From 1 January 2012, Cook Medical’s central venous catheters will be available to the members served by Novation, the supply contracting company for more than 30,000 members of VHA UHC, and Provista. This expands nationwide access to these devices through one of industry’s leading health care supply contracting companies.
The contract includes access to Cook’s comprehensive central venous catheters product offering, including Spectrum minocycline and rifampin impregnated catheters.
“We are pleased that our relationship with Novation continues to grow as we add another business division to its distribution network,” said Dan Sirota, vice president and business unit leader of Cook Medical’s Critical Care and Interventional Radiology divisions. “Our Spectrum central venous catheter sets have been shown to minimise the risk of catheter-related bloodstream infections. Cook is proud to partner with Novation in delivering a technology that helps prevent dangerous and potentially fatal infections and reduces health care costs to its expansive network of health care providers.”
According to the US Department of Health and Human Services, an estimated 78,000 patients are infected with catheter-related bloodstream infections in the USA annually with an average cost estimated at US$16,550 to treat per infection. The company states that two decades of evidence, including more than 21 peer-reviewed studies and meta-analyses, confirm that minocycline and rifampin catheters are the most effective tool available to prevent catheter-related bloodstream infections. In addition, a study by O’Grady et al (Am J Infect Control. 2011;39(4 suppl 1):S1-S34) shows that Spectrum central venous cathethers meet the newly released recommendations from the CDC for reducing I if maximal sterile barrier precautions have not helped a facility reach its goal.
