vancomycin- resistant enterococci. Roughly four years ago, a study conducted at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston revealed that using pulsed xenon UV light results in patient rooms that are 20 times more disinfected compared to when rooms are cleaned manually. The second major difference is the return on investment hospitals reap when they use Xenex. The speed and efficiency of pulsed xenon UV robots means hospitals can disinfect their rooms more quickly and more efficiently than ever before, reducing costly infections and avoiding reimbursement penalties. Still, not every hospital has made the investment in a pulsed xenon UV disinfection system, and despite these findings, many hospital leaders still wonder whether a disinfected room truly means lower rates of hospital-acquired infections. "If there was one thing I could communicate to hospitals that are still wondering about the connection between cleaner rooms and lower infection rates, I would say we now have seven peer-reviewed, published outcome studies — plus several more studies in the wings — of hospitals saying that they used pulsed xenon to disinfect their rooms and experienced a decrease in infection rates between 53 to 100 percent," says Xenex CEO Morris Miller. The dollars and cents investment in pulsed Xenon UV light The first thing to know about Xenex devices is that, unlike any other UV robot on the market, it uses pulsed xenon UV light to disinfect rooms. Narrow-spectrum UV light can be produced using mercury bulbs, and there are a lot of mercury bulb devices on the market, according to Mr. Miller. However, only Xenex's pulsed xenon UV light is full spectrum and supported by numerous outcomes studies that show, unequivocally, the disinfection method works. Though it may be tempting to opt for inexpensive mercury bulb UV devices, doing so could cost hospitals a lot in the long run. "When you look at the return on investment from a hospital's point of view, using Xenex is expected to pay for itself within three to 12 months as a result of lower infection rates, and that's on a 36-month investment," says Mr. Miller. "That would be like me offering to lease you a car for 36 months, and if you drive it appropriately and make payments for the first year, you can continue to use for the car for an additional two years, without making another payment. We feel so strongly about this that we offer hospitals an infection rate guarantee that allows them to receive a full refund if they follow our protocols and don't receive an agreed-upon infection rate reduction." One of the other advantages of pulsed xenon UV devices — and one of its many cost-saving features — is that the devices are fast. In a recent CDC-funded study of a leading mercury device, the median C. diff spore treatment time was 52 minutes per room. The C. diff spore treatment time for Xenex robots is five minutes per position, with three positions used for patient rooms with a bathroom and two positions for a room without a bathroom. That said, infection control is not just about the bottom line; the most important driver behind any infection control decision is the safety of the patients. Sponsored by:

• Cover