Lena J. Weiner, HealthLeaders Media
Continuous improvement techniques used in manufacturing have helped at least six nationally recognized hospitals reduce wait times and drive up HCAHPS scores.

Zack Budryk, FierceHealthFinance
Despite popular perceptions that sustainability measures will financially drain hospitals and health systems, they can drive savings when organizations take certain steps, according to a new report from the University of Pennsylvania.

PR Newswire
United in Safety is the theme of Patient Safety Awareness Week, led by the National Patient Safety Foundation (NPSF), March 8 – March 14, 2015. GOJO Industries, a leader in hand hygiene and skin health and inventors of PURELL® Hand Sanitizer, is joining the NPSF and hospitals across the United States to educate and gain awareness for the critical importance of patient safety.

AOHP via Infection Control Today
The Association of Occupational Health Professionals in Healthcare (AOHP) is requesting information from occupational health professionals nationwide through its EXPO-S.T.O.P. (EXPOsure Survey of Trends in Occupational Practice) survey to continue to expand knowledge on sharps injuries and mucocutaneous blood and body fluid exposure rates in the United States and across the globe.

Nancy Jenkins, American Laundry News
The benefits of reusable surgical gowns and textiles over disposable single-use items are proven: They offer enhanced comfort, cost, performance, and are environmentally preferred. In addition, according to Standard Textile, when hospitals convert their operating rooms (ORs) to a reusable program, they can reduce waste by 90 percent, since OR waste is primarily infectious (red-bag) waste and costs as much as 30 cents a pound to landfill.

Heather Punke, Becker’s Infection Control & Clinical Quality
A new paint created by researchers at University College London can be applied to clothes, paper, glass, and steal to create self-cleaning surfaces.

Heather Punke, Becker’s Infection Control & Clinical Quality
The Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America has chosen 18 international health care professionals to serve as the 2015 delegation of the International Ambassadors Program, which fosters international infection prevention and control efforts through education and collaboration.

Leslie Small, FierceHealthcare
Amid the recent, deadly outbreak of Carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae (CRE) associated with the use of dudenoscopes, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is under fire for what some call inadequate regulation of the medical devices. But an even bigger regulatory gap may be the fact that the federal government doesn't require hospitals to tell patients that they've been exposed to pathogens like CRE, Bloomberg reports.

Noah Rayman, TIME
Pope Francis, who marks his second year as leader of the Catholic Church this week, has garnered the type of favorability ratings that any leader would envy. In a Pew poll released last week, nine out of ten Catholics in America gave the Pope high marks—nearly on par with the hugely popular Pope John Paul II’s top ratings. Around the world, sixty percent of Catholic and non-Catholic respondents alike said they viewed Francis favorably.

Jeff Boss, FORBES
If the display of leadership entails personally authentic behavior that inspires others to opine or act a certain way, then what comes out of a leader’s mouth is equally impactful.

Margie Warrell, FORBES
Could your manager name your top five strengths—you know those things you’re good at and actually enjoy doing at work? And if yes, have they sat down with you recently and had a conversation about how you can build on your strengths as you go about your job?

Thursday, March 19
Effectively managing change involves evaluating, planning and implementing processes, tactics, and strategies.

MyAHE is the area for you to collaborate and interact with your peers to discuss and compare solutions to common issues. We welcome you to provide feedback, network, and share your knowledge with others. MyAHE allows you to network in real-time with peers and experts around the country. We want to make sure you are making the most of this robust members-only benefit since research has shown that networking is a top rated benefit of AHE members.

Environmental Services Technician Certification will not only signify technical accomplishment, but also commitment to performance excellence. Begin differentiating your team of environmental services technicians... and start making significant contributions to the patient experience of care, the facility, the profession, and the community!

The AHE Innovation Award presents a tremendous opportunity for companies and organizations to be recognized for innovative and improved products, processes, and technology advancements. AHE’s goal with the Innovation Award is to increase awareness of innovations that empower individuals and organizations to improve measured outcomes in the health care environment. The award is open to AHE members and non-members and requires a nominal application fee of $300 at the time of application. Apply now!

Do you know someone in environmental services who you want to recognize for their hard work? Honor someone that you believe is doing an outstanding job in environmental services by nominating them today. Let them know that their work doesn’t go unnoticed. AHE’s awards and recognition program acknowledges and elevates those who have demonstrated the highest level of effort and leadership in the field. Award recipients are those who work towards advocating and educating themselves on best practices and standards, developing leaders within the health care environment, and recognizing the profession in the health care community. Apply today!

John Geyman, Huffington Post
In this second post assessing the track record of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) five years after its enactment, we now look at its impact on containment of health care costs and affordability of care, two of its principal goals. In the last post, we noted that up to 11 million Americans have gained access to care through the exchanges, but pointed out the many limits to these numbers; the Obama administration now claims that an additional 10 million have been enrolled in Medicaid or the CHIP children's health program since the start of the ACA.