FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
San Diego, CA — March 13, 2026 — AseptiScope®, the pioneer of automated, touch‑free stethoscope hygiene technology, announced today that Clinical Nurse Specialists (CNSs) from across the United States gathered this week in San Diego for the 2026 National Association of Clinical Nurse Specialists (NACNS) Annual Conference. The plenary sessions featured important discussions around patient safety and infection prevention, including a critical focus on the overlooked but widespread problem of stethoscope contamination, and highlighted breakthrough innovations that improve patient safety, outcomes, and hospital operational performance.
During the event, CNSs, known for driving evidence‑based practice and championing clinical excellence nationally, explored how automated hygiene technologies like The DiskCover® System are helping health systems reduce infections, remove human factors errors, strengthen compliance, and elevate patient safety standards.
Why Stethoscope Hygiene Is a National Focus
Because stethoscopes are used in thousands of patient encounters per day, it is not surprising that the diaphragm, the point of patient contact, is established to be as contaminated as unwashed hands. What is surprising is that disinfecting between patients is rarely done, and almost never fully effective. With mounting concerns around healthcare‑associated infections (HAIs), CNSs recognize the urgent need for practical, scalable solutions that protect both patients and clinicians without slowing workflows.
The DiskCover System, an automated, touch‑free, single‑use stethoscope barrier dispenser, addresses this gap by ensuring a clean patient contact for the first time.
CNS Perspectives: Real Voices from the Experts
“A solution that combines unparalleled efficacy with exceptional feasibility, making it easy for busy clinicians to do the right thing”
“The stethoscope has been a problem without a solution for a long time, and we finally have a solution that combines unparalleled efficacy with exceptional feasibility, making it easy for clinicians to do the right thing. Tools like this are elegant in their simplicity and advance healthcare efficiency and patient safety at a new level.”
— Kathleen Vollman, MSN, RN, CCNS, FCCM, FCNS, FAAN
“A must-have solution in every healthcare facility where clinicians assess immunocompromised patients”
"This is quite simply a ‘must-have’ solution in every Health Care facility where clinicians assess immunocompromised patients with their stethoscopes, AKA: 'The Clinician’s 3rd hand.' As the latest CDC guidance recommends, stethoscope hygiene must occur between patients, just like hand hygiene. This is patient safety 101, essentially a no brainer!"
— Cynthia Cadwell, ANP-BC, CNS, CPHQ
Innovation Proven to Save Lives and Reduce Costs
Hospitals adopting The DiskCover System have reported substantial improvements in stethoscope hygiene compliance, with significant downstream reductions in infection risk. In customer ICUs, adoption of the technology led to an 84% reduction in central line–associated bloodstream infections (CLABSI) after integration into policy and practice.
With each CLABSI costing hospitals tens of thousands of dollars in avoidable expense, not to mention the clinical impact, CNSs increasingly view stethoscope hygiene as a high‑value target for quality improvement.
AseptiScope Statement
“Clinical Nurse Specialists are essential change agents in patient safety, and its clear stethoscopes are undermining patient safety every single day,” said Scott Mader, CEO of AseptiScope. “The first evidence based policy and procedure for stethoscope hygiene is co-authored by these experts for integration into care, and it is exciting that patients will soon be safer when they seek care.”
About Clinical Nurse Specialists (CNS)
Clinical Nurse Specialists (CNSs) are advanced practice registered nurses (APRNs) who combine deep clinical expertise with system-level leadership. They are often described as “the clinical engine that drives quality,” because their work spans three impact spheres: patients, nurses/staff, and the health‑care system.
About AseptiScope®
AseptiScope is a San Diego–based medical technology company dedicated to advancing patient safety through innovative infection‑prevention solutions. Its flagship product, The DiskCover® System, is the first automated, touch‑free stethoscope barrier system designed to ensure sterility at every patient encounter.
Learn more at www.aseptiscope.com.
Media Contact
Name: Anthony Pham
Title: Market Development Director
Email: apham@aseptiscope.com
Phone: (858) 382-8142
Website: www.aseptiscope.com