KANKAKEE, Ill.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--As hospitals around the world look for new and innovative ways to battle deadly pathogens and kill multi-drug resistant organisms that can endanger patients and hospital employees, Riverside Medical Center invested in state-of-the-art room disinfection technology that is proven to stop superbugs in their tracks. Now considered part of the hospital’s environmental standard of care, the robots’ work is paying off. Since deploying two Xenex LightStrike Germ-Zapping Robots, Riverside has achieved a significant reduction in its already low infection rates. Specifically, the hospital has seen 27% reductions in Clostridium difficile (C.diff), Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), and Vancomycin-resistant enterococci (VRE) rates facility-wide, and a 65% reduction in infection rates in its ICU.
Riverside is known for its commitment to patient care. It is a 9-time recipient of the Watson Health Top 100 Hospital designation, meaning it has earned high performing marks in patient care, hospital operations, and financial sustainability. The hospital has also earned Magnet designation from the American Nurses Credentialing Center’s (ANCC) Magnet® Recognition Program, is a Truven 50 Top Cardiovascular Hospital, and received the Healthgrades Distinguished Hospital Award for Clinical Excellence (2014-2018), Healthgrades’ Outstanding Patient Experience Award™ (2017), and Healthgrades’ America’s 100 Best Hospitals for Cardiac Care™ (2017 & 2018) accolades.
“The microorganisms that cause infections are getting smarter and becoming antibiotic-resistant, which is why we need new weapons like the LightStrike robot to destroy them before they pose a threat to patients and our employees. Riverside already had very low infection rates, but our goal is zero infections. I am proud that since we implemented two Xenex robots, we have seen significant infection rate reductions,” said Martha Bouk, Infection Preventionist at Riverside Medical Center. “Use of the LightStrike system enhances the hospital’s already thorough processes for cleaning rooms and killing the pathogens that cause infections – we want to go above and beyond for our patients, and the two disinfection robots are helping us take cleanliness to the next level.”
Riverside uses its two portable and powerful robots, named Albert and Clean Victoria by the Environmental Services team that runs them, to disinfect more than 30 rooms per day in its intensive care unit (ICU), pediatric floor, medical-surgical unit, and operating rooms (ORs). The robots emit intense pulses of xenon ultraviolet (UV) light to quickly disinfect rooms by destroying the microscopic pathogens that may have been missed during the manual cleaning process.
As superbugs such as C.diff, MRSA, and VRE become more difficult to kill, hospitals are increasingly turning to pulsed xenon UV disinfection technology to help them keep their hospitals free of dangerous microorganisms. Numerous healthcare facilities throughout the U.S. have credited the LightStrike robots in peer-reviewed, published studies for helping them reduce their C.diff, MRSA and Surgical Site Infection rates 46% - 100%.
Xenex has designated Riverside Medical Center as a Visionary Hospital in recognition of its innovation and success in infection prevention and outstanding patient care. According to Xenex, Visionary Hospitals are defined as hospitals that 1. Make patient safety a top priority; 2. Seek out and implement technologies with multiple proven outcomes published in peer reviewed publications; 3. Follow manufacturer recommended best practices; 4. Publicize and share results to improve best practices for all hospitals; 5. Openly share their data for their benefit and the benefit of all mankind.
About Riverside Healthcare
Riverside Healthcare is a fully integrated healthcare system serving the needs of individuals and communities throughout the counties of Kankakee, Iroquois, Will, Grundy and beyond. As part of the system, Riverside Medical Center, a 312-bed hospital, provides a full scope of inpatient and outpatient care and is a nationally recognized, award-winning Level II Trauma hospital with nationally-leading programs in heart care, cancer care, neurosurgery and orthopedics. Its reputation for nursing excellence has made Riverside the area's only Magnet® Recognized hospital. Because Riverside's clinical performance ranks them among the top 5 percent of hospitals nationwide, Healthgrades has named them a Distinguished Hospital for Clinical Excellence Award, and Truven Health Analytics presented them with the 100 Top Hospitals® award. Riverside also operates several community, primary and specialty health centers throughout the region. Learn more about Riverside Healthcare at www.RiversideHealthcare.org.
About Xenex Disinfection Services
Xenex's patented Full SpectrumTM pulsed xenon UV room disinfection system is used for the advanced disinfection of healthcare facilities. Due to its speed and ease of use, the Xenex system has proven to integrate smoothly into hospital cleaning operations. Xenex’s mission is to save lives and reduce suffering by destroying the deadly microorganisms that cause hospital acquired infections (HAIs). The company is backed by well-known investors that include EW Healthcare Partners, Piper Jaffray Merchant Services, Malin Corporation, Battery Ventures, Tectonic Ventures, Targeted Technology Fund II and RK Ventures. For more information, visit Xenex.com.
