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Managing a healthcare facility is one of the toughest jobs in the nation. It requires round-the-clock readiness and a commitment to patient satisfaction that must also be balanced by smart administrative decisions about budgets, staff and inventory.

With greater transparency in the healthcare industry will come a rising trend of consumerism—that's one of the prevailing messages heard by attendees at the HBS Healthcare Network Annual Conference held in Boston this past November. Elsewhere, industry professionals are also discussing what this trend means for healthcare providers. ImageFIRST Cedar Rapids, a medical uniform and laundry service in Des Moines, IA, offers its medical laundry services and exceptional customer care as a means of helping its clients adapt to this trend.

Since the 2010 passage of the Affordable Healthcare Act, more Americans than ever are seeking outpatient healthcare services. This influx of patients in the healthcare system has led to significant changes in facility operations. For example, the patient experience has gained increasing importance in the healthcare sphere, as observed by surveys like the Beryl Institute's 2015 State of Patient Experience report.

Last month, Infection Control Today released a special report entitled "Imperatives for Staying OSHA-Compliant in the Healthcare Laundry." The report, written by Kelly M. Pyrek, detailed a recent violation of standards by a New York City-based laundry facility that jeopardized the health and safety of its employees with subpar laundry handling practices. The report also outlined OSHA's imperatives for handling contaminated laundry. ImageFIRST Cedar Rapids, an OSHA-compliant linen laundry service specializing in the healthcare market, has shared the report to illustrate the importance of proper laundry handling practices.

The Affordable Care Act, colloquially known as "Obamacare," went into effect five years ago. Since then, the law has made health insurance more accessible to millions of individuals and families, but has also been met with intense legal opposition. Recently, yet another challenge to the law was struck down in a 6-3 Supreme Court ruling. ImageFIRST of Cedar Rapids, a medical linen and laundry service that prides itself on excellent customer care, would like to announce its support of the ruling, as it directly benefits Americans.