Heather Punke, Becker’s Infection Control & Clinical Quality
When nurses and other health care workers find a safety problem and fix it, they often do not take the next step and report the problem, according to a study published in BMJ Quality and Safety.

Healthcare Facilities Today
An Australian architectural firm expecta a decrease in government spending on public health care and a push towards a more home-centric and technology-based health care service, according to an article on the Architecture & Design website.

Chris Groscurth, Gallup
As the rules of health care in the U.S. change, quality and performance metrics are more important to hospitals than ever before. Health care leaders are now tasked with turning enormous quantities of data into meaningful outcomes—and many of them are discovering their performance management strategies aren't up to meeting the challenge.

Neal Lorenzi, Health Facilities Management
It has long been recommended that environmental surfaces in patient rooms be cleaned and disinfected on a regular basis, when surfaces are visibly soiled, and after patient discharge. Disinfection usually is performed using a hospital disinfectant registered with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

Industrial Skins, LLC via Infection Control Today
Bio-Tile™ is a revolutionary new product for a top-down approach to sanitizing ceiling tiles. Designed and developed by Industrial Skins CEO Shawn Engberg, Bio-Tile is a multiple layer, recyclable ceiling tile that adheres to existing or new ceiling tiles, allowing health care professionals to simply peel away one of the five layers when the ceiling surface needs to be cleaned.

Brooke Borel, Popular Science
Bed bug infestations exploded over the past 15 years or so, opening a relatively new market for all kinds of products. There are bed bug traps, so-called all-natural sprays, mattress encasements—thousands of options of varying worth. There are also chemical insecticides, including both over-the-counter and professional grade products. The most common class of insecticides used on bed bugs are pyrethtroids, a synthetic version of an ancient remedy made from crushed chrysanthemums.

Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America via Medical Xpress
Hospitals and health systems preparing for and treating patients with Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) in the fall of 2015 faced unexpected challenges for ensuring safety of staff, patients and the community. The experiences are detailed in two studies published online in Infection Control & Hospital Epidemiology, the journal of the Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America (SHEA).

Tinker Ready, HealthLeaders Media
Research suggests health care consumers may be able to find reliable data on hospital quality in a familiar place—Facebook. Now hospitals accustomed to appealing mainly to payers must shift strategies.

Heather Punke, Becker’s Infection Control & Clinical Quality
Ultraviolet light disinfection can be used on personal protective equipment, while the health care worker is still wearing it, to reduce the risk of possible contamination while taking off the PPE, according to a study published in the American Journal of Infection Control.

Joan Hebden, RN, MS, CIC, Becker’s Infection Control & Clinical Quality
Multiple regulatory initiatives are targeting the prevention and potential elimination of health care-associated infections (HAIs)—an adverse clinical outcome still seen in 1 out of 25 hospitalized patients despite focused performance improvement efforts at the national, state and local levels over the past decade.

Heather Punke, Becker’s Infection Control & Clinical Quality
A mixture of onion, garlic, wine and cow bile could prove to be the cure for methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, according to researchers from the University of Nottingham in the U.K.

Ron Shinkman, FierceHealthFinance
Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is a scourge in hospitals, infecting thousands of patients a year, but a new study suggests that it may be too expensive to treat aggressively.

Linda Goss, Occupational Health & Safety
When it comes to health care occupational risks, slips, trips, and falls are often the first to come to mind. Sharps also make the top of the list, but what is often overlooked is the cousin to sharps: splashes. Also known as mucocutaneous blood exposures, splashes are a notable risk for health care workers. Splashes—from routine activities such as cutting catheter bags, cleaning bedpans, and emptying suction cups—can land on a caregiver, where it can transfer a pathogen through the eyes, nose, or mouth.

Nicole Fisher, Forbes
Over the last two decades there have been dramatic shifts in the composition of the country’s demographics. There have not, however, been significant advancements in the representation of minority leadership in our nation’s health care and hospital systems. Meanwhile, the increasing role of women has introduced several noteworthy changes to c-suites and board memberships. Some of these have come alongside and because of the recent move towards clinicians as leaders.

Jeff Boss, Forbes
A recent study reveals the leadership trends that leaders follow today amidst a constantly changing environment, and how yesterday’s solution often morphs into today’s problem. It’s no secret that the competitive landscape of today moves faster and is more complex than ever before—and only becomes more so every day.

Leslie Small, FierceHealthcare
Confronting the myriad challenges of running a health care organization requires creative thinking and talented leaders—three of whom shared their insights at the American College of Healthcare Executives' (ACHE) 2015 Congress.

Glenn Llopis, Forbes
As President for the Americas and European Union Region, Odilon Almeida is responsible for Western Union’s business across 98 countries, encompassing all the companies’ products and services in three macro regions: North America, Latin America and Caribbean and the European Union. Like many who have found success in leadership positions, he embodies the six characteristics that define what it means to be a 21st century leader.

Thursday, April 30
This webinar walks environmental services leaders through the maze of identifying, selecting and applying effective staffing standards for your facility.

Thursday, May 14
Panelists will discuss a plug and play strategy and toolkit to use during outbreaks.

The AHE Innovation Award presents a tremendous opportunity for companies and organizations to be recognized for innovative and improved products, processes, and technology advancements. 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!

MyAHE is our branded members-only discussion forum. We recently migrated the discussions from iCohere to Learner Community, a new, interactive and exciting learning platform. On MyAHE, you can ask your most pressing environmental services related questions or answer questions posed by other professionals.

Shefali Luthra, U.S. News & World Report
In hopes of improving patient reviews, which are tied to incentives under Obamacare, some hospitals are improving their hospital gowns.

Julie Henry, HealthcareDIVE
Rural hospitals have closed and nearly 300 more are on the brink of closure, according to the National Rural Health Association (NRHA). Hospitals report that one of the biggest reasons rural hospitals are being forced to close post-ACA is cuts to both Medicare and Medicaid reimbursement, both of which are major payment sources for rural hospitals.

Brian Eastwood, FierceHealthPayer
The Affordable Care Act faced hurdles and achieved milestones in its first five years. Now that its anniversary has passed, attention turns to what's in store for the future of health care reform.