Egan: The $20,000 vacuum pump that shows why our health-care costs are so high - best at home skin care devices

Medical vacuum device-
Sorry, "Negative Pressure Wound treatment machine "-
It looks like a bunch of hard plastic and a couple of curved tubes.
It is the size of a hardcover book, hanging in a bag.
Earlier this month, amputee Paul Pelletier told me that it has magical power.
It works by sealing the wound area, packing the cavity with a special sponge and discharging the liquid into the tank.
"Negative pressure" also helps the skin to pull out and sew together correctly, reducing the risk of infection, further diabetes in the case of Pelletier-
Leading to amputation
But, imagine: it takes more than $20,000 to buy public funds, or rent nearly $90 a day, which is a very eccentric economics.
($2,700 a month, you can rent a house and a car, no) that's why it's important: more and more people are providing health care in our homes, because it's a more resilient environment, cheaper than a hospital and more portable because of the device.
Considering that the Ottawa Hospital has three campuses with 1,100 beds, our community care center receives 20,000 patients per month.
By the way, CCAC doesn't have enough so-
Called VAC units, which led the agency to tell Pelletier, 51, that he had to play 10-week limit.
It doesn't seem important that his wound hasn't healed yet.
In any case, many readers would like to know why we can't simply turn around and buy another pump well because it's $20,000 --plus.
Pelletier and I were both surprised how much the price of a little plastic, a small pump, some sensors and some pipes would be more expensive than a small car.
You can do chemo and dialysis at home now and God knows what else.
We are in trouble.
As we provide more and more care at home, with more and more portable devices, how will we be able to afford all the costs and whether there is a better way for vacuum pumps.
Our CCAC has an annual budget of $0. 24 billion, has about a dozen of these pumps and rents another 28 units at a total rent of £ 40.
This is not enough.
The center has a waiting list of 15 to 25 people who have been waiting more or less.
"We have a need for services --
Every service we have
Growing at an unprecedented rate, "said Vice President Catherine Butler.
The president of clinical care at Champlain CCAC spends about $15 million a year on medical equipment and laboratory work.
The average time to use these devices is 40 days, or a private fee of $3,600out rate.
If these numbers seem a bit off
Base, I'm right by your side: the machine will be sealed, it sucks, the biggest participant in the negative pressure market is a company called KCI, based in Texas, but there are businesses around the world.
Its technology is patented.
The protection has prevented other companies from making cheaper knockoffs.
So, essentially, CCAC is in trouble when buying or leasing a pump of $20,000.
Enter Germany in Switzerland
A multinational company known for its milk pump.
It has different methods.
Instead of making a high
$20 K horsepower machine
Parts that must be tracked, returned, then cleaned, repaired, sent again with the patient-
Why not a cheaper one-time version? The company developed two smaller "personal" models and was programmed to work for 15 or 60 days when they were thrown away.
$15-$750
The model of the day and about $1,500 60.
In theory, all of these devices do the same thing.
How a $750 one-time unit copies the work of a $20,000 reusable model is an example of Voodoo's economics that makes medical spending so difficult to understand.
"I do think there is an opportunity to reduce some of the costs of the health care system," said Steve McCormack of medule Canada.
General manager.
"I understand that the Ministry of Health and the CCAC are working to address the whole issue.
"If it's just to make the situation more complicated, CCAC from pre-
Approved supplier.
At the same time, the medelle negative pressure device is not in the device provided by the supplier.
"This is a big machine," McCormack said . ".
"But we are patient.
We think we have a good solution in terms of health.
Its economics of care and its patience.
At the same time, Pelletier is recovering well, the only part that this sagaeasy can follow.
To contact Kelly Egan, please call 613-726-
5896 or email kegan @ postmedia.