Medicare evaluates long-term care facilities and assigns an overall 5-Star Quality Rating System based on three parts, including health inspections, quality measures, and staffing. You are likely aware that there are many factors that can affect each part of your facility’s rating, but did you know the scrubs your staff wears may be one of them?
This part includes an evaluation of the environment where your residents live and even considers resident complaints from the previous three years. One way to enhance a care environment is by making sure residents and visitors know who to go to for questions or for help. Staff uniforms, including color-coded scrubs, is one way to assist individuals in identifying the proper staff for any given situation. Knowing who to go to for help increases one’s sense of safety and comfort and empowers residents to raise their concerns to the appropriate staff member. This gives your staff an opportunity to respond to a resident’s concerns before a situation leads to a resident complaint.
Health care scrubs are manufactured in such a way to act as a barrier to contaminants your staff encounters as they provide resident care. One cost efficient way your staff can limit the spread of those contaminants between residents is by having soiled uniforms processed in commercial laundries that follow guidelines described by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to remove any potentially harmful microorganisms the uniforms could be harboring. Removing these contaminants reduces the risk of spreading preventable illnesses such as superbug infections or other illnesses that could negatively affect a resident’s overall wellness, mental health and ability to move independently – all of which could negatively impact your facility’s quality rating.
The third part of the rating, staffing, looks at hours reported by long-term care facilities regarding the number of staff hours per resident per day.
Because your staff spends many hours each day providing varying levels of resident care, scrubs should be comfortable. For example, Jockey™ scrubs are designed with comfortable stretch fabrics that move easily with the wearer, allowing lots of movement with little restriction. Employees who are comfortable are prepared to provide the best care possible to your residents throughout their entire shift.
Encompass Group LLC is committed to providing you with a wide array of fashionable and functional professional staff apparel. We even feature the internationally known brand, Jockey™; apparel designed for virtually every level of care your facility staff will encounter.
Let us help you customize a staff uniform program that meets your needs. Contact your Encompass Group representative today at 1-800-328-5525.