For hospitals utilizing one million pounds of linen or more annually, Crown’s Linen Summit Services is a strategic approach to improving linen management and reducing loss. Linen loss is a costly challenge in healthcare facilities, but with Crown’s expertise, hospitals can identify key problem areas and implement effective solutions.

 

What is a Linen Summit? 

During a Crown Linen Summit, our team visits a customer's facility to conduct an in-depth audit of current utilization practices. The team carefully assesses:

• Total linen usage
• Distribution patterns
• Storage locations
• On-hand inventory
• Areas of loss

Using this data, Crown provides a loss estimate and a detailed action plan to improve linen management. Linen Summits are a service we offer to our customers at no cost, ensuring they have the insights needed to reduce linen loss and improve efficiency without additional expenses.  

Six Key Causes of Linen Loss

1. Scrubs leaving the hospital – Staff members taking scrubs off-site instead of returning them to linen areas.
2. Patient Transfers – Linen is often sent with transferred patients but never returned.
3. Incorrect Disposal – Linen mistakenly thrown away with waste or contaminated items.
4. Theft – Intentional removal of hospital linen for personal use.
5. Hoarding – Departments stockpiling more linen than necessary, leading to misplaced inventory.
6. Misuse – Using linen for non-patient purposes, such as cleaning or as personal items.

The True Cost of Linen Loss

Linen loss is a widespread issue across healthcare. A TRSA study found that:

• Nearly 90 percent of hospital linen never reaches the end of its useful life.
• Hospitals lose up to 30 percent of their linen inventory annually.
• The U.S. healthcare industry loses over $840 million each year due to linen waste.

The most effective solution to linen loss is consistent staff education and leadership support. That is why Crown incorporates Good Cents Linen Tips into QuickCare Linen Lessons, an innovative, hands-on approach to linen education.

What Are QuickCare Linen Lessons?

• No classroom needed – These roving floor-to-floor training sessions occur in real-time, often in nursing huddle areas.
• Fast and effective – Quick, engaging sessions help staff retain best practices.
• Real-world application – Staff learns exactly where losses occur and how small habit changes can make a big impact.

By reinforcing proper linen handling, storage, and return procedures, QuickCare™ Linen Lessons help hospitals cut costs, improve efficiency, and extend linen lifespan.

Crown is committed to supporting your linen utilization goals. To learn more about our Linen Summit services, reach out to your sales and service representative or email us at contactus@crownlaundry.com.