Change in Medicare and Medicaid Legislation Creates Market for Antimicrobial Coatings In the U.S.

    LITTLE FALLS, N.J., Nov. 19 /PRNewswire/ -- The recent announcement by
 Medicare and Medicaid that they will no longer reimburse expenses related
 to most hospital-acquired infections has created opportunity for companies
 in the paint and coatings industries to sell antimicrobial coatings,
 according to analysts at Kline, a worldwide consulting and research firm.
     Coatings added to paint that kill molds and/or bacteria are clearly
 advantageous for use in hospitals, locker rooms, schools, and other public
 areas. "About 5 to 10 percent of patients get an infection while they are
 in the hospital, at an average extra cost of $15,000 per patient," says
 Nancy Mills, FlashPoint project manager. "Antimicrobial smart coatings on
 floors and walls will not completely solve the problem, but they will go a
 long way toward reducing it."
     Smart coatings -- coatings that respond to external stimuli in their
 environment -- are the focus of Smart Coatings and Smart Opportunities in
 Antimicrobial, Automotive, and Construction Applications, a new FlashPoint
 report from Kline. Many smart coatings are complex integrations of
 traditional coatings with nanotechnology. Smart coatings cover numerous
 applications, but Kline's report focuses on three that are particularly
 interesting for companies along the coatings and pigments value chain:
 antimicrobial coatings, cool paint, and smart glass.
     Whereas demand for antimicrobial smart coatings is growing along with
 awareness of the problem, legislation may drive the market for cool paint
 for automobiles. On hot days, cool paint reflects more heat so a car's air
 conditioning system use less energy for cooling, resulting in lower fuel
 consumption and lower emissions. Cool paint is likely to be mandated for
 use in new cars in California by 2010, and the low cost of using cool paint
 on new vehicles makes this smart coating application a good choice for
 energy savings both nationally and globally.
     Kline's FlashPoint series helps clients make critical decisions about
 how to respond to market opportunities and issues as they unfold. In the
 smart coatings report, Kline states that opportunities are present at
 different levels of the value chain for each application, and participating
 companies must carefully choose their strategy. For more information about
 this report, visit www.klinegroup.com/reports/f0707.asp.
     About Kline
     Kline is a worldwide consulting and research firm dedicated to
 providing the kind of insight and knowledge that helps companies find a
 clear path to success. The firm has served the management consulting and
 market research needs of organizations in the chemicals, materials, energy,
 life sciences, and consumer products industries for nearly 50 years. For
 more information, visit www.KlineGroup.com.
     For more information, contact:
     Janice Kriegman
     Manager, Marketing Communications
     +1-973-435-3440
     Janice_Kriegman@KlineGroup.com
 
 

SOURCE Kline