External Counterpulsation Therapy continues to gain in popularity around the world because of the minimal impact on the physician and the medical practice overall. In that spirit, this section will review the impact that providing External Counterpulsation Therapy will have on your medical facility.
Physician Supervision
There is very limited involvement on the phyiscian while providing External Counterpulsation Therapy. “General Supervision” is defined as a Physician, Physician Assistant or Nurse Practicioner being immediately available in the medical suite. The supervision provided does NOT have to be the referring Pyhsican, Physician Assistant or the Nurse Practicioner but rather one that assumes the responsiblity of “General Supervision”.
Space / Facility Requirements
The space requirement to provide External Counterpulsation Therapy might vary slighly depending on the device you choose. Regardless of which device you have in your facility, it is likely that you will need to dedicate one room to deliver therapy. There are machines out that offer a convertible platform to use for other purposes besides ECP therapy but in most cases, the space allocated for ECP Therapy will likely be used for mostly for treatment.
Most devices require a room that is 8 feet X 8 feet on the small side up to 10 feet X 10 feet. Room considerations include noise, ventillation, entertainment and adequate space for a spouse to accompany the patient being treated.
All devices on the market require special electrical output specification in order to operate the ECP (or EECP) device. Most require 110v / 220v with a dedicated 20amp /30amp outlet. Although some companies promote a portable ECP unit, its is unrealistic for any real “portable” use as each room or location would need the specific electrical outlet in order to operate the device. That limits the actual portability because it is rare that any standard room or facility comes equipped with these specifications as a standard.
Staff Requirements
Staff requirements to operate this unit is often the biggest misconception of providing External Counterpulsation therapy. Although you are delivering cardiac therapy that alters the patient’s hemodynamics, you can virtually train any office personnel or Medical Assistant to operate an ECP device. The latest advancements in technology make the operation of the device safe and very simple operate and deliver effective therapy.
