Less invasive heart valve replacement procedure allows hospitals to treat more patients sooner
Overview
Open heart surgery has long been a requirement for heart valve replacement. However, the traditional surgical aortic valve replacement (SAVR) procedure can be too risky for some patients – and requires extended hospital stays and weeks of rehabilitation. Transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) has emerged as an excellent treatment choice for patients who would not be a good candidate for traditional valve replacement surgery.
In our patient-focused approach to procurement, Mohawk Medbuy (MMC) works closely with hospitals throughout Canada to drive a health care supply chain centered on the best possible patient care, experience and outcome.
Procurement Benefits
Illustration of a TAVI heart valve replacement.
St. Mary’s has seen the following benefits since implementing their TAVI program:
The Challenge
The COVID-19 pandemic led to supply chain challenges across the health care system. To ensure TAVI procedures continued to be an available option for our Member hospitals, MMC worked to negotiate direct competitive contracts outside of our usual RFP process. Because of the immense strain on the medical system at that time, hospitals required a more efficient agreement process. MMC was able to expedite contract negotiations to allow clinical flexibility in treating cardiac patients.
Cost is another constant pressure on the health care system. Although the items used for TAVI procedures are more expensive than that of traditional surgical valve replacements, when extended hospital stays and lengthy rehabilitation times associated with open-heart surgery are factored in, TAVI is a better option for patients and for the health care system.
“TAVI not only shows a significant improvement in quality-of-life post-operation, but also allows for same-day discharge, greatly improving the patient experience,” says Nancy Boucher, Sourcing Manager, MMC.
The Outcome
Mohawk Medbuy Member St. Mary’s General Hospital (SMGH) in Kitchener, Ontario worked closely with the MMC contracted supplier, which helped it follow the Edwards Benchmark program. That is a systematic, evidence-based approach to optimizing the TAVI procedure. It sets out very ambitious safety goals such as a 1% 30-day mortality rate and an 80% same or next day discharge. St. Mary’s used the Benchmark program to find more efficient and effective processes in their TAVI treatments − resulting in shorter waitlists, improved patient flow and lowered costs. After implementing the Benchmark program, the regional cardiac centre effectively doubled the number of patients it treats in a year.
“I’m so proud of the TAVI team at St. Mary’s,” said Becky Gies, Regional Cardiac Care Coordinator for SMGH’s TAVI program. “We’ve been able to expand our program as a small regional hospital – and it’s quality care.”
