Keeping a medical facility clean and employees healthy goes way beyond just tidying up at the end of each shift. To truly get the most value for your money, you need to have in-depth, infection-control cleaning done regularly. Not only will this help to increase the health of your patients, but it will also keep your staff healthy and thus result in fewer absences. A clean medical facility leads to higher productivity, more efficiency, and less waste.
Unfortunately, there are hundreds of different cleaning companies to choose from and it can be overwhelming to sort through them all to find the one that will be the best for your medical facility. To make sure you get the best value for your money, make sure to ask these 10 most important questions when hiring a medical cleaning company.
1. Look for Proof of Strong Management
A cleaning company that doesn’t have strong management or leadership is a cleaning company that won’t provide consistency in quality and professionalism. It also increases the likelihood of poor communication between you and the cleaning staff if any issues come up during your partnership.
Make sure that you hire a company that has strong leadership, and has upper-level management training, visiting and auditing your cleaning sites. This type of guidance and attention to detail shows you that the company is serious about the work of their employees and will make sure nothing is missed during the process.
2. Consider Supplier Diversity and Related Certifications
While there are thousands of companies to choose from on the market, there is not a lot with strong certifications and diversity metrics. Hiring a company with a diversity certification (like WBENC) will strengthen your supplier base by making sure it’s pulling from a diverse number of sources. Studies have shown that having a more diverse supply base helps the bottom line. In fact, the estimate is that for every $1 million spent operating a diversity supplier program, there’s a return on investment of $3.6 million.
This is achieved by providing knowledge and inroads into new domestic markets, solidifying a flexible and reliable supply chain as demographics continue to shift, and providing a robust base for contract bids. That’s a fantastic number that highlights a practical reason every company should be interested in supplier diversity.
To find the best diverse cleaning company for your company, make sure to ask about specialized certifications, memberships, and standings.
3. Always Ask About Background Checks, Sub-Contracting & Reference Checks
Some facilities will hire anybody that walks through the door. Worse yet, they will sub-contract or even sub-sub-contract, and might not even know who is working in your facility. When you don’t ask about background checks for a cleaning company’s employees, you won’t know who has access to your office space. This isn’t an ideal situation.
You should feel at ease about every single visitor, cleaner, and employee in your building, and excited to partner with a company that understands those needs. To make sure that you and your employees have the peace of mind you want in your corporate office space, always ask about whether or not a cleaning company does background checks.
4. Do They Provide Ongoing Staff Training Around Infection Prevention
The process of cleaning a medical or surgical room requires extensive training, which is why employee development is such a crucial part of maintaining effective and professional personnel. A company that invests in their team is a company that will do the job right and proves itself dependable.
To keep up with the future of healthcare cleaning, you need to find a qualified company that understands the danger of pesky pathogens left behind. When you opt for a company with a Certification of Mastery in Infection Prevention (CMIP), you will get a cleaning crew that is truly the best of the best. CMIP certified employees understand the dangers of improper healthcare cleaning, which is why they always go above and beyond.
Through the education and certification process, cleaners learn the ins and outs of microorganisms and what chemicals to use to make them disappear. They’re fully trained in general disease transmission and how to use cleaning solutions to best wipe out each type of microorganisms. Employees who hold a CMIP are experts in infection annihilation and they can properly train others or offer guidance whenever necessary. Opting for a cleaning company that prioritizes infection prevention education is the future of healthcare cleaning. As an added bonus, it will save your facility thousands of dollars in costs associated with HAIs.
5. Do They Have Systems in Place to Audit Their Own Cleaning?
The accountability of sanitation standards goes hand-in-hand with education. Having high sanitation standards in place is imperative to reducing HAIs. Through the use of The VeriClean™ audit system, cleaning companies can now perform internal audits at the end of each clean. This allows us to double-check our cleaning jobs and make sure that no spot goes un-sanitized.
At the end of each cleaning job, typically the next day after cleaning, The VeriClean™ audit system will use a black light to light up any pathogens or germs that were missed. These spots are then targeted and checked again before the cleaning is considered complete. While Bee Line Employees are trained specifically not to leave any spot untouched, internal auditing is how we guarantee that your surface is cleaned to quality standards every time. Results are logged electronically for your continuity and quality assurance. The future of healthcare cleaning is using this “Weapon of Mass Disinfection” regularly.
6. Make Sure to Check For Proper Licensure
Just like any other legitimate company, a cleaning company should have the proper certifications and licenses needed to operate in your city and state. Don’t overlook this step in the hiring process and don’t be afraid to ask to see the cleaning company’s license. There are hundreds of companies that say they’re professional but lack proper qualifications. The difference between the two will be reflected in both professionalism and quality results.
7. Don’t Look Past Liability Insurance Coverage
It might seem a bit weird to think about a cleaning company needing liability insurance, but accidents can and do happen. If the company is at your office location and the unthinkable happens, they might not be able to pay for the repairs out of pocket. That’s where liability insurance comes in. Liability insurance guarantees that if anything does happen, your business won’t suffer because of it.
In most circumstances, liability insurance covers any injury that occurs on the job. In this case, it would mean any injury that the cleaning company employees incur while at your office. This safeguards you and your business from any claims of neglect or accidents that lead to bodily harm. When you hire an office cleaning company that doesn’t have liability insurance coverage, be prepared to pay some unexpected, out-of-pocket costs. You will be held responsible for any and all medical costs due to accidents if the cleaning company does not have the proper insurance.
8. Always Ask For a Company’s References
Just as you’d call references for prospective employees, you should call references for commercial cleaning companies.
Contacting the references will give you an idea of what to expect, how well the job is done, the consistency of work, and the professionalism of the company. Talk to past customers and make sure you know what you’re getting into when hiring a new company. You’ll be happy you did.
9. Take Time to Review the Service Agreement
When you find the right cleaning company, you’ll enter a service agreement. Don’t disregard the service agreement. Take time to read it and ask questions if you don’t understand certain parts. This will be your contract. If you don’t fully read and understand it, you will be in for some surprises down the road. The service agreement will include any clauses, what would happen if there were accidents, how a company handles situations where bodily harm might occur, and goes into detail about their commitment to service. If the service agreement doesn’t specify insurance or licensing, make sure you ask them about this and get a copy of both prior to signing anything.
10. Avoid Hiring Out of Desperation
If you absolutely need a cleaning service, fast, try not to hire out of desperation alone. This is a huge mistake and will end up costing you more money in the long run. Last-minute cleaners are often overpriced and under-qualified. Take the time to anticipate your needs and schedule an office cleaning company ahead of time. Make sure you interview a few different companies to avoid making a mistake and hiring someone who won’t get the job done right. If you only look for a cleaning company when you need one, it’s time to make a change. Regular cleanings are more affordable and will keep your office in better shape than random bursts of desperation.
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