Premier Awards Kimberly-Clark Agreements for KimVent Oral Care Products

Kimberly-Clark Health Care announces that it has received a new national agreement for its KimVent* Oral Care products from Premier Purchasing Partners, L.P., the group purchasing unit of Premier, Inc. Kimberly-Clark was also selected as the sole source provider of oral care products for Premier’s ASCEND™ program. ASCEND (Accelerated Supply Chain Endeavor) is designed to help healthcare providers achieve and sustain rapid improvements in supply chain performance.

With easy-to-use components, the KimVent* 24-Hour Oral Care Kits  are designed to help critical care nurses reach protocol compliance and specifically address the risk factors associated with ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP). Oral aspiration of pathogenic bacteria and contaminated secretions has been identified as a major cause of VAP.

“We are thrilled to be able to work with Premier and its members.  From a customer point of view, we have the capability to address their concerns about ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) as one company and one representative,” said David Parks, general manager, North American Medical Device business for Kimberly-Clark Health Care.

A survey by Kimberly-Clark Health Care in 2008 showed that clinicians prefer the KimVent* 24-Hour Oral Care Kit when providing oral care for ventilator-assisted patients. The survey of 354 clinicians from 27 hospitals across the country indicated that nearly nine out of 10 who used the KimVent* 24-Hour Oral Care Kit would recommend it over previously used methods for oral care. 

The KimVent* Oral Care products now feature new, smaller packages from previous design that require less space and generate less package waste.  Kimberly-Clark Health Care showcased its oral care products last week along with the Kimberly-Clark HAI Education Bus at the 2010 National Teaching Institute & Critical Care Exposition (NTI-2010). During the widely-attended gathering of the American Association of Critical Care Nurses (AACN) in Washington, D.C., Kimberly-Clark Health Care demonstrated its comprehensive commitment to arming acute care providers with the knowledge and clinical care solutions they need to protect their patients from ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) and other leading sources of healthcare-acquired infections (HAIs).