DISC Sports and Spine Center, proudly announces its surgical center is "infection free" after an initial two years of operation where over 2,000 procedures have been performed, according to Dr. Robert S. Bray Jr., founding director and CEO. This outpatient specialty hospital has taken a variety of proactive measures to reduce the risk of infection along with instituting very stringent protocols and procedures to ensure the safety of the patients, Our goal from day was to redefine how patient care was delivered and we are extremely proud of how our hard work has paid off by minimizing the risk of patient infections
Marina del Rey, Calif. (November 20, 2008 – DISC Sports and Spine Center proudly announces its surgical center remains “infection free” which includes the highly-virulent bacteria MRSA. This is after two years of operation with over 2,000 procedures performed and extremely proactive measures implemented to combat infection according to Dr. Robert S. Bray Jr., founding director and CEO. In a study released in the spring of 2007, the CDC estimated there were 4.5 hospital infections for every 100 patient admissions resulting in nearly 100,000 deaths. With the increased resistance to infection-fighting drugs, especially the potent MRSA bacteria, these figures are alarming.
“Our goal from day was to redefine how patient care was delivered and we are extremely proud of how our hard work has paid off by minimizing the risk of patient infections,” Dr. Bray said. “This is a highly-significant accomplishment and we are extremely proud of our achievement. We have proven through a comprehensive and strategic plan that our procedures, protocols and technologies can have a dramatic impact in ensuring patient safety and saving lives.”
The outpatient specialty hospital is a fully-integrated medical group featuring next generation diagnostics, conservative care and a state-of-art surgical center. With three digital ORs, DISC specializes inminimally invasive outpatient spine procedures including fusion, motion preservation, lumbar reconstruction and microdiscectomy along with orthopedic proceduresincluding joint replacement, cartilage preservation and reconstruction.
With the explicit goal of minimizing the risk of infection in the 7,200-square foot surgery center, Dr. Bray made a strategic decision to install a $750,000 environmental air conditioning system throughout the entire center. Special attention was given to the three ultra clean operating rooms installing individual true 99.71% efficient HEPA filters to further eliminate any comingling of bacteria. With 30 air exchanges/per hour this filter exceeds the industry standard.
As an added level of protection, DISC installed UVC Emitters (ultraviolet) in all critical area air moving units to destroy incoming airborne germs, bacteria and microorganisms including the highly-lethal anthrax. This level of protection is unprecedented in a medical facility and is the same type of system used by the CDC in Atlanta.
Moreover, very stringent policies were developed to address the basic functioning and hygiene of the surgery center. These protocols encompass patient contact, hand washing, outside clothing regulations along with minimal use of catheters. DISC has also begun pre-screening high-risk patients for MRSA.
“When I founded DISC, I made a commitment to our patients to provide a higher standard of care,” Bray said. “We will continue to be vigilant, pro-active and do everything in our power to ensure the safety of our patients and staff in all situations.”