From the Editor: Treating the Underinsured

  I went to a medical meeting in China in October and it was an eye-opening experience. We toured several hospitals, which serve a city of a mind boggling 30 million people in central China. The way in which modern technology meets the developing world was apparent everywhere we went. We saw both the best of modern medicine, and patients in dire need of basic care. Although we may think these challenges are unique to the developing world, I see this dichotomy every day in my own practice. On any given day I employ many advanced therapeutic modalities such as hyperbaric therapy or synthetic human skin. But the next patient I see may not have access to the most basic dressings. To care for those patients, I may need to explain how to make acetic acid at home and utilize supplies obtainable from the local farmers’ “feed store.” Dot Weir and Melodie Blakely address the important topic of treating the under insured and navigating patient assistance programs. There are many ways in which we can find help for patients if we know where to look. If you have ever been frustrated trying to find much needed help for a patient, this article is the answer.

  Kathleen Schaum keeps us up to date with her Business Briefs and how they impact the wound care clinic setting, and Tom Serena continues his insightful column on operating a successful wound clinic, gleaned from his years of directing the Serena Group.

  It is a fact that wound care is highly dependent on technology. It is a challenge to stay up to date on all the companies which provide services and which patients would best benefit from them. This issue’s online Product RoundUp will focus on compression pumps. If you are not sure about the rationale for using these devices, see our [December 2010] back issue for Laura Jacob’s wonderful article on “pneumatic medicine.” The Clinician’s Report covers HBOT manufacturing companies. If you currently practice hyperbaric medicine, or if you are considering getting a new chamber, you need to read this report, an in depth survey hyperbaric equipment and services. There is additional information about Sechrist Industries in the Industry Insider.

  The more dependent we get on technology, the more important it is for us to have standards governing our use of it. The HITECH Act, which most clinicians have heard of by now, was passed in hopes of reducing healthcare costs through the use of health information technology. What many clinicians do not know is that because it addresses the privacy and security concerns associated with the electronic transmission of health information, the HITECH Act expanded many of the provisions HIPAA. These apply to the way we manage digital photos. Fulbright and Jaworski attorney, Kevin Yankowsky, and I discuss the complexities of photographic management and storage as they relate to the HITECH Act and HIPAA.

  While I was in China I visited a busy pharmacy. It was large, spotlessly clean and full of professionally attired workers. One side looked like my local pharmacy in Houston, and the other was full of artfully displayed and fragrant smelling Chinese herbs, including antlers and birds’ nests which could be compounded into traditional Chinese medicines. It was up to the patients to decide whether they wanted to utilize Eastern or Western medicine. In the USA we face interesting decisions of our own. We continue to have access to the best of modern medicine for most of our patients, but the onus is on us to make sure we know how to use technology properly. For all aspects of technology in healthcare, we must understand the regulations, which apply. Once again, we have designed an issue of TWC to guide you through the challenges of managing a wound center. To quote Confucius, "You cannot open a book without learning something." I hope that is doubly true for TWC!

Caroline Fife, Co-Editor of TWC, cfife@intellicure.comDorothy.Weir@HCAhealthcare.com