• Login |
• Contact Us |
• Other ConvaTec Websites

• PRODUCTS
• WOUND & SKIN
• OSTOMY
• FECAL MANAGEMENT
• CORPORATE

ConvaTec Solutions^® Program(s) for Acute Care

YOUR CHALLENGES

• Quality of care and prevention are driving new policies that can expose you to liability and affect your bottom line.
• Hospital-acquired infections put your patients—and your hospital—at risk.
• Nursing shortages that lead to inefficiencies can burden your hospital.¹

• Public Policy Issues
• Infection Management and Control
• Staffing Concerns and Efficiency

Standardized evidence-based wound care practices can help reduce the incidence of complications and lead to improved patient outcomes.²

Until now, government payers have largely paid the bill for hospital-acquired pressure ulcers, but this is changing.³

Beginning in October 2008, Medicare will no longer pay for hospital-acquired pressure ulcers, since they can “reasonably [be] prevented through the application of evidence-based guidelines”.⁴

	STAGE III & IV PRESSURE ULCERS CAN RESULT IN HOSPITAL STAYS OF UP TO 13 DAYS 3,a Data from 2003.
	AVERAGE CHARGES OF $ 43,180 5,b Data from 2007.

• Explore ConvaTec's Solutions^® Program(s) for Public Policy Issues

Managing infected wounds and infectious stool with the right products and training are integral to patient safety and your bottom line.

• MRSA is the most common pathogen causing healthcare-associated infections in the United States today.⁶
• Infection with C difficile, a major source of antibiotic-associated diarrhea and colitis, is on the rise in hospitals and represents a significant economic burden to hospitals.^7,8,9

• Among Surgical Site Infections (SSIs), postoperative infection is a major cause of patient injury, mortality, and increased healthcare costs.¹⁰

• Explore ConvaTec's Solutions^® Program(s) for Infection Management
  and Control

Ongoing staff training using consistent, easy-to-implement wound care protocols together with appropriate products can standardize care and help improve patient outcomes.

	Studies have demonstrated that a reduction in available nursing staff is directly related to an increase in adverse patient events, including the development of pressure ulcers.13
	Risk managers should ensure that an adequate process exists and is being followed for documenting pressure-ulcer prevention and treatment.13

• Explore ConvaTec's Solutions^® Program(s) for Staffing Concerns and Efficiency

• Public Policy Challenges for Acute Care
• Infection Management and Control for Acute Care
• Staffing Concerns for Acute Care

References [+]

1. Stanton MW, Rutherford MK. Hospital nurse staffing and quality of care. Research in Action Issue 14. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality Web site. http://www.AHRQ.gov/research/nursestaffing/nursestaff.pdf. Published March 2004. Accessed March 5, 2008.
2. Bolton L, McNees P, van Rijswijk L, et al. Wound-healing outcomes using standardized assessment and care in clinical practice. JWound Ostomy Continence Nurs. 2004;31(2):65-71.
3. Russo CA, Elixhauser A; Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project. Statistical brief #3: Hospitalizations related to pressure sores, 2003. http://www.hcup-us.ahrq.gov/reports/statbriefs/.sb3.pdf. Accessed March 5, 2008.
4. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. Changes to the hospital inpatient prospective payment systems and fiscal year 2008 rates: final rule. Fed Regist. 2007;72:47200-47205.
5. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. Proposed changes to the hospital inpatient prospective payment systems and fiscal year 2009 rates. CMS-1390-P. http://www.cms.hhs.gov/AcuteInpatientPPS/IPPS/list.asp. Published April 30, 2008. Accessed April 16, 2008.
6. National prevalence study of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) in U.S. healthcare facilities. Association for Professionals in Infection Control & Epidemiology, Inc. Web site. http://www.apic.org/Content/NavigationMenu/ResearchFoundation/NationalMRSAPrevalenceStudy/APIC_MRSA_STUDY_EXEC.pdf. Accessed March 5, 2008.
7. Gorbach SL. Antibiotics and Clostridium difficile. N Engl J Med. 1999;341(22):1690-1691.
8. Kelly CP, Pothoulakis C, LaMont JT. Clostridium difficile colitis. N Engl J Med.1994;330(4):257-262.
9. Kyne L, Hamel MB, Polavaram R, Kelly CP. Health care costs and mortality associated with nosocomial diarrhea due to Clostridium difficile. Clin Infect Dis. 2002;34(3):346-353.
10. Surgical site infections. Institute for Healthcare Improvement Web site. http://www.ihi.org/IHI/Topics/PatientSafety/SurgicalSiteInfections. Accessed March 5, 2008.
11. Engemann JJ, Carmeli Y, Cosgrove SE, et al. Adverse clinical and economic outcomes attributable to methicillin resistance among patients with Staphylococcus aureus surgical site infection. Clin Infect Dis. 2003;36(5):592-598.
12. O'Brien JA, Lahue BJ, Caro JJ, Davidson DM. The emerging infectious challenge of Clostridium difficile-associated disease in Massachusetts hospitals: clinical and economic consequences. Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol. 2007;28(11):1219-1227.
13. Pressure ulcers risk analysis. Healthcare Risk Control. ECRI Institute Web site. http://www.ecri.org/Documents/Patient_Safety_Center/PressureUlcers.pdf. Published November 2006. Accessed March 7, 2008.