An upstate New York hospital organization faced a challenge: an outdated, ineffective cubicle curtain system with textile curtains. Hospital leaders decided to explore alternatives, and that's where On the Right Track came in.
New York, NY
February 28, 2020
United Health Services Hospitals is a tertiary care center and part of the nonprofit, locally owned United Health Services healthcare system of Greater Binghamton, a network of hospitals, physician practice offices and home health agencies serving a seven-county region. United Health Services Hospitals' Wilson Medical Center is a 280-bed facility, while United Health Services Hospitals' Binghamton General Hospital across town has 220 beds. United Health Services Hospitals is a teaching hospital with trauma, stroke, and chest pain center, also as a heart, vascular institute and regional referral programs in neurosurgery, cancer care, neonatal intensive care, physical rehabilitation, and behavioral health.
Both hospital campuses are characterized by increasing patient demand, counting more than 26,000 discharges and over 55,000 patients treated in the emergency departments annually. Seizing the opportunity to increase inpatient throughput through an innovative solution, hospital leaders partnered with On the Right Track to install 100% recyclable cubicle curtains on both hospital campuses. The new cubicle curtains are fully compatible with the patented track system, which enables staff to replace curtains within seconds, without the use of a ladder.
Thanks to On the Right Track's recyclable curtains, both campuses were able to completely eliminate curtain laundry costs and avoid the problem of curtains getting misplaced. Additionally, the facilities can now ensure visual consistency across all beds and periodically refresh their interiors, given that the high-quality curtain material comes in a variety of patterns.
More importantly, the hospitals are leveraging On the Right Track to augment the effectiveness of the facilities' infection prevention strategy. At the end of a cycle, or every time curtains become visibly contaminated, staff can toss them in a recycling bin and effortlessly replace the panels with brand-new recyclable curtains. Eliminating traditional textile curtains means eliminating the risk of exposing patients to germs that can't be killed through regular washing cycles. For example, as covered by Medscape, commercial washing machines are not always able to remove all traces of C. diff from fabrics.
"With the full conversion of our textile cubicle curtains and antiquated track system to On the Right Track recyclable system, we have completely standardized 100 percent of our curtains," commented Matt Masse, EVS director at United Health Services Hospitals.
"Instead of having dozens of different colors, patterns and sizes, we now have one standardized panel. This allows us to save critical time in finding the right curtains for the right units and getting them changed safely and quickly."
Said Rich Keehle, senior director of Support Services at the hospitals, "We have already realized the improvement in discharge room turnover timeliness with OTRT. We have decreased our turnaround time by 15 minutes just on replacing the curtains with OTRT."
In addition, the UHS nursing staff is enjoying the very quiet track system, as well as reducing the occurrence of the curtain mesh getting caught on IV poles.
Hospitals across the globe are increasingly adopting practices that optimize hospital efficiency, improve the patient experience and reduce costs, while also decreasing the environmental impact of the facility. United Health Services Hospitals is among these forward-looking facilities and, with On the Right Track, the organization was also able to implement a full-circle recycling program that turns used curtains into bacteria-free plastics, including storage totes, trays, and basins. Through On the Right Track's recycling program, environmental services teams can ship the old curtains to On the Right Track's facilities, where the curtains are recycled into polypropylene raw materials.
About United Health Services
UHS is a comprehensive regional health system whose mission is to improve the health of those we serve through our commitment to excellence in all that we do. Find out the care and treatment from United Health Services.
About On The Right Track
On the Right Track's recyclable curtains and recycling program improve healthcare environment worldwide. Contact us today to know more about it.
