In 2008, the centers for medicare and medicaid services cms implemented a nonpayment policy to hospitals for the additional costs associated with treating patients for certain hais. Provisions were included in the patient protection and affordable care act of 2010 that will penalize hospitals with the highest rates of hais. Beginning in 2015, these hospitals have been penalized one percent of their medicare payment. Similarly, medicaid will stop reimbursing facilities for preventable infections acquired in the course of treatment. Many private insurance companies have also implemented their own nonpayment policies.
In response to these new penalties and nonpayment policies, hospitals have started to develop and implement multifaceted approaches to monitor and prevent hais. Many hais can be prevented through the strict adherence to evidencebased best practices. Best practices focus on areas such as persontoperson transmission and prevention of transmission from the environment, including the sterile barrier system.
The sterile barrier system must prevent the ingress of microorganisms and allow aseptic presentation of the product at the point of use. Because the sterile barrier system is one of the first lines of defense against infection, it is important to select a packaging material that provides the highest possible degree of protection.
Dupont&trade tyvek® is recognized as a standard of excellence for sterile barrier systems because it provides a higher degree of protection for medical devices and supplies than any other porous material used for sterile packaging applications
