Bringing Wound Care Home V.A.C. Therapy for your Vhi patient

Bringing Wound Care Home V.A.C. Therapy for your Vhi patient

Healing with V.A.C. For over twenty five years, KCI has been a leader in the development of therapeutic medical devices that help promote wound healing. The V.A.C. Therapy system is recognised by clinicians worldwide as a leader in the wound care market. What is V.A.C. Therapy? V.A.C. is short for Vacuum Assisted Closure. V.A.C. Therapy uses a controlled vacuum or negative pressure, in combination with a reticulated open pore foam, to help speed up wound healing. How does V.A.C. Therapy work? The Integrated V.A.C. Therapy system includes: Therapy unit The therapy unit is the brain of the Integrated V.A.C. Therapy system. It manages, measures and records the negative pressure, and alarms you if there is a problem. Our V.A.C. Freedom unit is lightweight, and comes with a flexible carry case and shoulder strap. Canister & T.R.A.C. Pad Excess fluid and infectious materials are removed from the wound through the T.R.A.C. Pad and into the canister. Foam dressings The specialised V.A.C. foam dressings are an essential part of the V.A.C. Therapy system. They work at a physical and biological level with the negative pressure, to promote fast wound healing 1. V.A.C. Drape The V.A.C. Drape is an adhesive layer spread across the foam dressing, ensuring a closed, sterile wound healing environment. KCI provides 24-hour customer care and support on its Freephone 1800 33 33 77

Your Vhi Patient and V.A.C. Therapy Sending your patient home with V.A.C. Therapy You have determined that it is suitable for your private patient to continue their wound therapy at home and plan to discharge them on a V.A.C. Freedom Unit. As of the 1st July 2008, V.A.C. Therapy is a recognised device on the Vhi Healthcare Approved List of Medical and Surgical Appliances. Approved indications The following conditions are listed as approved by Vhi Healthcare: Pressure Ulcer Stage III Pressure Ulcer Stage IV Diabetic Foot Ulcer Complications of a surgically created wound (e.g. dehiscence or post-sternotomy disunion) Venous or Arterial Insufficiency Ulcer Trauma wound or post-operative wound with a medical necessity for accelerated wound healing Vhi cover for V.A.C. Therapy As a Vhi policy holder your patient must incur the costs for continuing their V.A.C. Therapy at home, and then claim to be reimbursed as an outpatient, up to a maximum value of 86.10 per day of therapy. Vhi Healthcare, requires that V.A.C. Therapy is commenced in the hospital, and approved in writing from the treating consultant. KCI has developed consultant letter templates, which are available on the ward, for completion. Alternatively, please call KCI on 01 465 9510 and a copy can be faxed or emailed to you. Advice for your patient Vhi Healthcare will be able to advise your patient directly on the specifics of their policy that relate to V.A.C. Therapy reimbursement and it is recommended that your patient contact them prior to being discharged with V.A.C. Therapy. Important contact number: Vhi Healthcare CallSave 1850 44 44 44 Please be advised that your patient will require a consultant s letter and copies of their V.A.C. Therapy invoices to complete a claim for reimbursement from Vhi.

Vhi Patient Discharge Procedure Step 1 Request that the patient s Consultant complete the Vhi Discharge Letter for V.A.C. Therapy stating their request for the patient to continue V.A.C. Therapy at home, ensuring that appropriate arrangements have been made for dressings changes & wound review, as part of the discharge plan. Discharge Letter templates are available on the ward Step 2 Provide a copy of this letter to the patient for submission to Vhi Healthcare with any claim for reimbursement of V.A.C. Therapy related costs. Step 3 Provide a copy of the V.A.C. Therapy Information Leaflet for Vhi members to the patient for their review. If the patient is in agreement to incur the costs for V.A.C. Therapy and seek reimbursement from Vhi then proceed to Step 4. Step 4 Contact KCI Customer Service for a written quotation to be faxed to you at the ward for review by the patient. Freephone 1800 33 33 77 Please have available the following details for KCI when you call: Patient Full Name, Home Address, Home Phone No., Patient Vhi Policy Number & Community Area No. Patient Date of Birth Delivery Address & Patient Credit/Laser Card details (Card Number, Expiry Date & CVN Number) Fax number of where to send the quote The dressing type, quantity and size of dressings required for the V.A.C. Freedom Unit Step 5 KCI will fax back to you a V.A.C. Therapy Quotation and Order Form which must be approved with signature from the patient and faxed back to KCI on 01 465 9500. Step 6 Upon confirmation of payment details, KCI will arrange delivery of the V.A.C. specified delivery address. Therapy order to the patient at their Step 7 On the day of discharge contact KCI to cancel the V.A.C. necessary inform your hospital s Materials/Purchasing Dept. Therapy unit currently being charged to your hospital & if

The Benefits of Going Home on V.A.C. Therapy V.A.C. Therapy is proven to work not only in a clinical environment, but also in the home setting. Fast Research demonstrates the clinical advantage of V.A.C. Therapy 1-4. It was shown that VAC therapy treatment in the home care situation is safe and effective 7-8. Effective The known and proven clinical effects of V.A.C. Therapy on wound healing 1-4 can now be combined with the positive effects of treating the patient in a home environment 5. This may encourage patient conformance and continuous treatment. Quality of Life The discreet, compact V.A.C. Freedom unit may allow - depending on the specific circumstances - a maximum of mobility to the patient and minimises restrictions on everyday life 4. In addition the management of exudate controls odours. 100 Cost effective Rapid recovery rates result in lower costs for hospitalisation, nursing time and expenses 6. More than 2.8 million patients have been successfully treated worldwide with V.A.C. Therapy

24/7 Support Customer Support You can be confident in gaining access to experts 24-hours a day, 7-days a week, while you are continuing your therapy at home by calling our Customer Freephone number: 1800 33 33 77. We know how important reliable service is especially in the health care environment. That s why we are constantly focusing on patient needs and patient opinion of our service: In June 2007, KCI surveyed 453 homecare patients across 6 European countries: We asked: How satisfied are you with...the delivery service? (VERY) SATISFIED PATIENTS NOT (VERY) SATISFIED PATIENTS 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100...the customer support you received from KCI (If you required any)? (VERY) SATISFIED PATIENTS NOT (VERY) SATISFIED PATIENTS 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100...the therapy information you received? (VERY) SATISFIED PATIENTS 98% 98% NOT (VERY) SATISFIED PATIENTS 94% 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100 SOURCE: Continuous KCI survey of home care patients following 453 patients in total across 6 European Countries (June 07). REFERENCES 1. Armstrong D.G,Lavery L.A., Negative Pressure Wound Therapy after partial diabetic foot amputation: a multicentre, randomized controlled trial, Lancet 2005; 366:1704-1710. 2. Kamolz et al. Burns 2004 (30):253-58. 3. Joseph et al, Wounds, 2000. May - June; 12 (3):60-67. 4. Vuerstaek et al.journal of vascular surgery, November 2006. 5. Augustin M., Zschocke I. Evaluation of patient benefits of ambulatory and stationary use of V.A.C. Therapy MMW- Fortschritte der Medizin Originalien Nr. I/2006 (148. Jg.), S. 25 32. 6. Mouës C.M., van den Bemd G- J.C.M., Meerding W.J., Hovius S.E.R. An economic evaluation of the use of TNP on fullthickness wounds. Journal of wound Care 2005: 14: 224-227. 7. Trueman P, Flack S, Loonstra A, Hauser T., The feasibility of using V.A.C. Therapy in home care patients with surgical and traumatic wounds in the Netherlands.Int Wound J. 2008 Jun;5(2):225-31. 8. Blume PA, Walters J, Payne W, Ayala J, Lantis, Comparison of negative pressure wound therapy using vacuum-assisted closure with advanced moist wound therapy in the treatment of diabetic foot ulcers: a multicenter randomized controlled trial.diabetes Care. 2008 Apr;31(4):63 1-6 2008 KCI Licensing, Inc. All Rights Reserved. All trademarks designated herein are property of KCI Licensing, Inc, its affiliates and licensors. Those KCI trademarks designated with the symbol are registered and those designated with TM are considered to be proprietary trademarks or are pending trademark applications in at least one country where this product/work is commercialized. Most KCI products referred to herein are subject to patents or patent applications.