1. The Benefits of HLAC Accreditation for the Independent Laundry1
The Benefits of HLAC Accreditation for the Independent Laundry
Gregory Gicewicz,
President - Sterile Surgical Systems
Vice President – HLAC
HLAC Standards Committee – Co-Chair
HLAC Inspection Committee - Member
October 24, 2013
Healthcare Laundry Accreditation Council 1

2. What You’ll Learn Today
Why you should be accredited
HLAC's role in accreditation – who we are, our standards process
How inspections work –  the process, results, common failures
Overcoming cost issues of accreditation – resources and ideas

3. Linen Contamination Brainstorm
List 15 ways contaminated linen may touch a patient:
How many pounds of linen do you process per year?
How many pounds of linen do you test per year?
Focus on the Process!
Healthcare Laundry Accreditation Council

4. The Sterile Surgical Systems Story
2006
2.8 million lbs per year processed
65 LBS per Operator hour
600 LBS processed per hour
3 gallons water use per LB of linen processed
20 LBS of linen processed per therm used
15 Customers
25 employees
12 hour work day
No HLAC Accreditation
Sterile Surgical Systems 2.0
2012
7 million lbs per year processed
75 LBS per Operator hour
1200 LBS processed per hr
1.6 gallons water use per LB of linen processed
29 LBS of linen processed per therm used
45 Customers
64 employees
22 hour work day
HLAC Accredited
Sterile Surgical Systems 3.0
2013
10 million lbs per year processed
160 LBS per Operator hour
3500 LBS processed per hour
.5 gallons water use per LB of linen processed
40 LBS of linen processed per therm used
60 Customers
37 employees
9 hour work day
Healthcare Laundry Accreditation Council

5. Why you should be Accredited?
Patient Safety
Patients and families expect clean, safe textiles (no bioburden) Industry leadership
Show customers we share the same goal: patient safety
Quality Improvement
Customer awareness of “superbugs” is growing; clean textiles are critical
Accreditation provides confirmation they have chosen a provider that is serious about quality and safety

6. Why you should be Accredited?
Credibility
Independent, 3rd party inspection provides validation of the laundry operation
Industry leadership
Competitive Edge
Marketing benefits – More of your competitors are becoming accredited
More and more healthcare facilities are requiring accreditation
Education
Source of industry best practices
Promotes continuous employee training

7. Going through the process of HLAC accreditation raised the bar for our laundry and consequently for our customers. Our people, processes, and technology are now at a higher level of excellence and our customers are the real winners! Gregory Gicewicz – President Sterile Surgical Systems
Becoming accredited makes us a better company. And its gives our customers peace of mind to know their supplier is meeting the highest standards in processing healthcare textiles.
Tom Austin, CEO of Universal Linen Services
Any healthcare system or individual facility interested in outsourcing their laundry should demand a company with HLAC accreditation,” said
Joe Shough, Director of Business Development and Service Systems for Paris Healthcare Linen Services
Partnering with an accredited laundry service — in-house or commercial — supports a hospital’s need for quality, efficiency, service, cost reduction, and most importantly, successful infection prevention strategies and patient safety
Dr. James Lehman MD, MBA, FACP, FACPE – Vice President of Quality for Genesis Health System in Davenport Iowa

8. What is HLAC?
HLAC Standard developed from both laundry operations and infection prevention expertise
Inspection process assesses compliance with the Standard
Accreditation is voluntary
Renewal every 3 years is necessary to maintain accreditation
Healthcare professionals increasingly aware of this accreditation program

9. We’re Independent! Independent Established 2005 Self-Sustaining
501(c)(6)

10. Highest Standards! Accreditation for All!
Mission: “To accredit laundries processing healthcare textiles based on the highest standards for patient safety and infection prevention” Vision: “For all healthcare facilities to require HLAC accreditation for their laundry providers.”

11. The One and Only
HLAC is the only accrediting body whose sole purpose is to inspect and accredit laundries who process healthcare textiles Voluntary program – well received within the laundry industry Accreditation is good for 3 years and is address-specific

12. Worldwide
Covers general healthcare textile processing Surgical pack assembly room included in new Standards, which were effective January Worldwide

13. What is HLAC?
Must be processing healthcare textiles Self-disclosure of significant plant changes Significant facility changes can trigger a mid-term inspection

14. Healthcare Laundry’s Goal?
To provide a hygienically clean textile Clean, not sterile Free from bioburden such that the textile poses no risk to the patient When processed properly, healthcare textiles pose little or no risk of infection transmission to the patient [CDC/HICPAC: EIC E.I.E.2]

15. HLAC Standards Supersedes the HLAC Standard of 2006
The Healthcare Laundry Accreditation Council
Accreditation Standards for Processing Reusable Textiles
for Use in Healthcare Facilities
2011 Edition
Published June 2011 by
P.O. Box 1805, Frankfort, IL 60423
Office: • Toll-free: HLAC (4522)
© All Rights Reserved.
Healthcare Laundry Accreditation Council
Supersedes the HLAC Standard of 2006
More detailed, less ambiguity
Comprehensive in scope
Thoroughly referenced
Its message: Patient-focused infection prevention
Advances the industry

16. HLAC Standards
Takes into consideration the content of relevant organizations in healthcare - AAMI, AIA/FGI, ALM, ANSI, AORN, APIC, ASHES, ASHRAE, CDC, HICPAC, OSHA, TRSA
3 Parts
Part I : Basic Considerations
Part II: Textile Processing Cycle
Part III: Surgical Pack Room

17. HLAC Standards 157 “Must” requirements
Most are based on Federal mandates, such as OSHA 29 CFR
Facility has to comply with 100% of the “must” standards to become accredited

18. HLAC Standards 317 “Shall” requirements
Industry best practices – laundry
TRSA, ALM, ASHES, IAHTM, ARTA
Industry best practices – healthcare
APIC, AORN, ASHES, CDC, HICPAC, AIA/FGI
Facility has to comply with 90% of the “shall” requirements to become accredited

19. HLAC Standards 63 “Should” and “May” statements
“Should” and “may” statements represent suggested courses of action for which a strong industry consensus is not available for all regions of the country, or are part of emerging practices and/or technology.  “Should” and “may” statements are recommended for implementation, but are not scored.

20. HLAC Standards Part I: Basic Considerations Textile control procedures
Facility
Contingency planning
Personnel and hiring
Occupational safety and hygiene
Training
Quality control and process monitoring
Customer service

21. HLAC Standards Part II: The Textile Processing Cycle
Handling, collection and transporting of soiled healthcare textiles
Sorting (including sharps)
Washing, extracting and drying
Finishing
Packaging and storage
Delivery of cleaned healthcare textiles

22. HLAC Standards Part III: Surgical Pack Assembly Room
Textiles that are prepared for sterilization
Basic backbone derived from ANSI/AAMI ST65: “Processing of Reusable Surgical Textiles for use in Healthcare Facilities”
Incorporates same components as Parts I & II plus unique factors applicable to a pack room
Part III stops at the sterilization step

23. Documentation Agreements Policies Procedures Personnel Records
2323
Documentation
Agreements
Contracts, Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), etc.
Policies
Processing textiles, emergency preparedness, etc.
Procedures
Environment, equipment, operations, processing
Personnel Records
Hiring, job descriptions, health, termination, etc.
Healthcare Laundry Accreditation Council

24. The Inspection
Navigate through questions to assess managerial knowledge and competencies, start a dialogue Use visual cues to help assess cleanliness, employee comprehension of policies

25. The Inspection Results
Inspection committee reviews scoring document and remediation and determines accreditation For non-compliance, HLAC allows 15 business days; 45 days remediation is only allowed in extreme instances when reconstruction, etc., may be necessary Final inspection and scoring data is strictly confidential and never shared

26. Common HLAC Inspection Failures
Incorrect plant airflow
Dirty plant – lint especially
Hazardous Materials and Pharmaceutical Waste Management policies
Inadequate or unchecked eyewash stations
Inadequate signage (emergency exit or contaminated area)
Training documents not signed or dated

27. Common HLAC Inspection Failures
No policy around pony washer cleaning and functional separation
No fluid proof gloves used in the sort
No or inadequate safety guards on equipment
Wood surfaces where linen will be processed
No spill kits on delivery vehicles
Improper hand hygiene practices by employees

28. I am not a multi-million dollar mega plant
I am not a multi-million dollar mega plant. Won’t Accreditation be too expensive for me?

29. You don’t have to break the bank! Here are some ideas:

30. You have Lots of Resources Available
Other HLAC Accredited Laundries
They are the experts
They have been through the process
Other Valuable Sources of Information
Your customer’s infection preventionist
ALM – Education & Forums -
HLAC Webcasts and Website -
The Laundry Forum -

31. Money Saving Ideas for Pursuing HLAC Accreditation…

32. Instead of
Investing in a multi-thousand dollar HVAC system for correct airflow
Rather
Install fans in strategic areas of your plant to properly direct air
Investing in an expensive automatic airflow detector
Install inexpensive flutter strips in strategic locations

33. Instead of Rather Purchasing brand new stainless steel folding tables
Cover existing wooden tables with an impervious material such as linoleum
Investing in an expensive off the shelf maintenance program
Microsoft Excel spreadsheets work just fine

34. More Money Saving Ideas
Use your chemical provider for:
Titrations
Hygienically clean tests
Water testing
MSDS’s
EPA Registered disinfectants & labels
Most 2nd hand equipment manuals are available online from the manufacturer

35. More Money Saving Ideas
Most government regs have free templates online. Example: for BBP
Retired surgical gowns make great PPE
Use your customer for:
key documents
sharps containers
Acoustic ceiling tiles do not work in pack rooms due to their shedding. Washable ceiling tiles are available at most hardware stores

36. …It is worth it! Quality and Safety
Documented performance measurements, which support consistent results in cleanliness.
Heightened awareness of how high the bar is being raised for all healthcare laundries.
Integration of healthcare protocols at the laundry.
Less likelihood of cross-contamination of textiles or employee injuries.

37. After you are have been Inspected and Accredited….
Celebrate with your staff and use it as an opportunity to remind everyone that your high standards don’t go on hiatus until the next inspection. We need to be inspection ready everyday.

38. Think Again!!!! Think the Service you Perform is not Critical?
Click above link for video
Think Again!!!!

39. Questions Please