Frequently Asked Questions
Q: I am looking for information on HCSC Grant Opportunities.
The mission of Hospital Central Services, Inc. (HCSC) is to promote quality educational initiatives for the residents of Eastern PA and Western NJ. HCS, Inc.’s Education Fund is designed to support the presentation of the High School Hero Blood Donor Recruitment Scholarship to benefit Miller-Keystone Blood Center, and to assist regional non-profit organizations with their educational initiatives.
For information on submitting a grant to the HCSC Education Fund, visit https://hcsc.org/about-us/hcsc-education-fund/
Q: What are the pros and cons of a linen rental service?
There are many pros to utilizing a linen rental service, including no initial investment, predictable expenses, a constant supply of linen at all times, high-quality products and standards, zero maintenance, data analysis through linen usage and cost management programs, and the opening of valuable floor space within the facility.
Cons of a linen rental service may include the standardization of linen items, and cost control.
Cons of a linen rental service may include the standardization of linen items, and cost control.
Q: How do I determine what type of linen service best suits my facility?
We recommend a service based on an appraisal of an individual hospital’s overall environment. Facility size and location, as well as utilization needs, storage space, manpower, complexity of the linen program, quality of service it wishes to maintain, and budget are all vitally important factors in determining an organization’s best linen service option.
Q: HCSC is described as a “Cooperative.” What does that mean, and what are the benefits?
HCSC is a not-for-profit, Subchapter-T Cooperative, which means we treat every sales dollar spent as an investment in the assets of its member hospitals. Our customers are allowed to provide input into how HCSC functions through participation on the Cooperative Board of Directors and the Linen Coordinators Committee. Cooperative members also have the opportunity to receive annual patronage dividends, while being protected from the debts or financial losses of the Cooperative.
Q: What differentiates HCSC from the competition?
HCSC prides itself for our 50-year reputation for delivering the highest level of quality and service to our customers, as well as through the member-driven ownership. We also differentiate ourselves from the competition through our total commitment to quality, responsiveness and back-up production capacity, customer relationship management (CRM) and unparalleled management expertise.
Q: Can HCSC provide its services to all of my points of care?
Yes! HCSC has the capability to service the full continuum of care – acute-care and rehab hospitals, behavioral health facilities, surgery centers, outpatient clinics, and other settings of care that require high touch service offerings. Presently, HCSC provides linen rental services to over 140 hospitals and over 2,000 ambulatory care facilities.
Q: Will HCSC’s products meet my stringent quality standards?
HCSC is confident that all of its linen products will meet your stringent standards. We routinely research and test new linen for whiteness, tensile strength, thread count, size, and weight. Our formalized Quality Assurance Program gathers random sampling data, performs statistical analysis for each of our accredited plants, and monitors wash effectiveness and quality of the goods. We also incorporate continuous process management and employee training into our operations.
Q: What happens to my linen delivery during severe weather?
HCSC excels in emergency preparedness. Due to system capacity and redundancy through five textile plants and a local warehouse, we are able to provide uninterrupted service during natural disasters or other emergency events. With advance notice, HCSC typically accelerates your order to ensure you have it on-premise before the storm. We also pull additional goods from the warehouse as needed to enhance the circulating inventory. At the same time, HCSC maintains a high level of communications with the customer to implement temporary conservation measures on the user end, monitor the situation, and apprise the customer of any updates until the event passes
Q: How will HCSC help manage my linen supply program?
Your linen supply program is typically managed by our Customer Relations Division through your dedicated service representative, and through extensive management data available to your organization. This includes: regularly scheduled service visits where your representative will perform a linen room inventory and make any necessary adjustments to your next delivery; assistance with linen room design and layout to optimize efficiencies; “walk-thru” surveys of several user areas by your HCSC representative to assess quality and identify opportunities to curb costs (upon authorization); participation in your hospital linen utilization committee; and HCSC Linen Cost Management Programs which provide monthly hospital-wide usage/cost reports, departmental usage reports, quarterly benchmark and comparison analyses reports, and more.
Q: Can I benchmark my own facilities or against similar facilities?
Yes, benchmarking data is available. HCSC has a database of over 28,500 hospital beds in our system to draw information from. Through our management systems, your facility’s usage on major patient items can be compared to other facilities of similar bed size and type. From this, benchmarks can be established and goal-setting implemented towards generating savings. Customers can also log onto our Customer Portal for a variety of utilization and cost reports to aid in the management of your Linen Program.
Q: Does HCSC provide service to other industries, such as hotels or restaurants?
No, HCSC does not provide linen service to the hospitality industry (hotels, restaurants, etc.). HCSC was created solely for the benefit of the healthcare community, and provides its linen rental services only to healthcare facilities of all types. This specialization furnishes HCSC the expertise to provide quality linen rental services to any kind of healthcare facility.
Q: Does HCSC offer educational programs?
Yes. HCSC is always ready to conduct educational programs for your facility’s caregiving staff with the purpose of increasing the awareness of the proper use of linen, thereby improving linen utilization to reduce costs and enhance efficiencies in your Linen Program. Educational programs are coordinated through your assigned customer relations representative.
Q: How does HCSC service my account with representation?
HCSC is unmatched in the industry in its resources provided towards customer service, through routine on-site visitations, linen asset management, and “walk-thru” surveys of the linen user areas through trained service representatives.
Q: When are deliveries made? Is a loading dock required?
The development of deliveries to a customer is dependent on the volume of linen required for the facility, and its available space to store clean and soiled linen. HCSC also evaluates the time available to fit into its distribution schedule. Once mutually agreed-upon, HCSC is committed to meeting this delivery schedule on a consistent basis.
A loading dock is preferred, but is not necessary. Most of HCSC’s fleet of vehicles have lift gates and are capable of lowering the delivery carts to ground level.
A loading dock is preferred, but is not necessary. Most of HCSC’s fleet of vehicles have lift gates and are capable of lowering the delivery carts to ground level.