Ren Ci's tripartite collaboration with TTSH and B. Braun: Private, Public and People sectors join hands to step up on Step-down Care
August 19, 2011
19 August 2011
For Immediate Release
Private, Public and People sectors join hands to step up on Step-down Care – A First in local health scene
Singapore – In striving to bring convenient and cost-effective patient care, global healthcare company B. Braun, Ren Ci Community Hospital and Tan Tock Seng Hospital (TTSH), are working together to set up the first B. Braun Avitum Dialysis Centre (BBADC) in Singapore.
This collaboration is a significant step in demonstrating a move towards creating the Novena medical hub in the vicinity, where public and private healthcare organisations synergise expertise to provide medical treatment.
Under this unique 3Ps (Private, Public and People) partnership, TTSH will administer the medical directorship and expertise while B. Braun will provide the much-needed haemodialysis equipment and patient care in a private setting in Ren Ci Hospital.
With all these in place, the centre offers affordable, accessible and quality treatment to end-stage renal failure patients who require long-term haemodialysis. At the same time, the outpatient setting frees up the primary hospital’s resources to cater to more serious cases onsite.
“This tripartite initiative certainly enhances the seamless integrated care that we are moving towards as a healthcare provider. With the dialysis centre located within Ren Ci, it is now convenient for our doctors to refer patients with dialysis needs to receive treatment at the centre,” said Ms Loh Shu Ching, CEO of Ren Ci Hospital.
Even though BBADC is a private centre, patients are able to fund their treatments through their CPF Medical claims. BBADC also treats transient patients sponsored by charities at subsidised rates. These patients are treated for about 2 months at the centre until their application to be treated at NGO centres are approved.
Patients of TTSH and Ren Ci will be able to receive haemodialysis and rehabilitation in the comfort of a private centre without leaving the hospital.
Previously, the haemodialysis facility at TTSH was located at one of the peripheral buildings of the hospital.
With the new centre, TTSH patients, who follow up with their primary renal physicians at the hospital, can easily proceed to Ren Ci via a sheltered linkway for their haemodialysis. Here professional nurses will attend to them and they will also be reviewed by doctors who will monitor and order medical tests for them. With this arrangement, more patients will enjoy cost savings and will have more time on their hands, having to attend haemodialysis 3 times a week.
Set for growth
The centre opened its doors to 29 patients in March. Its growth has been encouraging, with an average of about 2 additional patients a month. Within 6 months, BBADC is already seeing about 50% of the maximum number of patients the centre can serve.
There are currently 13 dialysis stations with an expansion area capable of accommodating a further 5 stations. Daily, each station can run 3 shifts everyday, from Monday to Saturday. The centre is equipped with the latest dialysis technology, from treatment adequacy monitoring to the industry’s “gold standard” for reverse osmosis water treatment systems with heat disinfection, making it the preferred system by major hospitals.
Doctors and nursing staff are given the best possible support to deliver optimum dialysis service. This is achieved through a software system that uses ultraviolet light to provide real time monitoring of dialysis efficiency. With immediate feedback, the progress of treatment can be known and corrective action taken to improve the ongoing treatment. All patients’ clinical Key Performance Indicators are monitored by TTSH’s medical team. The equipment installed in the centre also undergo annual quality audits conducted by BBADC’s Nursing Director based in Europe to ensure that standards of care meet international benchmarks.
This cooperation is a significant step towards and beyond the government’s call to adopt step-down care at appropriate settings and affordable costs.
“B. Braun is very pleased to be part of this pioneering model,” said Mr CH Lam, Managing Director of B. Braun Singapore. “Together we leverage on our strengths to improve patient outcomes and access to care.”
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