Most frequently asked questions about “wound care centers”
1. What is a “wound care center”?
“The term “wound care center” can refer to a Hospital Outpatient Department or a freestanding wound clinic office of a Qualified Healthcare Professional” writes a panel of experts in the professional Journal called “Wounds”. (“Wound Care Centers: Critical Thinking and Treatment Strategies for Wounds” by Jean de Leon et al, October 2016). Comprehensive Healthcare Solutions has been developing outpatient wound care programs for over 20 years. Our programs are usually hospital-based, and care is facilitated by a team of providers that offer debridement services, moist dressings, cell and tissue-based products (stem cells), infection management, vascular assessment, nutrition and blood sugar optimization, offloading and compression therapy. Depending on the size of the hospital ‘service area we can also add hyperbaric medicine as an adjunct to good wound care for select conditions. Because so many wound care patients don’t heal due to underlying co-morbidities it is not uncommon for patients to require tests and procedures including surgeries. All of our programs are designed to prevent amputations in patients with Diabetic Foot Ulcers.
2. What are the challenges outpatient wound care programs face?
The above-mentioned article by Dr. Jean de Leon et al states that “ A major challenge lies in meeting new OPPS regulations (Outpatient Payment System by CMS) that demand an experienced wound center management team to manage documentation, processing, training, regulations, financial review – all while reducing expenses.” When Comprehensive develops a new wound program, we ensure that the team receives on-site education not only in wound care and advanced methodologies but also in billing and coding. Often, we are hired to replace a wound management company that offered turn-key services or to transition a Physical Therapy or Nursing approach to a provider-based approach. We assist the hospital with that transition and teach the team everything they need to know to self-manage with our consultation services. We audit charts, we offer clinical and billing/coding guidance and we constantly educate the team based on their specific outcomes. Consultation services cost a fraction of the management service model thus automatically reducing expenses.
3. What is the difference between a “wound care center” and a wound care service line?
Comprehensive Healthcare Solutions has always developed wound care service lines. A wound care service line acts more like a cardiac or cancer care service line. Inpatient, outpatient and tertiary services are connected, silos are removed, patients move through the system of care supported by the same team and everyone is focused on the same outcomes. The wound program becomes “the hub” and cares as much about reducing the inpatient Length of Stay and decreasing 30-day re-admissions to the hospital or the ED as the discharge planners.
4. What services will I miss by having a Wound Care Consulting Company rather than a Wound Management Company?
None! The only difference is that you employ and supervise your own staff. In fact, a case can be made for partnering with a Wound Care Consultant Company because they are invested in teaching you how to run the program and mimic what the management company would have done for a lesser price. Quality is measured by our success in beating the national benchmark by 20 healing days and our hyperbaric programs are accredited by the Undersea and Hyperbaric Medical Society!
Comprehensive uses validated Clinical Practice Guidelines to help you standardize care and improve outcomes.
We customize your EMR to optimize documentation or help you get a wound care specific EMR
We teach your medical team everything they need to know to be successful in healing complex wounds
We guide your supply chain management process to help reduce expenses.
We teach you how to promote growth and develop a strategic plan
We audit your charts and educate the team based on our findings.
We train your team of hyperbaric staff and teach them how to be UHMS survey-ready from day one exceeding NFPA and TJC standards.
Comprehensive Healthcare Solutions lives up to its name! We ARE comprehensive in every way!
