From the Editor: Striving for Success

  Be all that you can be” … a line that usually makes us think of being in the Army, also fits perfectly with the theme of our features for this issue. As wound care providers we strive daily to make our wound clinics the best that they can be by continuously seeking ways to make them better through quality improvement programs, listening to our patients, our referring physicians, and very importantly, our staff. Honest reflection and examination of the day-to-day operations in the clinic is imperative to continuous improvement, satisfied patients, and continued trust from the referral sources in our community. My personal critical success marker for the 10 years that I have practiced in an outpatient wound clinic has always been continued growth in number of new referrals we receive each month. It has always assured me of continued confidence from our referring community physicians, as well as good will referrals from our patients to their family and friends. From a staff perspective, we set the goal of having our entire clinical staff become certified in wound care through the program of their choice, and have proudly achieved about 85% of that goal. But where we constantly struggle is in significantly reducing or eliminating our wait times, a dilemma I’ve heard from many other center managers. It’s not that any of us don’t know why it happens on any one day … the hospital admissions, the unexpected prolonged bleeding, the add-on patients who may have issues with a wrap or cast. Then add on patients who were just added to the schedule because the PCP office called with an urgency and it’s the right thing to do. For the most part our patients understand, especially when they realize that when they are in the treatment room, they are afforded the time and attention that they need from the staff and the physician or nurse practitioner without feeling rushed. But it is those rare patients who not only don’t understand, but also become angry or leave that stick out in our minds and cause us to resurrect our goal of getting rid of the wait or make them happier in the waiting room. In one of our feature articles for this issue, we are reprinting an article by Dr. Terry Treadwell, that appeared in our very first issue of Today’s Wound Clinic to help us do just that; examine our clinic operations to look for and institute opportunities for improvement.

  Our other Feature article this issue is a wonderfully comprehensive piece written by John Duffy and Trisha Carlson looking at achieving the highest standards from the clinic perspective, that of Disease Specific Certification from The Joint Commission as well as the Clinical Hyperbaric Facility Accreditation Program through the Undersea & Hyperbaric Medical Society. The feature goes into great detail as to the requirements, the process, and the costs involved to take the steps towards the certifications. Many of our readers may have already been through the certifications, but for those of us for whom it is still a goal, it will be a wonderful resource. Again, another way to let our communities know of the level of excellence that they can expect at our centers.

  Many of us know someone who has had the life changing opportunity to volunteer their wound care expertise either in an emergent and ongoing situation like Haiti after the earthquake, or in other countries in need of education and help in developing programs that they can perpetuate. Dr. Tom Serena again provides us with a wonderfully written piece not only about his own volunteer experience, but also provides guidance for those looking to create the opportunity to give in that way.

  Thank you for reading, we value your loyalty to TWC.

Dot Weir, Co-Editor of TWC, Dorothy.Weir@HCAhealthcare.com