Q&A with Wound Care Strategies, Inc.

Today's Wound Clinic conducted a Q&A style interview with Jeffrey Hatzfeld, Director, IT, Wound Care Strategies, Inc. Jeff discussed the role of Wound Care Strategies as a technology-based company serving the segment of wound care clinics.

Important Info:
Company Name: Wound Care Strategies, Inc.

Year the Company Was Founded: 1995

Contact Person for Sales: Cathy Thomas Hess, President and Founder

Contact (Phone and/or email): 717-541-1165,
mbhess@woundcarestrategies.com

Location (City and State): Harrisburg, PA

Website: www.woundcarestrategies.com

1) Today's Wound Clinic (TWC): What types of products does your company make or services does it provide to clinicians working in the wound care clinic setting?

Wound Care Strategies (WCS): Wound Care Strategies delivers state-of-the-art wound care process management EMR software. Along with strategies through clinical and operational training, education, mentoring, coding and service systems, auditing, compliance assistance and on-demand client support, our clients have access to the most comprehensive array of services at one location. We will assist our clients in any facet of the wound care setting they request. From new department design, development, implementation, or re-engineering an existing department, to smart department protocols, staff compliance efforts, and ancillary services to drive the wound care department's business.

2) (TWC): Describe some of your products or services.

(WCS): TriAssess® Premier Software is simply the industry's most efficient, interoperable, process management EMR solution that delivers clinical integrity not found anywhere else. Our Company is committed to transforming the wound care EMR environment by integrating cutting edge clinical intelligence and operational solutions that address process and workflow within your wound care department.

3) (TWC): Why do you consider your company a technology-based wound care company?

WCS): When WCS began its consulting practice in the early 1990's the core competency was offering clinical intelligence and best practices for skin and wound care. As technology advanced during the 1990's, Cathy had the vision to design a clinically intelligent EMR focusing on skin and wound care processes for the hospital-based wound care department. As our company helped hospitals design and develop their unique wound care department, TriAssess Premier Software was incorporated as the documentation solution available only to our client hospitals. TPS was found to be a valuable resource to augment process management and strategies for efficient and effective operations. In 2005, we began receiving calls from established wound care departments in need of an EMR. So, we expanded our model by offering TPS to those in need.

4) (TWC): How do you believe your company stands out from your competitors?

WCS): TPS delivers clinical intelligence and integrity not found anywhere else. From staff-friendly compliance and training, to the inpatient protocols, everything works together to drive our clients' outpatient business and ancillary services. TPS is simply the most comprehensive EMR available.
We have also learned from our clients that no one offers the level of one-on-one service we do because their size won't allow it. We work in small, seasoned, flexible, teams - all headed by renowned expert, Cathy Thomas Hess. Our clients have direct access to Cathy. And, most important, what our clients do not realize, and this really is of tremendous value, is that we don't just focus on wound care. If we find better clinical and operational methods or strategies anywhere within their process, we make suggestions to our clients for their consideration. You won't find the expertise and comprehensiveness of this service anywhere else.

5) (TWC): Are there any trends that you are currently watching in wound care and how will they affect how the clinician treats the patient in the future?

(WCS): Compliance, quality of care, "meaningful use", and software interoperability are the trend-setters in our industry today. TPS continues to evolve based on the government's research that states using an EMR would serve to improve patient care, increase patient safety, and simplify compliance in the US healthcare system, as well as reduce costs in the long term, minimize errors, and increases productivity and administrative efficiency. Given the fast pace of our society, and ever-changing clinical and regulatory constraints, it is practical for clinicians to use an EMR to record assessment, documentation, clinical, and financial outcome data. Data collected can then be used to advance critical pathways, improve product formularies, validate contract fees with payers, mitigate liability, and improve patient and physician satisfaction, which can increase business opportunities. We provide this platform and interoperability for our clients to meet, and exceed, these regulatory mandates through the use of TPS.

6) (TWC): What is something interesting or exciting that your company is currently working on that you would like to share with our readers?

(WCS): The most recent version of TPS is being made available as we speak. This is really exciting for the benefit of our TPS users. Our current architecture was designed with our clients' productivity in mind. Our hybrid design allows TPS users to document on a local network, while allowing coders, physician offices, and any other authorized users, the ability to see data from anywhere using a Web browser. We are able to move our data entry interface to the web as Internet Explorer has become a more reliable staple within hospitals. The security that is only now available is in line with HIPPA standards. And, greater session maintenance is possible in conjunction with software platforms. Our new version allows our clients to choose whether they would like to use TPS as a true ASP service, where we will securely store all patient data, images, and documents. Or, our client may decide they want to support the server locally as an Intranet site. Having these choices allows all of our current and future clients the ability to select the option that is right for them. We take great care in TPS working with our client's process and not having our client's process have to fit the software. If there's a solid Internet connection, the ASP model may be best suited. If the connection is unreliable, or our client wants to house their data locally, the Intranet model may be best suited. In any case, we are here with our support. So, even though we are upgrading the user interface and leveraging new technologies in the database engine and application tiers to benefit TPS users; our main code base, business rules, and proven processes remain the same.

7) (TWC): How is your company meeting the challenges that your customers are facing today?

(WCS): We are offering our clients the option of an entirely proficient Web-based process management EMR solution in TPS. With the new technologies we have tested, our clients will now have more choices and flexibility for the right system to fit their specific requirements. After all the criteria has been thoroughly examined, and only after careful consideration of their technical infrastructure, our client will decide on what is most important to them, the speed of their network or the speed of the Internet. This will be the deciding factor when choosing the platform they prefer to use. Our clients can make their decision based on their environment, their philosophies, and their culture. So, whether our client wants an Internet-based program or an Intranet (local)-based program, we have it. In either case, we are here to support them.

8) (TWC): Has your company noticed growth in numbers of would care clinics in the U.S. and if so (have you noticed any trends (ie, location, etc.) or what else are you noticing in the segment?

(WCS): Our Company has noticed a growth in coordinated wound care systems within a hospital organization. There was a time that wound care occurred in many departments throughout a hospital. Now, hospital's are streamlining best practices for skin and wound care in coordinated sites of service to serve their patient populations more efficiently. To capture the work in the wound care department, the hospital is dedicating resources to capture the work performed with an EMR, like TPS. Providing TPS with interoperability is very important today. The system needs to support HL7 compliant interfaces for patient demographic, clinical results, and billing. Our interfaces transfer information behind the scenes, without staff intervention. This eliminates redundant data entry and the chance for errors in the transcription process. Automating the flow of this information increases staff efficiency and effectiveness, improves patient safety, and reduces medical errors. It also provides timely access to the information being captured.

9) (TWC): Has your company experimented with getting your message out via social networking and can you share anything about your experience in these areas?

(WCS): We have, on separate occasions, looked into these social networking mediums. Except for socially, only a very limited of our clients reported they use these. We feel that, at this time, we better serve our community with our close ties through our direct, person-to-person, access. For newsworthy events, we distribute the highly acclaimed TPS Newswire. And, we reach out through our Web site, which has been commended, even internationally, for its educational content.

10) (TWC): Is there anything else that you would like to tell our audience about?

(WCS): What is incredible is the foresight Cathy brings to the table. Years before The Joint Commission (then JCAHO) introduced their focus on health, cost, and patient satisfaction, we had TriAssess Software. TriAssess is indicative of 3 (Tri) assessments (Assess): clinical (health), financial (cost), and functional (patient satisfaction). Today, we find that same foresight already intrinsic to TPS. The Federal government is putting in place the same framework in which TPS was built. From the government's perspective, they are planning to propose three-phase criteria for the use of an EHR that would qualify for subsidies under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. The feds intend to have specific goals in place for 2011, 2013, and 2015. For 2011 the goal is "structure", for 2013 the goal is process, and for 2015 it's outcomes. TPS is the only system built on this same framework. You will find this apparent with our seamless process management EMR software solution: TriAssess Premier Software. WCS invites, TWC readers to contact the company for demonstrations of TriAssess Premier Software or to learn more about our clinical and educational offerings.