Bladder Scanners Can Help Prevent Unnecessary Catheterizations With 75 percent of urinary tract infections at healthcare facilities tied to indwelling urinary catheters, caregivers have a real incentive to avoid catheterizations.1 Tag F315 makes it clear that indwelling catheters should be used as sparingly as possible.

The tag's goals are to ensure that2: Each resident who is incontinent of urine is identified, assessed and provided appropriate treatment and services to achieve or maintain as much normal urinary function as possible An indwelling catheter is not used unless there is valid medical justification An indwelling catheter for which continuing use is not medically justified is discontinued as soon as clinically warranted Services are provided to restore or improve normal bladder function to the extent possible after the removal of the catheter A resident, with or without a catheter, receives the appropriate care and services to prevent infections to the extent possible Bladder scanners are convenient, portable tools that help you determine a resident's particular type of incontinence and potentially avoid catheterization. These noninvasive units provide accurate bladder imaging that can help identify a resident's treatment needs. Using an ultrasound image, they automatically calculate bladder volume and determine post-void residual. These findings can help you determine whether a resident has urge or overflow incontinence, which often present with the same symptoms, and begin the proper treatment protocol. Regular measuring of bladder volume can assist you with developing a volume-based toileting schedule to save time and reduce the number of incontinent episodes. Scheduled volume measurement can also help you determine when, if ever, catheterization is needed. Professional Medical now offers the Portascan+™ bladder scanner. We invite you to contact your territory manager or give us a call at (800) 648-5190 to learn more about this valuable tool. Reference 1 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Catheter-associated Urinary Tract Infections (CAUTI). Available at: http://www.cdc.gov/HAI/ca_uti/uti.html. Accessed July 12, 2012. 2 Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. State Operations Manual. Appendix PP – Guidance to Surveyors for Long Term Care Facilities (Rev. 70, 01-07-11). Available at: http://www.cms.gov/Regulations-and-Guidance/Guidance/Manuals/downloads/ som107ap_pp_guidelines_ltcf.pdf. Accessed July 12, 2012.

Join Us for This Week's Tour of The Perfect Survey There's still time to join us for this week’s tour of Compliance Solutions: For the Perfect Survey Every Day! We offer these monthly complimentary webinars because we believe that once you see what our exclusive survey preparation site has to offer, you'll agree that you don’t need another software program or consultant telling you what you need to do to prepare for your next survey. You already know where potential problem areas lie – what you need are solutions. The webinar will take you through all of the site's offerings, including: The actual forms that surveyors use Guidance broken down by F tag and care area Exclusive tips from industry veterans Case studies to address how you would handle specific challenges in your own facility An interactive community in which you can trade suggestions and solutions with other industry experts Fresh content that is added to the site on a monthly basis, including new challenge scenarios, videos and featured survey tips

All of this and more is highlighted during our monthly webinars. To register for our July 19 webinar, which will be held from 11:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. CST, simply click on the link above.

Simple point-and-freeze operation makes the Portascan+™ the bladder scanner of choice for the busy clinical environment. The Portascan+ calculates bladder volume automatically from an ultrasound image. A built-in thermal printer provides a permanent hard copy printout of results for accurate recordkeeping and archiving. On-site demonstrations, in-servicing and maintenance are available. Additional features: Real-time ultrasound scanning and image capture Simple, intuitive software with touch-screen input 3.5-5.0 MHz abdominal probe for children and adults Automatic bladder volume calculation Touch-screen length and width calipers for kidney and other organ measurement Large database for storing images, records and reports Built-in thermal printer for immediate results Bluetooth wireless connectivity (with Portaflow™ or Bioscan™ PSAwatch™ reader) Optional USB input/output Integrated carrying handle and protective screen cover

Product pricing is only visible to registered promedsupply.com customers. If you are not yet registered, give us a call at (800) 648-5190 and our Customer Care Professionals will be happy to get you set up.