The coronavirus pandemic is subsiding in the United States, but it is far from over. The country is experiencing a new surge of COVID-19 cases, in part due to the new Delta variant which appears to be more contagious. Cases are spiking across the U.S., but are particularly high in states with large rural and unvaccinated populations such as Tennessee, North and South Dakota, Utah, Iowa, and Tennessee.
In some states, the availability of ICU beds is dwindling due to the amount of COVID patients on ventilators in ICU units. In Dallas County, Texas, hospitalizations increased by 99 percent over the past two weeks, according to the Texas Tribune.
These numbers are concerning for hospitals and healthcare organizations that may not have the resources to accommodate a new surge of COVID patients. The influx of contagious individuals also presents a risk of hospital-acquired-infection (HAI) to hospital staff, patients and visitors.
Every year, hospitals and healthcare facilities undergo a process to assess their infection control parameters and controls. The report generated from this process helps hospitals discover gaps in their infrastructure and protocol and prevent HAI. However, there are several shortcomings of the current system for auditing and reporting, including the fact that most airborne infection control reports only measure the “critical areas” of a facility—which typically amount to 15-20% of a building.
Life Balance Technologies seeks to address these gaps with a revolutionary software solution, called KPac, that helps healthcare systems more effectively understand their infection control standards and possible risks—saving money and saving lives down the road.
It all starts with the map. KPac creates a virtual map of a building’s life safety drawings, which are essentially floor plans that identify life safety and emergency features and are required in almost every public building. Air balance contractors can enter measurements for critical rooms and areas into the virtual map. Once a technician enters data, contractors will receive immediate feedback about whether the room “passes” or “fails” the required standards. This allows technicians to begin balancing rooms faster and eliminates time lags which can lead to increased airborne infection risk. Once the testing and the balancing is complete, KPac generates a report, which includes a detailed result from each room as well as the whole building. The report can be used internally or for periodic compliance filings with accreditation agencies. Life Balance holds the data securely and updates the drawings to account for any structural or regulatory changes
Life Balance has already integrated the software in four hospitals outside of Texas and is looking to onboard Houston-area and Austin-area healthcare facilities as soon as possible.
Life Balance Technologies helps hospitals and other companies easily analyze air quality conditions and effectively manage their HVAC systems. By streamlining the process for compliance, auditing, and reporting, we help reduce costs and save lives.
