From the Editor: Best Practices 2013

  It seems impossible to believe that within a month’s time we will once again be heading to the Symposium on Advanced Wound Care (SAWC)/Wound Healing Society (WHS) conference in beautiful Denver, CO. SAWC/WHS will bring together more than 2,000 individuals who are dedicated to the art and science of taking care of patients living with acute and chronic wounds. A high percentage of these attendees practice their art and science in an outpatient wound care center. Hence, the interest and awareness of Today’s Wound Clinic always gets a boost during the symposium.   Once again, our articles are so very fitting to the delivery of outpatient care, focusing on current issues that we all are or will be facing. As healthcare changes, so must we, and we must keep up with those changes. From the clinician’s perspective, it’s often easy to keep abreast of changes in guidelines, new products, and therapies as long as we make it our business to do so. We cannot accept that simply receiving one-time training can allow us to practice at a high level without further education. In this issue, Chris Morrison, MD, discusses recruitment of personnel, citing points to consider as we look at delivery of services in this environment and the importance of excellent screening and expectation-setting among those we hire. This applies to both the clinical and provider staff. But the requirement of continuing education, perhaps the expectation that staff should be working toward certification, can assure the potential of getting “in a rut” will be mitigated. As we move toward the day when we are all truly paid for performance, the critical importance of cutting-edge care and awareness of things like prognostic indicators will take on the importance they should.

Ensure Efficiency

  Wound care clinic managers and directors have a never-ending need to make sure all of their “ducks are in a row” with coordination of providers, documentation, coding, billing, and review of denials to assure their centers are legally and financially in compliance. As always, Kathleen Schaum, MS, provides yet another critical reminder of our responsibilities to ensure that our providers have current and properly executed enrollment with Medicare so that we are ordering, referring, and supervising for appropriate reimbursement and that all regulatory requirements are met. Further, Cathy Thomas Hess, BSN, RN, CWOCN, provides an outstanding overview of documentation requirements, outlining each section of the medical record and how each should build and paint a picture of the patient that will lead the clinical team to making the best possible decision relative to the comprehensive care of the patient from diagnostics to treatment. It makes such good sense … if we don’t build all clinical information as a platform for our care, critical issues will be missed. As we look at quality issues that have been covered in previous issues, it’s only the documentation that can aid us in monitoring whether those quality measures have been met. With all this considered, Des Bell, DPM, CWS, shares a compelling piece discussing how wound centers can make their mark in their communities beyond the work of pens, pads, and billboards through utilization of social media, volunteerism, and public involvement. Dr. Bell epitomizes this with his dedication to Save a Leg, Save a Life.

Visit Us AT SAWC

  The details outlined in this issue reflect the information needs of TWC readers. As always, we welcome your comments, suggestions, and ideas that will make TWC a continued critical resource in your wound center. If you are at SAWC, please visit the HMP Communications booth, our staff, and editorial board. –Dot Weir, RN, CWON, CWS