Implementing Hand Washing Initiatives saves Virginia, Tennessee hospitals $1.2M via infection reductions

RICHMOND, VA – After implementing a hand washing "action plan," four hospitals in southwestern Virginia and eastern Tennessee reduced healthcare-acquired infection rates (HAIs) a collective 41 percent within 90 days, resulting in savings of $1.2 million in costs.


VHHA Services, a subsidiary of the Virginia Hospital & Healthcare Association, coordinated a study among the four hospitals to determine if adding a persistent hand sanitizing lotion and a persistent surface disinfectant to current practices reduces HAI rates. The products used in the study provided persistent effects that kill germs on hands for four hours and on surfaces for up to 28 days.

The study ran three months and compared HAI rates during the study to the three months prior to the study period. After the three-month trial period, results showed an average of 41.5 percent fewer infections per 1,000 patient days. The individual hospitals reduced infections 29.4 percent, 32.4 percent, 50 percent and 54.2 percent respectively. The CDC estimates the average cost of an HAI is $20,549, which results in a cost savings estimate of $1.2 million for the 59 HAIs prevented. The cost to implement both products is less than $15,000 for three months.

Rebecca Bartles, corporate manager in the infection prevention department at Johnson City Medical Center in Johnson City, Tenn., said her facility observed a 32.4 percent reduction in Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), Vancomycin-Resistant Enterococcus (VRE), C. diff and multi-drug-resistant gram negative transmission rates during the trial.

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