Advances in wound care
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Significance: Large variation and many controversies exist regarding the treatment of, and care for, acute wounds, especially regarding wound cleansing, pain relief, dressing choice, patient instructions, and organizational aspects. Recent Advances: A multidisciplinary team developed evidence-based guidelines for the Netherlands using the AGREE-II and GRADE instruments. ⋯ In summary, primarily closed wounds need no cleansing; acute open wounds are best cleansed with lukewarm (drinkable) water; apply the WHO pain ladder to choose analgesics against continuous wound pain; use lidocaine or prilocaine infiltration anesthesia for wound manipulations or closure; primarily closed wounds may not require coverage with a dressing; use simple dressings for open wounds; and give your patient clear instructions about how to handle the wound. Future Directions: These evidence-based guidelines on acute wound care may help achieve a more uniform policy to treat acute wounds in all settings and an improved effectiveness and quality of wound care.
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Advances in wound care · Feb 2015
Full-Thickness Thermal Injury Delays Wound Closure in a Murine Model.
Objective: The contemporary treatment of a full-thickness burn consists of early eschar excision followed by immediate closure of the open wound using autologous skin. However, most animal models study burn wound healing with the persistence of the burn eschar. Our goal is to characterize a murine model of burn eschar excision to study wound closure kinetics. ⋯ Innovation and Conclusions: We have described the kinetics of wound closure in a murine model of a full-thickness burn excision. Both contact and scald full-thickness burn resulted in significantly delayed wound closure. In addition, prolonged interval-excision of the eschar appeared to increase and prolong inflammation.
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Advances in wound care · May 2014
Visual Feedback of Continuous Bedside Pressure Mapping to Optimize Effective Patient Repositioning.
Objective: To evaluate the effectiveness of a new bedside pressure mapping technology for patient repositioning in a long-term acute care hospital. Approach: Bedside caregivers repositioned patients to the best of their abilities, using pillows and positioning aids without the visual feedback from a continuous bedside pressure mapping (CBPM) system. Once positioned, caregivers were shown the image from the CBPM system and allowed to make further adjustments to the patient position. ⋯ Overall, caregivers felt the system enabled more effective patient positioning and increased the quality of care they provided their patients. Innovation: This is the first bedside pressure mapping device to be continuously used in a clinical setting to provide caregivers and patients visual, instant feedback of pressure, thereby enhancing repositioning and offloading practices. Conclusion: With the visual feedback from the pressure mapping systems, caregivers were able to more effectively reposition patients, decreasing exposure to damaging high pressures.
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Advances in wound care · Dec 2013
Electronic Health Records, Registries, and Quality Measures: What? Why? How?
The transition from volume-based healthcare to value-based care is advancing via the reporting of quality measures, initially as a part of "pay for performance" within Medicare's Physician Quality Reporting System (PQRS) initiative. However, "value-based purchasing" requirements within the Affordable Care Act will increase the percentage of reimbursement linked to the reporting of quality measures. Currently, only five PQRS measures are relevant to wound care, and the venous ulcer care measure will be retired this year. ⋯ Wound Registry is a qualified patient registry that is available for PQRS reporting, measure testing, and future registry submission requirements. The lack of tested wound care quality measures threatens the entire wound care industry, as quality-based reimbursement is not limited to physician payment. Quality measures are an increasingly important part of many Medicare payment systems, including those for acute care hospitals, hospital-based outpatient wound care departments, and accountable care organizations.
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The first step to a successful reimbursement strategy is to ensure that your wound care product has the most appropriate Healthcare Common Procedure Coding System (HCPCS) code (or billing) for your product. The correct HCPCS code plays an essential role in patient access to new and existing technologies. When devising a strategy to obtain a HCPCS code for its product, companies must consider a number of factors as follows: (1) Has the product gone through the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regulatory process or does it need to do so? Will the FDA code designation impact which HCPCS code will be assigned to your product? (2) In what "site of service" do you intend to market your product? Where will your customers use the product? Which coding system (CPT® or HCPCS) applies to your product? (3) Does a HCPCS code for a similar product already exist? Does your product fit under the existing HCPCS code? (4) Does your product need a new HCPCS code? What is the linkage, if any, between coding, payment, and coverage for the product? Researchers and companies need to start early and place the same emphasis on a reimbursement strategy as it does on a regulatory strategy. Your reimbursement strategy staff should be involved early in the process, preferably during product research and development and clinical trial discussions.