In healthcare, the challenge of cleaning and disinfecting environments to avoid transmission of harmful pathogens is constant—and it’s only getting tougher. As antibiotic-resistant and omnipresent pathogens become bigger threats, infection prevention (IP) and environmental services (EVS) teams must adapt, innovate, and leverage tools proven to decrease the odds of transmission.
Why High-Performing Hospitals Are Embracing UV Cleaning
Hospitals choose LightStrike+ for one fundamental reason: to reduce the risk of pathogen transmission to patients, visitors, and staff. Manual cleaning remains critical, but it’s inherently inconsistent. Even highly trained staff—working with the best intentions—face challenges in ensuring every surface is properly disinfected. Pressures like limited time, budget constraints, and heavy workloads can make lapses inevitable. That’s where LightStrike+ has become an essential ally, not a replacement, in hospital cleaning strategy.
LightStrike+ delivers consistent, measurable microbial reduction (at least 99%) on all exposed surfaces in patient environments in just minutes. Importantly, it addresses organisms—including those resistant to chemicals and antibiotics—that frequently evade manual techniques. Reports of dangerous pathogens like C. difficile showing resistance to bleach underscore the need for this extra microbial reduction step.
The Cost and Consequences of Transmission
Transmission events can result in extended length of stay, costly readmissions, increased antibiotic use, and erode a hospital’s financial and public reputation. These incidents not only affect patient care—they ripple through CMS reimbursement programs like Value-Based Purchasing (VBP), Hospital-Acquired Conditions (HAC), Antimicrobial Stewardship (AMR), and impact patient satisfaction metrics like HCAHPS scores. LightStrike+ reduces the likelihood of transmission, which helps shore up clinical, operational, and financial stability.
UV Programs Are Sustainable
Technologies such as LightStrike+ don’t just work—they’re part of a sustainable model for consistent microbial reduction in hospital environments. Monitoring and compliance tools, like Xenex’s dashboard and portal, equip hospitals to track robot usage, measure protocol compliance, and review results with minimal administrative burden. Regular review of these metrics ensures the investment stays aligned with hospital goals and delivers ongoing value.
With easy-to-implement training and competency certification, even understaffed or stretched EVS teams can operate LightStrike+ devices effectively and efficiently by targeting the highest acuity units. If you can, allocate one robot from your fleet to hit isolation rooms – but your targeted unit program will drive down transmission events at a significantly higher rate than an isolation-only program.
Communicating Your Commitment
Proactively sharing information about enhanced cleaning efforts reinforces trust and builds confidence among patients, staff, and visitors. Integrating communication tools helps hospital staff consistently communicate the extra steps that are being taken for each patient. Doing this has been shown to increase HCAHPS cleanliness scores.
The Bottom Line
The risk of inaction—especially in the face of evolving and resistant pathogens—is too costly. Manual cleaning alone, while vital, leaves dangerous gaps. Proven UV solutions that have been FDA authorized for Whole Room Microbial Reduction, like LightStrike+, give IP and EVS teams the force-multiplying edge they need to keep hospitals cleaner, more efficient, and financially healthier. In today’s challenging landscape, investing in consistent, evidence-based microbial reduction tools is investing in progress itself — and reduces the costs of unplanned care.
If you’re interested in learning more, reach out to us at info@xenex.com or by calling 800.553.0069.
