SwipeSense, which makes smart hand hygiene sensors, has raised $9.6 million according to an SEC filing, bringing the company’s total funding to $12.1 million. Previously, the Evanston, Illinois-based company raised $1.7 million from Jumpstart Ventures and Healthbox accelerator.

SwipeSense offers different kinds of hand sanitizer dispensers to hospitals, including wall-mounted and wearable versions. All sanitizers are connected to an app that makes manual observation reporting obsolete, and also analyzes the information. Everyone in the hospital also wears a smart badge, which records hygiene events and allows the system to track individual compliance levels, along with unit comparisons and historical trends.

“The idea is to provide incentives and instigate behavior change through real-time data,” said the company’s co-founder Mert Iseri. “Employees can work towards their own goals and improvement.”

SwipeSense claims that its system increases hand hygiene by 64%. Via Healthbox, the firm had early trials with Northwestern Memorial Hospital, NorthShore University HealthSystem, Swedish Covenant Hospital, Mount Sinai Hospital and Rush University Medical Center. It charges clients $50 per bed plus another $99 per year.

Hand hygiene costs hospitals $15,000 per year, according to SwipeSense estimates.

[Via: mobihealthnews]