Baxter’s Renal Therapy Services Significantly Reduced Peritonitis Infections among Home Dialysis Patients
January 19 2017 - 9:15AM
Business Wire
- Large dialysis provider reduced
peritonitis by 65% over an eight-year period, achieving an
infection rate that is significantly lower than targets set by the
International Society of Peritoneal Dialysis
- Data demonstrates that peritonitis
infections can be reduced through a model of care focused on
continuous quality improvement
- Estimated cost savings of quality
improvement program is more than $200,000 annually
Renal Therapy Services (RTS), a global provider of kidney care
services that is owned by Baxter International Inc. (NYSE:BAX),
announced that a continuous quality improvement program has reduced
peritonitis by 65% over an eight-year period in 49 of its Renal
Care Centers located in Colombia. The program is estimated to have
prevented approximately 10,400 peritonitis episodes, saved
approximately $200,000 per year, and helped achieve an infection
rate that is significantly lower than the benchmark set by the
International Society of Peritoneal Dialysis (ISPD). These results
are included in two retrospective, observational studies published
in the journal Peritoneal Dialysis International.
Reducing peritonitis is critical to increasing the quality of
dialysis care, as the infection of the peritoneum can be a common
complication for patients receiving peritoneal dialysis (PD), a
therapy that is done at home. Peritonitis can lead to catheter
loss, damage to the peritoneal membrane and hospitalization, and is
associated with mortality in about 3 percent of dialysis patients
globally.
At the end of the eight-year period included in the review, RTS
clinics had reduced peritonitis episodes to one case per 52
patient-months, which is significantly lower than the ISPD
guidelines of one case per 24 patient-months.
“RTS has demonstrated that an integrated, coordinated model
where there is a consistent approach to the prevention and
management of peritonitis will produce good results,” said Peter
Blake, M.D., London Health Sciences Centre and a study author. “It
is well established that larger dialysis programs tend to have
lower peritonitis rates, given that they build up experience in
managing PD therapy. The RTS approach suggests that even smaller
clinics, including those in remote areas with economically
disadvantaged patients, can achieve good outcomes when they closely
follow this standardized care model.”
Through the quality improvement program, RTS has increased the
ratio of PD nurses to patients, implemented standard protocols for
exit site care and sterile handling, and introduced new patient
training programs to help ensure proper technique is followed at
home. Based on the success in Colombia, the quality improvement
program has been implemented at all 75 Renal Care Clinics in the
RTS network.
“Peritonitis can cause dangerous complications, drive up
healthcare costs and increase treatment drop-out for patients who
rely on PD therapy to survive,” said Mauricio Sanabria, scientific
affairs director, RTS, and a study author. “Throughout our Renal
Care Center network, we have implemented a care model that allows
us to achieve reduced peritonitis infection rates, provide
industry-leading dialysis care to our patients and ensure an
efficient use of healthcare resources.”
Baxter also assessed the economic impact of the RTS quality
improvement program. After analyzing healthcare resource
utilization for PD patients between January 2012 and December 2013,
researchers concluded that the quality improvement program had an
average annual net savings of more than $200,000 USD, beyond the
cost of implementing and maintaining the quality program.
About Renal Therapy Services
Renal Therapy Services (RTS), a subsidiary of Baxter
International Inc., is a global provider of pre-dialysis and
dialysis care to more than 25,000 patients. RTS provides a full
range of kidney care at 75 Renal Care Centers in Spain, Colombia,
Brazil, Guatemala, Ecuador, and Argentina.
About Baxter International Inc.
Baxter provides a broad portfolio of essential renal and
hospital products, including home, acute and in-center dialysis;
sterile IV solutions; infusion systems and devices; parenteral
nutrition; biosurgery products and anesthetics; and pharmacy
automation, software and services. The company’s global footprint
and the critical nature of its products and services play a key
role in expanding access to healthcare in emerging and developed
countries. Baxter’s employees worldwide are building upon the
company’s rich heritage of medical breakthroughs to advance the
next generation of healthcare innovations that enable patient
care.
Baxter and Renal Therapy Services are trademarks of Baxter
International Inc.
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Baxter Media Contact:Lauren Russ(224)
948-5353media@baxter.comorBaxter Investor Contacts:Clare
Trachtman(224) 948-3085
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