Vasc-Alert

The most important reason to use Vasc-Alert is that it does not require any staff involvement with administering the test itself. The treatment run data needed for the algorithm is either copied to a computer automatically or already recorded on treatment run sheets. This frees up staff time to focus more on patient care issues such as managing the intervention process when a patient has been identified as having a problem with their access.

Test with each Treatment

Vasc-Alert looks at the run time data coming from each treatment, not just monthly or quarterly. This provides better coverage and helps detect trends in the access before they become a problem.

Flags Stenosis Issues Earlier

Because Vasc-Alert uses pressure instead of flow to determine accesses that have a problem, it can detect the growth of stenosis earlier than technologies that rely on the measurement of flow. Flow typically does not begin to degrade until the access is in the 70% to 80% closed range, whereas Vasc-Alert flags patients as being at risk in the 50% to 60% occlusion range. Given that the common belief is that early detection and intervention helps to extend the life of the access, it is better to identify patients earlier than later.


Benefits to the Patient
Improved quality of life	Better functioning access, fewer disruptions
Improved dialysis adequacy and efficiency	Better functioning access = more waste product removed = better adequacy numbers
Fewer thrombotic events and thrombectomies	Catching stenosis before the access is occluded
Fewer and shorter length of hospital stays	Can schedule elective procedures proactively and reduce number of emergent access events
Reduced use and placement of temporary catheters	Treat stenosis vs. thrombosis
Fewer missed hemodialysis treatments	Fewer clotting incidents
Reduction in the number of revisions and new accesses required	Higher number of accesses saved when treated proactively vs. waiting until access thromboses
Increase in the longevity of the access	Higher number of accesses saved when treated proactively vs. waiting until access thromboses
Non-invasive	Screening method that does not require a procedure
No procedures performed during or outside of normal treatments	Benefits patients and staff, because nothing additional to do
No inconvenience or disruption of treatment for data collection	No interruption in treatment causing increased treatment time or risks associated with opening blood circuit during treatment.

Benefits to the Patient Care Team
Empowered to identify and reduce access dysfunction and failure	Able to proactively send patients before thrombosis
Fewer emergencies due to access failure and under dialysis	Better functioning accesses, fewer thromboses
Improved quality, cost and satisfaction outcomes	Delivery higher quality of care, keep revenue previously lost to thrombotic events and able to prevent clots.
Seamless delivery of optimal vascular access care	Benefits both staff and patient
Empowerment of the Nephrologist in delivering vascular access care	Objective data trending to monitor changes in access
Ease of use - sending treatment data electronically
No clinical staff involvement	No additional time/cost for clinical staff.
No procedures to perform during treatments	Time is devoted to patient care, rather than a procedure
Data collection and trending with every treatment	(Patients & Staff) Objective data used to keep access functioning
Monthly access history - access report
Lower cost than other technologies for monitoring with every treatment
Provides feedback of clinical data quality	Shows them problems in their system that they may not be aware of and makes records accurate
No staff required for data collection	Using data that is already being collected
Easiest monitoring method to initiate	No clinical education needed prior to implementation. May require some work for IT or administration.
No additional components or supplies to physically be installed in the center	No additional education, costs
Reports can be used to assist in reporting statistics to ESRD networks
Reports can be included in the access component of the monthly care plan
Available as an option in certain clinical management systems - potentially


Benefits to Clinical Administration
Increases revenue through a reduction in missed dialysis treatments
Competitive advantage that can be used to recruit patients	Shows commitment to best quality/patient care
No increase in costs for a staff member to collect data or perform a procedures

Benefits to Insurance Providers
Less costly interventions and hospitalizations due to access failure
Overall reduction in dialysis care spending
Fewer emergency room visits