Radiological Care Services (RCS) is a privately held business entity headquartered in Indianapolis, Indiana. The team within RCS has worked closely with hospitals for over a combined 20 years. Throughout this time, it has been noted that health networks and surgery centers have many infection control measures in place; however, protective X-ray garments were often overlooked and/or not serviced appropriately. RCS has developed a proprietary, multi-step, testing, cleaning and sanitization system, based upon guidelines provided by the CDC, TJC, HFAP and AORN. Additionally, RCS offers X-ray garment scanning services and repair services for all types of wearables, including stitching, pocket tears, Velcro repair/replacement and more.
How are Protective X-ray Garments being serviced?
How are Protective X-Ray Garments being serviced?
This varies greatly from institution to institution. In many hospitals today, X-ray garments are “wiped weekly or monthly” with a sanitizing wipe. The problem with this lies in that Infection Control Professionals and Clinical Staff alike concur that compliance and efficacy in doing this is highly ineffective.
Does anyone else provide such services?
How does the AORN (Association of Operating Room Nurses) recommend care?
In their 2014 Perioperative Standards and Recommended Practices, you will observe that they recommend that, “thorough cleaning AND disinfection of perioperative areas is essential to preventing the spread of potentially pathogenic organisms.” (Cleaning AND Disinfection)
Does RCS Sell New X-ray Garments?
How does the CDC & TJC recommend care?
In JCAHO’s “It’s All On The Surface Article”, they position that, “cleaning AND disinfecting environmental surfaces in health care facilities is fundamental in reducing the potential contribution of those surfaces to the incidence of healthcare associated infections (HAIs). Additionally, they note that the “use of friction” is necessary to physically clean and remove dirt, organic material, and debris before disinfection can take place. This is part of the multi-step, proprietary process that has been developed by RCS. Think about it like this - You don’t wax a dirty car! (CDC - Centers for Disease Control) (JCAHO - Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations)
What's the big deal with not having clean X-ray garments?
What's the big deal with not having Clean X-Ray Garments?
That same X-ray garment might travel from the OR, through radiology and end up in a patient’s room! This is both a matter of patient and staff safety. HAIs are deemed “Never Events” by CMS and are documented as the 4th largest killer in America. Under the ACA and through Value Based Purchasing, hospitals can be penalized three times for the same mistake. This is nothing to take lightly, as $30.5B was projected to be added to annual healthcare costs in 2014 due to HAIs. What are the costs of readmissions, additional surgical procedures, patient litigation, etc. for your facility? Long before Covid-19 surfaced, health networks were realizing that their quality of care could be improved with regard to the garment inventory.
How does a Hospital know that RCS Services are effective?
How does a Hospital know that RCS Services are effective?
We let the numbers speak for themselves…the DATA doesn’t lie. The Frequency Case Study (on this website) clearly reflects the efficacy of the RCS Process and also our recommendation for scheduled/regular maintenance. You can review such “before/after” documentation via that case study. When we test an apron, identify elevated RLUs and then later return it to the facility with a ZERO reading of RLUs, we stand proud behind our work and those results. The Board of Health doesn’t like to discover RLUs in a chef’s kitchen; therefore, we don’t like for customers to expose patient and staff members to high RLUs in a medical setting either!
Will the RCS process damage the garments?
Will the RCS "Our Program" process damage the Garments?
The proprietary, multi-step process at RCS has been developed based upon the X-ray apron manufacturers' guidelines and recommendations. (In fact, manufacturers of lead aprons recommend routine cleanings to prolong life of the garment!) Through cleaning and repair of your garments with RCS, we help keep your current garments in the game for you!
Why can't Hospitals just clean them themselves?
Why can't Hospitals just clean them themselves?
Hospitals don't have the time, staff or space to properly service their inventories. Cleaning X-ray aprons and garments is NOT a simple process. Alexander Epstein (Harvard University) researches and writes about biofilms. His work states that layers of bacteria can form biofilms, which he documents to be more repellent of liquid than Teflon coated surfaces! Thus, the CDC and AORN stating that the physical removal of organic material and debris is crucial as a first step in the overall cleaning and sanitization process. Additionally, we have found in order to clean the lead properly it takes a very specialized cleaning station and appropriate amount of square footage to accommodate each of the steps involved in the RCS multi-step, proprietary process. The complex nature of the process necessitates assigned “space” for each step in the process.
- According to the AORN and the CDC, using sanitizing wipes alone will not adequately eliminate the microorganisms on a dirty surface. We have worked closely with both of these organizations in developing our process and have carefully followed their recommendations and “best practices.”
What about cost? We can't afford another item in our budget?
What about cost? We can't afford another item in our budget?
According to CMS, the HAI (hospital acquired infection) situation is growing more dangerous, due to the fact that many HAIs now are unable to be remedied with traditionally used antibiotics. There is now compelling evidence citing that hospital acquired infections are preventable. Trial lawyers have shifted the burden onto the hospitals and the Affordable Care Act and CMS now levy some major penalties on facilities for such infections. Subscribing to routine, scheduled, cleanings for your hospital’s X-ray garment inventory will more than pay for itself. The RCS fees for your facility are only a fraction of those fines acquired from CMS when reporting an HAI - you can’t afford not to find room in your budget for both PATIENT and STAFF safety reasons. RCS contracts are tailored to include different variables such as commitment based pricing tiers, RCS delivery and pick up (limited area) and more. As your partner, we build your program together.
What if my facility is not in Indiana?
What if my facility is not in Indiana?
We’ve still got you covered. Though we are headquartered in Indianapolis, we currently support facilities hundreds and thousands of miles away! We have a dedicated shipping and operations team that supports our out-of-State customers’ every need including providing RCS shipping totes and replacement garments for our contracted, out-of State customers. We tailor your program based upon your needs, the quantity of your lead wearable inventory and the frequency in which you will be having the inventory serviced. Though we’re based in Indy now, we’ll be “Coming Soon” to a city/town near you!
How does the AORN
recommend care?
Does anyone else provide such services?
Lysol. Febreeze. Cart Washers. Wipes. We’ve heard a lot of good stories over the years about how these garments are “cleaned.” After developing ringworm from wearing hospital owned garments, we decided it was time to create an industry. We’ve been at this since 2012 and have consulted with the governing bodies and garment manufacturing companies as we have developed and refined our multi-step process over the years. We are the World’s First (and only) Full Service Company and are the industry leaders. We are proud to provide references from AHRA Board Members and members of the AORN Executive Roundtable - We have now grown into providing service into 37+ states and to over 350 facilities. Ask us for some references and we’ll let our customers tell you what it’s like to work with us!
How does the CDC & TJC
recommend care?
Does RCS Sell New X-Ray Garments?
We sure do – Part of being a full-service solutions provider includes being able to provide new X-ray garments, protective glasses, barriers/shields and more. When customers purchase new garments through RCS, these wearables are automatically X-ray scanned, RFID tagged, and loaded into the customer's portal before being delivered. Also, we can help our customers with old garment disposal, through our hazardous waste disposal program.
