3M and Sage Products Announce Unique Infection Prevention Offering

3M's Infection Prevention Division and Sage Products are working together to offer surgical staff and patients a new preoperative prepping kit to help address surgical site infection risk within three main reservoirs of bacteria in the body: the nares, the oral cavity and the skin. Each reservoir creates a need for a systematic intervention which may help reduce the incidence of surgical site infection. Patient flora is the leading cause of SSIs which result in as many as 3.7 million additional hospitalization days and an annual overall cost of 1.6 billion in the United States. 1,2 In an attempt to decrease infection trends and costs, Medicare's reimbursement structure will be based on a pay-for-performance philosophy beginning in 2013. Facilities will be required to demonstrate a reduction in healthcare-acquired infections, under which SSIs are categorized, in order to receive full payment.