General Interest
Charlotte Eliopoulos, Executive Director of the new AALTCN, explains the mission of the new association and discusses how regulatory compliances and the recession are effecting LTC nursing.
Ten years ago, few of us imagined that we’d be trading in our paper records for computer stations and hand-held electronic devices, and we had no clue what EMR, PHI, HIM, PPS, and all the other alphabet-soup-like labels commonly used today in reference to health care information might mean. Technological advances in health care information management have changed all our lives and brought some great rewards (along with significant pain in the process of working toward those rewards).
Clinicians have a major responsibility for assuring patient safety and quality of care when making product selections or recommending treatment options. This is particularly true for wound care. One component in this is understanding the process used by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) used to classify products. The FDA determines what testing is required for each product category; what claims can be made; the indications and contraindications for each product; and ingredients required for specific claims. Unfortunately, clinical education does not usually include a basic course in the FDA classification system and regulatory requirements.
Use this guide to complete a comprehensive assessment of the patient and the wound.
1. What type is the wound?
2. What is the location of the wound?
3. Has the etiology of the wound been determined and eliminated?
4. Has a biopsy been performed to rule out infection, inflammatory disease or cancer? ...
It’s an unfortunate fact that about 1.7 million people develop pressure ulcers each year, at a cost of between $2.2 billion and $3.6 billion¹. Whittington and Briones recently published their sixth annual prevalence and incidence surveys covering 240 acute health care organizations (HCOs), and 31,969 patients for 2004.
Prevention of wounds is the intention of every health care provider. Experts from different organizations have crafted guidelines for the prevention and treatment of wounds.
However, wounds do occur even with paramount prevention strategies in place. Clinicians must complete a comprehensive assessment of the patient and the wound.
Glenda J. Motta, RN, MPH, ET
President, GM Associates Inc.
Reimbursement refers to payment for a product, technology or service. U.S. health care insurers process billions of claims for payment each year.
Reimbursement for wound care products and technologies is complex and often confusing. When a clinician asks, “Will this new dressing, technology or service be reimbursed?” several pieces of information are required to answer the question, including the following:
The title phrase, by Edward Topsell (1), has become a cliché over the 400 years since it was written. This is no doubt because of the human tendency to spend little for prevention and a great amount on subsequent problems foreseen and unforeseen. The cliché fits no situation better than the medical world’s current approach to the management of heel pressure ulcers.
Electronic medical records have been under discussion for more than 10 years, but President Bush’s endorsement of this technology has provided an impetus for hospitals and other sites of health care delivery, physicians, and insurers to move away from paper documentation and toward electronic records.
Will the dressing you choose do the job? Use the following chart as a general guide for matching wound characteristics with an appropriate dressing type.
