Laundry Most-Outsourced Hospital Department for 4th Straight Year

CHICAGO — Laundry services held onto the top spot among hospital department contracts in 2009 for the fourth consecutive year, according to the 32nd annual Outsourcing Survey produced by our sister publication, Modern Healthcare.

Contracts for laundry services, housekeeping services and clinical/diagnostic equipment maintenance represented nearly 63% of total contracts in the top 20 hospital department management categories last year, based on the responses of outsourcing companies that participated in the magazine’s survey.

They accounted for a combined 14,238 healthcare facilities last year, up approximately 5.9% from 13,446 reported for 2008, based on same-firm comparisons.

While remaining the department that was most outsourced, the number of laundry contracts rose only 2.3% in 2009 to include 7,851 healthcare facilities.

Housekeeping increased 9.5% to 3,208 facilities. Clinical/diagnostic equipment maintenance was a close third, increasing 12% to 3,179 facilities.

Overall, the total number of facilities in the top 20 hospital department management categories grew approximately 5.8%, from 21,873 in 2008 to 23,142 in 2009.

Modern Healthcare’s survey provides an unscientific snapshot of trends reported by companies that provide on-site management to hospitals, long-term-care facilities, and alternate sites such as clinics and physician group practices.

Forty-five companies responded this year, compared to 51 in 2009. Full survey results appeared in Modern Healthcare’s Sept. 20 issue.

LAUNDRY, HOUSEKEEPING BY THE NUMBERS

The top laundry contractors in 2009, by total number of national healthcare clients, were:

• Angelica Corp., Alpharetta, Ga. — 4,240 contracts in 2009 from 4,380 contracts in 2008 for a 3.2% decrease.
• Healthcare Services Group, Bensalem, Pa. — 2,636 contracts in 2009 from 2,399 contracts in 2008 for a 9.9% increase.
• Crothall Healthcare, Wayne, Pa. — 647 contracts in 2009 from 592 contracts in 2008 for a 9.3% increase.
• Unitex, Mount Vernon, N.Y. — 302 contracts in 2009 from 276 contracts in 2008 for a 9.4% increase.
• HHA Services, St. Clair Shores, Mich. — 17 contracts in 2009 from 21 contracts in 2008 for a 19% decrease.
• Sterigen, Birmingham, Ala. — Nine contracts in 2009 from nine contracts in 2008 for no change.

The top housekeeping contractors in 2009, by total number of national healthcare clients, were:

• Healthcare Services Group, Bensalem, Pa. — 2,644 contracts in 2009 from 2,405 contracts in 2008 for a 9.9% increase.
• Crothall Healthcare, Wayne, Pa. — 357 contracts in 2009 from 348 contracts in 2008 for a 2.6% increase.
• HHA Services, St. Clair Shores, Mich. — 111 contracts in 2009 from 108 contracts in 2008 for a 2.8% increase.
• ISS Facility Services, Livingston, N.J. — 52 contracts in 2009 from 30 contracts in 2008 for a 73.3% increase.
• Sterigen, Birmingham, Ala. — 44 contracts in 2009 from 40 contracts in 2008 for a 10% increase.

To learn more about Modern Healthcare, visit www.modernhealthcare.com.