The issue of conversion from single-use, disposable underpads to reusable in healthcare facilities is a major one, according to an article on the American Laundry News website.  It’s a challenge for linen services to educate customers why reusable underpads are better in patient care, experts say.

Advanced, super-absorbent disposable pads became more popular in 2008 when Medicare released a list of hospital-acquired conditions, which included Stage-3 and Stage-4 pressure ulcers, according to Janice Larson, vice president of clinical resources and consulting at Encompass Group LLC, 

Medicare would no longer reimburse the hospital for care associated with those two conditions. Prior to that, if a hospital used a disposable, it only cost 10 cents, and it was bed protection, not a clinical product.

Once ulcers hit the Medicare list, healthcare facilities were willing to spend more money on incontinent care products.

Read the article.