Dialysis unit gets a new reverse osmosis system

A new reverse osmosis system at the Commonwealth Health Center’s new hemodialysis center is now undergoing tests and will soon pave the way for the official opening of the long delayed project.

Its manufacturer, Mar Cor Purification, began the installation last Saturday and finished it in four days.

In a visit to the new facility yesterday, the company’s representatives, Chris Missinne and Curtis Short, were seen testing the equipment. It will undergo a month of test runs. The unit cost $141,413.

Missinne said the new equipment will provide a safe, reliable system that is designed to produce water that will ensure safe, high quality care for hemodialysis patients.

He said they also did a re-piping of the area using a state-of-the-art piping system that will last 20 years.

According to CHC biomedical services supervisor Tony Mafnas, the next step is to collect samples from each of the center’s dialysis stations every week for a month to test them for compliance with Food and Drugs Administration standards. Once FDA certifies the system, the hospital will then inform Medicare of the facility’s readiness for a resurvey and request for approval to operate.

Saipan Tribune learned that the water treatment system, including the reverse osmosis system, must meet FDA requirements in order to participate in the Medicare program.

The new dialysis center has a total of 38 stations. It is projected to treat 27 patients per shift each day.

Hemodialysis unit manager Karlo Reyes explained yesterday that the old dialysis unit at the hospital is already Medicare-certified. However, this certification cannot be transferred to the new dialysis facility.

Reyes is hopeful that after the test-run period, Medicare will immediately do a resurvey and approve the center’s full operation.

He said that Medicare has always checked for updates on the new dialysis center and he’s optimistic that the facility will be allowed to be fully operational before the end of the year. With the improvements made to the long-delayed project and compliance with all the standards, Reyes is optimistic that Medicare will give a favorable decision soon.

The unit manager said they are ready to open the facility with 28 nurses, one dietician, one social worker, and a part-time nephrologist. These personnel will work on three shifts everyday from 5am through 9pm.

Reyes said that a dialysis patient receives an average of four to five hours of treatment for every shift. Once fully operational, all dialysis patients being treated at the old facility will be transferred to the new center.

The dialysis center was initiated in 2004 during the Babauta administration. Its opening has been delayed for years due to the lack of Medicare certification.