British-based medical manufacturing company Smith & Nephew's episode of care assurance program reduced hospital readmission rates by 97.3 percent for total joint arthroplasties.
Here are three things you need to know:
1. Smith & Nephew worked with Pittsburgh-based Provider PPI, a group purchasing organization, to implement the eCAP program at Provider PPI's client facilities in late 2016. It is now serving 16 facilities across the U.S.
2. eCAP combines Smith & Nephew's hip and knee implants with its PICO Negative Pressure Wound Therapy and ACTICOAT Flex 7 Antimicrobial Barrier Dressings. These products are applied post-surgery. PICO may help protect the incision by reducing seroma and hematoma fluid collections, reducing edema and lateral tension and improving perfusion. ACTICOAT Flex 7, which contains nanocrystalline silver, provides an effective barrier to microbial contamination to help prevent surgical site infections.
3. In the past 14 months, 1,380 total joint arthroplasties have been conducted under the eCAP program, with only two readmissions. This readmission rate of 0.145 percent compares with published rates of 5.3 percent or more.
"As healthcare systems move from fee-for-service to pay-for-value, healthcare providers are increasingly responsible for the episode of care for the patient," said Glenn Warner, president of Smith & Nephew U.S. "eCAP can help enable providers to reduce costly readmissions after TJA by adding class-leading wound care products to help manage surgical incisions."
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