Sound Masking in Healthcare Environments

APRIL 26^TH | 11 AM ET

Hospitals are faced with the challenges of ensuring patients can rest and recuperate comfortably and protecting patient privacy. Sound masking – the process of adding an unobtrusive background sound to an environment to cover up excess speech noise – is a cost-effective, low impact means for protecting speech privacy at hospitals and effectively solves these two problems.

Sound masking raises the ambient noise level of a hospital and the result is that conversational speech is only audible at distances of 10-15 feet. This helps ensure that patients are able to rest better, resulting in a measurable positive impact on HCAHPS scores, and that patient privacy is better protected in reception areas and exam rooms, helping with HIPAA compliance.

This FastCast delves deep into how sound masking can not only make a hospital more comfortable, private, and productive but how it can also affect a hospital's bottom line by positively affecting Medicare reimbursements.

Learning Objectives:

• Understand how acoustics affect patient privacy and comfort in healthcare facilities
• Define sound masking
• Explain how sound masking can help improve patient satisfaction scores (HCAHPS score) and help facilities stay HIPPA compliant
• Identify best practices for installing sound masking for maximum effectiveness in areas such as patient wings and exam rooms

Presenter Bio:

Mark Foerderer
Field Sales Engineer, Cambridge Sound Management

Mark Foerderer comes to Cambridge Sound Management with 20 years of experience in Audio, Video and Acoustics spending most of those years in Pro Audio contracting providing project management, technical support and engineering services for Education, House of Worship and Performance Markets. Entering the work force in the construction industry with electrical and low voltage firms Mark has extensive knowledge in understanding the construction process. He has worked for several AV contractors over the years including several years as an independent contractor. Mark has a passion for audio and has always been involved in live music production at any opportunity. As a Field Sales Engineer at Cambridge Sound Management, Mark supports dealers, acoustical consultants and architects providing design, technical support and training services.