Pocono Medical Center Strengthens Already Stringent Infection Prevention Protocols With Germ-Fighting Robot

MEMPHIS, Tenn. and EAST STROUDSBURG, Pa., June 22, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- In an effort to proactively address the issue of hospital-acquired infections and to bolster its existing strong commitment to patient safety, Pocono Medical Center has invested in a germ-eliminating robot called Tru-D SmartUVC. Pocono Medical Center, a not-for-profit regional leader in healthcare for Monroe County, Pennsylvania and surrounding residents, delivers a full continuum of care from clinical, specialized and acute care services with industry-leading technology and a robust team of over 300 providers and physicians.

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"Pocono Medical Center is dedicated to providing the safest hospital environment possible through the adoption of cutting-edge technologies and protocols," said Dr. William Cors, Vice President and Chief Medical Officer at Pocono Medical Center. "Tru-D technology takes an extra step toward hospital-acquired infection prevention while providing confidence for both our patients and staff that we are committed to their safety."

Tru-D provides enhanced terminal room disinfection through the use of UVC light energy. After environmental services staff cleans a room using traditional methods, Tru-D is brought in to complete the disinfection process. The 5-foot-5 robot operates from a single position and administers a single cycle of UV light, killing up to 99.9 percent of C. diff, MRSA, MERS, Ebola and many other harmful pathogens. Short for "total room ultraviolet disinfection," Tru-D takes the minimum time necessary to disinfect an entire room, including shadowed areas. Once the cleaning cycle is complete, Tru-D automatically shuts down and sends an audio and/or text message alert to the operator that disinfection is complete.

Leading researchers and infection preventionists have begun to stress the importance of the use of UV in terminal room cleaning strategies. At the recent APIC annual conference, Dr. William A. Rutala from the University of North Carolina Health Care spoke on the need for no-touch room disinfection methods such as Tru-D.  As more independent studies emerge, including the first-ever randomized clinical trial on UV—the Benefits of Enhanced Terminal Room Disinfection (BETR-D) study – the use of UV disinfection devices will become more widely adopted, if not mandated.

Hospital Safety Scores assign A, B, C, D and F letter grades to hospitals nationwide and provides the most complete picture of patient safety in the U.S. health care system. For the first time, the Hospital Safety Score includes five measures of patient-reported experience with the hospital as well as two of the most common infections, C.diff and MRSA. Grades were recently announced by The Leapfrog Group, the nation's premier advocate for patient safety, naming Pocono Medical Center as one of only 33 hospitals in Pennsylvania to receive an 'A' rating from the Leapfrog Group.

In addition, Pocono Medical Center achieved the Healthgrades 2016 Patient Safety Excellence Award, a designation that recognizes superior performance in hospitals that have prevented the occurrence of serious, potentially avoidable complications for patients during hospital stays. This distinction places Pocono Medical Center among the top 10 percent of hospitals in the nation for its excellent performance as evaluated by Healthgrades as well as among the top 10 percent of hospitals in Pennsylvania by U.S. News and World Report.

The pioneer in UV disinfection, Tru-D was the only device of its kind selected for the first-ever randomized, clinical trial on UVC disinfection because of its Sensor360 technology that eliminates any chance of human error in the disinfection process. Results of the landmark BETR-D study proved that enhanced terminal room disinfection strategies decreased the cumulative incidence of multidrug-resistant organisms by up to 30 percent, and the largest decreases were seen when Tru-D was added to the standard cleaning strategy.

For more information, visit Tru-D.com.

About Tru-D SmartUVC   
Tru-D SmartUVC is the only UV disinfection device backed by a CDC-funded, randomized clinical trial to show that it is capable of reducing the transmission of health care-associated infections by up to 30 percent.  More Tru-Ds have been deployed to disinfect hospitals across the globe than all other competing look-alike offerings, fighting deadly pathogens such as C. diff, MRSA, CRE, VRE, MERS, Ebola and many more. An effective and innovative technology backed by sound science, Tru-D SmartUVC is on a mission to eradicate HAIs making hospitals safer places for patients and staff. For information and links to independent studies on Tru-D, visit Tru-D.com.

About Pocono Medical Center  
Pocono Medical Center has served the Pocono Mountain region for over 100 years, marking it as one of Monroe County's largest employers with more than 230 physicians and now over 2,000 staff employees. Pocono Medical Center has three comprehensive healthcare centers located in Bartonsville, Tobyhanna, and Brodheadsville each offering imaging and lab services. In addition, Pocono Medical Center has 19 primary and specialty care physician practices throughout the region. Pocono Medical Center offers a full continuum of care from clinical and acute care services to specialized services ranging from endocrinology, neonatology and perinatology to pulmonary, neurology, bariatric, general, orthopedic, and even minimally-invasive surgery with our da Vinci® robotic surgery. Homecare and hospice services are also available through the Pocono Health System Visiting Nurse and Hospice. U.S. News & World Report recently named Pocono Medical Center among the top 10% of hospitals in Pennsylvania and as a Best Regional Hospital including two High-Performing Hospital recognitions in both heart failure and heart bypass surgery. In addition, Pocono Medical Center serves as one of only 33 hospitals in Pennsylvania to receive an "A" rating from the Leapfrog Group – the nation's premier advocates for patient safety. Pocono Medical Center's ESSA Heart and Vascular Institute offers a full breadth and depth of cardiovascular services, including diagnostic cardiac catheterization, cardiac angioplasty, open-heart surgery, and minimally invasive heart procedures as well as vascular surgery and cardiac rehabilitation services. The Dale and Frances Hughes Cancer Center at Pocono Medical Center offers a variety of treatments and modalities, including state-of-the-art radiation therapy equipment and medical oncology. Pocono Medical Center is a designated, accredited Primary Stroke Center providing stroke care via telemedicine. In addition to Pocono Medical Center serving as one of the busiest emergency departments in the state, it is also the only fully accredited Level III Trauma Center in the Commonwealth as well as the sole Trauma Center program for all of Monroe County and its surrounding communities. For more information or to learn more, please visit our website at poconohealthsystem.org, or visit our Facebook page at facebook.com/poconomedicalcenter.

Christin Yates                                                  
Tru-D Public Relations                                
901-774-5771                                                 
Email                              

Brendon Abbazio, Community Relations Specialist  
Pocono Medical Center  
570-426-2966  
Email

SOURCE Tru-D SmartUVC