BC Advantage Magazine, the highly acclaimed CEU-approved national online healthcare publication, featured an article “National Handwashing Awareness Week – Make Hand Hygiene a Habit” by Outsource Strategies International (OSI), a Managed Outsource Solutions service. The article was published in the Practice Management Category.
Published on November 30, 2020, the article provides a comprehensive overview of the importance of handwashing in our lives, and is especially relevant now since we are observing National Handwashing Awareness Week.
Observed every year from December 1-7, National Handwashing Awareness Week aims to educate people about the importance of hand hygiene. This year, the observance is much more significant than ever before as the World Health Organization (WHO) has affirmed that handwashing with soap remains our best defense against coronavirus. The simple act of washing hands with soap and clean, running water is an easy and effective way to remove germs from your hands, prevent diseases, avoid spreading germs to others, and save lives.
We all know that germs are everywhere – in food, on surfaces, plants and animals, in water and soil, on our body, and especially on our hands. Some germs are harmless, but others can be deadly. So, to prevent infection, practicing proper hand hygiene is the best solution. Especially during this current COVID-19 pandemic, hand hygiene has a critical role to play in preventing disease transmission. The coronavirus or SARS-CoV-2 is spread when an infected person coughs or sneezes, and the infectious droplets land on another person or a frequently touched object or surface such as doorknobs, handrails and tables. The virus can also be transmitted through handshakes if the person carrying the virus sneezes or coughs into their hand. Therefore, CDC recommends washing hands with soap or using an alcohol-based hand sanitizer that contains at least 60 percent alcohol to kill the germs. Washing hands with soap and water is considered to be an effective way to eliminate all types of germs from the hands.
The topics discussed in this comprehensive article include: how handwashing helps reduce risk of disease, impact of hand hygiene on infectious disease risk, guidance for effective handwashing (when and how to wash your hands), and hand hygiene compliance in healthcare settings.
The five easy steps recommended by CDC for handwashing include: wet, lather, scrub, rinse, dry. First you have to wet your hands, apply soap, and lather up. Scrub all surfaces and under the fingernails for at least 20 seconds. Rinse the hands well and dry them thoroughly with a clean towel, or air-dry them.
Established in 2002, OSI is a healthcare business process outsourcing company based in the U.S. We provide end-to-end medical billing and coding services and practice management solutions and practice management solutions for all medical specialties, from front office administrative management to back office coding, billing and collections. We serve medical practices, dental practices, dentists and physicians. OSI’s medical billing team is specialized in insurance eligibility verification.
OSI’s team of skilled AAPC-certified coders have a strong understanding of ICD-10-CM and CPT requirements and procedures, and stays up-to-date with coding changes, payer-specific documentation requirements, and state and federal regulations.
We strive to leverage our medical billing and coding expertise to provide customized solutions for all medical specialties. It is very good to see that our experience and expertise have been recognized by BC Advantage Magazine, the largest independent resource provider in the industry for medical coders and billers, healthcare auditors, practice managers, compliance officers, and clinical documentation experts.
The magazine’s online medical coding article section also featured two other articles published on OSI’s website: “ICD-10 Codes for Some of the Worst Epidemics in the U.S.” on February 19, 2020 and “Thanksgiving-Specific Foodborne Illnesses – Types, Symptoms, and ICD-10 Codes” on November 26, 2019.
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