TWC News Update

ConvaTec Expands, Opens India Facility

  Officials at ConvaTec, a New Jersey-based developer of ostomy care and advanced wound care technologies, have partnered with Narayana Hrudayalaya Hospital in India to launch an advanced wound clinic and limb-salvage center.   According to a ConvaTec press statement, the company will market and distribute a variety of medical products to hospitals and other healthcare providers — including advanced wound dressings and products for those with an ostomy following surgery for colorectal cancer or inflammatory bowel disease.   With four focus areas (ostomy care, wound therapeutics, continence and critical care, and infusion devices), ConvaTec provides manufacturing on nearly every continent and owns a production network of 12 plants in nine countries. ConvaTec’s India office in Bangalore was inaugurated by Ken Berger, CEO, in December.   The company has also set up a warehouse at Nelamangala on the outskirts of Bangalore, and expects to expand across the country, officials said.   “We are excited to begin our operations in India,” Berger said. “With a fast-moving economy, India is on the cusp of exciting times, and ConvaTec is committed to growth and a long-term presence in the country.   “We view this as an important first step in building a strong presence in an important growth market for ConvaTec,” Berger added.

Memphis Hyperbarics Earns UHMS Accreditation

  Regional Medical Center at Memphis (TN) has earned full accreditation from the Undersea and Hyperbaric Medical Society (UHMS) for its wound care center’s hyperbaric facility. The three-year accreditation comes following a survey by a UHMS team comprised of a physician, nurse, and technician that examined 25 different areas of the hyperbaric program, including compliance with state and local facility codes, adequacy of the chamber and equipment, staff training, patient safety, and quality of care.   “The accreditation is something we have worked very hard for, and we are excited to finally announce our achievement and what it means for the quality of care our patients receive,” said Bud Rannou, hyperbaric facility technician and manager of the wound center.   Future plans for the facility include upgrades to equipment, modernizing controls, training additional nurses for hyperbaric certification, improving patient experience within the chamber (which can accommodate up to 12 patients at a time), and increasing flow in the wound center, a regional referral center for wound care and hyperbaric oxygen therapy. Regional Medical Center is the 145th US facility to receive this distinction and is the only hyperbaric chamber in the area to be accredited by the UHMS, according to officials.

Ask the Board

In this exclusive column, Today’s Wound Clinic offers our readers the chance to ask industry-related questions to our expert editorial board members. This month’s question comes from Fort Worth, TX. Q: “I’ve researched Local Coverage Determinations (LCDs) trying to find the maximum number of units billable for the selective debridement add-on 97598 and have not been able to find any specifics as to how many units are billable for this Current Procedural Terminology (CPT®) code. Where will I find this information?” A: BY KATHLEEN D. SCHAUM, MS   “The information you’re seeking is not typically found in LCDs. You should look for your answer in the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ (CMS) Medically Unlikely Edits (MUEs): www.cms.gov/Medicare/Coding/NationalCorrectCodInitEd/MUE.html. Under “Related Links” you’ll find two sets of MUEs: one for practitioner services and one for facility outpatient services. MUEs are the maximum units of service that CMS would expect a qualified healthcare professional to report under most circumstances for a single beneficiary on a single date of service. Please remember four important facts when reviewing MUEs:     1) Select the appropriate set of MUEs based on whether you are a practitioner or a facility outpatient service.     2) Not all Healthcare Common Procedure Coding System and CPT codes have an MUE.     3) CMS publishes most MUE values on its website. Other MUE values are confidential and are for CMS and CMS contractor use only. NOTE: The code you referenced does not appear to have a published MUE. However, if you have received denials for multiple units of this add-on code performed during the same visit, you will have a good idea of the confidential MUE value for that particular code.     4) CMS updates MUEs on a quarterly basis. NOTE: Assign someone to review the additions, deletions, and revisions to MUEs at the beginning of each quarter (visit www.cms.gov/Medicare/Coding/NationalCorrectCodInitEd/Version_Update_Changes.html).   To obtain current coding, payment, and coverage information for qualified wound care professionals and hospital-based outpatient wound care departments, please consider attending a 2013 Wound Clinic Business seminar (www.woundclinicbusiness.com).” Kathleen D. Schaum can be reached for questions and consultations by calling 561-964-2470 or at kathleendschaum@bellsouth.net. For a full disclaimer related to the information in this column, please refer to Business Briefs on page 6.