Navigating Reimbursement for Wound Care Dressings

May 21, 2015, 7:28 am

≫ Next: How to Ensure Your Patients Get the Wound Dressings They Need at Home

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by Samantha Kuplicki, MSN, APRN-CNS, ACNS-BC, CWS, CWCN, CFCN

It is becoming increasingly difficult to be involved in wound care at any level without having a working knowledge of the intricacies of varying policies regarding surgical dressings for wounds. Care setting, Medicare Administrative Contractor (MAC) for your geographic region and pertinent DME Local Coverage Determinations (LCD), type of dressings desired, and wound assessment are all factors that clinicians responsible for ordering supplies should be aware of. For practical purposes, we will mainly discuss Medicare as a reference for payors, as many commercial, contracted, and private payor policies are modeled after Medicare* policies.

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How to Ensure Your Patients Get the Wound Dressings They Need at Home

September 16, 2015, 7:09 am

≫ Next: How to Avoid Product Substitutions with Your DME Provider

≪ Previous: Navigating Reimbursement for Wound Care Dressings

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by Samantha Kuplicki, MSN, APRN-CNS, ACNS-BC, CWS, CWCN, CFCN

In the last installment of my blog, we discussed a brief overview of billing for wound care products and dressings (durable medical equipment or DME) in several common care settings. Let's talk about the Hospital Outpatient Department (HOPD) a little more in-depth. Again, we will use Medicare as the standard for payment policy, as many payors use them as a model for policy-making.

How to Avoid Product Substitutions with Your DME Provider

December 16, 2015, 9:53 am

≫ Next: A Case Study on the Combined Use of an Epidermal Autograft and NPWT

≪ Previous: How to Ensure Your Patients Get the Wound Dressings They Need at Home

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by Samantha Kuplicki, MSN, APRN-CNS, ACNS-BC, CWS, CWCN, CFCN

Ordering wound care dressing supplies can prove to be a frustrating task for many providers and clinicians. Unfortunately, I have encountered many health care providers that describe feelings of dread when working with their durable medical equipment (DME) counterparts.

Product substitution has been a prominent issue, especially of late with many reimbursement changes coming down the pike. This can lead to revenue loss via providing the patient with clinic supplies, and frustration for all parties involved.

A Case Study on the Combined Use of an Epidermal Autograft and NPWT

January 21, 2016, 7:41 am

≫ Next: Basic Training: Applying Negative Pressure Wound Therapy

≪ Previous: How to Avoid Product Substitutions with Your DME Provider

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This is the account of a patient case in which technology, clinician experience, and patient adherence converged to save a limb.

In August of 2013, a 59 year old female with noninsulin-dependent diabetes mellitus, severe peripheral artery disease, a history of tobacco abuse and a recent right transmetatarsal amputation (TMA) was referred to our hospital-based outpatient department by her home health nurse. Her surgery was one month prior to presentation. During her intake visit with the foot and ankle surgeon, she recounted her post-surgical instructions to include "wash incision once daily with betadine." The home health nurse had referred her back to the surgeon's office with concerns that the surgical incision was not approximating beneath the staples and wound closure strips. At that time, the surgeon removed all closure devices, leaving the wound open. He did not change the patient's care regimen.

Basic Training: Applying Negative Pressure Wound Therapy

March 23, 2016, 9:17 am

≫ Next: Tips for Negative Pressure Wound Therapy Documentation

≪ Previous: A Case Study on the Combined Use of an Epidermal Autograft and NPWT

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by Samantha Kuplicki, MSN, APRN-CNS, ACNS-BC, CWS, CWCN, CFCN

When I was just starting out in wound care, the truth was I really did not have the first clue about how to apply the NPWT dressing system. Foam, gauze, skin prep, drape, tubing, all the buttons on the unit, the different pressure settings; it was so intimidating, which was massively discouraging for me to initiate the learning process.

Tips for Negative Pressure Wound Therapy Documentation

May 19, 2016, 2:26 pm

≫ Next: How to Select the Appropriate Negative Pressure Wound Therapy Device for Your Patient

≪ Previous: Basic Training: Applying Negative Pressure Wound Therapy

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In my previous blog installment, we touched on some foundational elements of Negative Pressure Wound Therapy (NPWT). So, now that we are armed with the basics of application, we need to talk about how to document it! It would seem logical to simply 'write down what was done'. But, in learning the particulars of application, we discover the colossal importance of what may be considered minutia.

How to Select the Appropriate Negative Pressure Wound Therapy Device for Your Patient

June 30, 2016, 6:39 am

≫ Next: Classifying Skin Care Moisturizing Agents: What Does My Patient Need?

≪ Previous: Tips for Negative Pressure Wound Therapy Documentation

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by Samantha Kuplicki, MSN, APRN-CNS, ACNS-BC, CWS, CWCN, CFCN

Recently, we've reviewed application and documentation strategies for NPWT, but what about navigating the different systems currently on the market? We know all devices have the mechanism of negative pressure in common, but what other characteristics need to be considered when selecting the right device for your patient? In this installment, we will become better acquainted with the characteristics of NPWT devices and how they differ for various systems.

Classifying Skin Care Moisturizing Agents: What Does My Patient Need?

September 8, 2016, 8:17 am

≫ Next: Classification of Surgical Site Infections

≪ Previous: How to Select the Appropriate Negative Pressure Wound Therapy Device for Your Patient

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by Samantha Kuplicki, MSN, APRN-CNS, ACNS-BC, CWS, CWCN, CFCN

There are currently hundreds of skin moisturizing products on the market for clinicians to choose from. It is often difficult to wade through various brands and formulations to determine which is appropriate to treat a specific issue, and even more is involved in understanding the function of each ingredient. Protecting the body’s functional barrier is integral to staving off pathogens and defending the body from infection.

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Classification of Surgical Site Infections

December 15, 2016, 8:33 am

≫ Next: Prevention of Surgical Site Infections

≪ Previous: Classifying Skin Care Moisturizing Agents: What Does My Patient Need?

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by Samantha Kuplicki, MSN, APRN-CNS, ACNS-BC, CWS, CWCN, CFCN

Surgical site infections (SSIs) are the most common hospital-acquired infections, accounting for 20% of total documented infections each year and costing approximately $34,000 per episode. SSIs are responsible for increased readmission rates, length of stay, reoperation, patient morbidity and mortality, as well as increased overall health care costs.

Prevention of Surgical Site Infections

March 1, 2017, 2:16 pm

≫ Next: Surgical Site Infections: Current Recommendations and Guidelines

≪ Previous: Classification of Surgical Site Infections

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By Samantha Kuplicki MSN, APRN-CNS, ACNS-BC, CWS, CWCN, CFCN

Identifying the presence of Surgical Site Infections (SSIs) is an important, basic skill for the wound specialist, and even more essential is understanding how to apply evidence-based, risk-reducing interventions. SSIs are particularly problematic because of the multiple factors contributing to their development, including those that are directly patient-related (modifiable or non-modifiable), and non-patient related (facility, procedure, pre-op, intra-op, and post-op). Due to the multifaceted nature of SSIs, we must address specific issues simultaneously in order to successfully reduce the patient’s risk.

Surgical Site Infections: Current Recommendations and Guidelines

December 8, 2017, 5:51 am

≫ Next: Surgical Wound Management: Preventing SSI in Colorectal Surgery

≪ Previous: Prevention of Surgical Site Infections

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By Samantha Kuplicki MSN, APRN-CNS, ACNS-BC, CWS, CWCN, CFCN

Great news! Data suggest that surgical site infection (SSI) incidence could be halved with implementation of evidence-based interventions. So, why are interventions not ubiquitously utilized across health care institutions and SSIs not nearly eradicated?

Surgical Wound Management: Preventing SSI in Colorectal Surgery

April 18, 2018, 7:40 am

≫ Next: How to Avoid Product Substitutions with Your DME Provider

≪ Previous: Surgical Site Infections: Current Recommendations and Guidelines

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By Samantha Kuplicki MSN, MSN, APRN-CNS, AGNCS-BC, CWCN-AP, CWS, RNFA, CFCN

Surgical site infections (SSIs) are the most frequent complications in colorectal surgery procedures, with the documented incidence in literature ranging from 3% to 30%. (And, as we discussed in a previous installment, patient-specific risk factors can be the most challenging to control.) In response to these data, the American College of Surgeons and The Joint Commission’s Center for Transforming Healthcare launched a collaborative effort in 2012 to reduce colorectal SSIs.

How to Avoid Product Substitutions with Your DME Provider

December 16, 2015, 9:53 am

≫ Next: A Case Study on the Combined Use of an Epidermal Autograft and NPWT

≪ Previous: Surgical Wound Management: Preventing SSI in Colorectal Surgery

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by Samantha Kuplicki, MSN, APRN-CNS, ACNS-BC, CWS, CWCN, CFCN

Ordering wound care dressing supplies can prove to be a frustrating task for many providers and clinicians. Unfortunately, I have encountered many health care providers that describe feelings of dread when working with their durable medical equipment (DME) counterparts.

Product substitution has been a prominent issue, especially of late with many reimbursement changes coming down the pike. This can lead to revenue loss via providing the patient with clinic supplies, and frustration for all parties involved.

A Case Study on the Combined Use of an Epidermal Autograft and NPWT

January 21, 2016, 7:41 am

≫ Next: Basic Training: Applying Negative Pressure Wound Therapy

≪ Previous: How to Avoid Product Substitutions with Your DME Provider

$

0

0

This is the account of a patient case in which technology, clinician experience, and patient adherence converged to save a limb.

In August of 2013, a 59 year old female with noninsulin-dependent diabetes mellitus, severe peripheral artery disease, a history of tobacco abuse and a recent right transmetatarsal amputation (TMA) was referred to our hospital-based outpatient department by her home health nurse. Her surgery was one month prior to presentation. During her intake visit with the foot and ankle surgeon, she recounted her post-surgical instructions to include "wash incision once daily with betadine." The home health nurse had referred her back to the surgeon's office with concerns that the surgical incision was not approximating beneath the staples and wound closure strips. At that time, the surgeon removed all closure devices, leaving the wound open. He did not change the patient's care regimen.

Basic Training: Applying Negative Pressure Wound Therapy

March 23, 2016, 9:17 am

≫ Next: Tips for Negative Pressure Wound Therapy Documentation

≪ Previous: A Case Study on the Combined Use of an Epidermal Autograft and NPWT

$

0

0

by Samantha Kuplicki, MSN, APRN-CNS, ACNS-BC, CWS, CWCN, CFCN

When I was just starting out in wound care, the truth was I really did not have the first clue about how to apply the NPWT dressing system. Foam, gauze, skin prep, drape, tubing, all the buttons on the unit, the different pressure settings; it was so intimidating, which was massively discouraging for me to initiate the learning process.

---

Tips for Negative Pressure Wound Therapy Documentation

May 19, 2016, 2:26 pm

≫ Next: How to Select the Appropriate Negative Pressure Wound Therapy Device for Your Patient

≪ Previous: Basic Training: Applying Negative Pressure Wound Therapy

$

0

0

In my previous blog installment, we touched on some foundational elements of Negative Pressure Wound Therapy (NPWT). So, now that we are armed with the basics of application, we need to talk about how to document it! It would seem logical to simply 'write down what was done'. But, in learning the particulars of application, we discover the colossal importance of what may be considered minutia.

How to Select the Appropriate Negative Pressure Wound Therapy Device for Your Patient

June 30, 2016, 6:39 am

≫ Next: Classifying Skin Care Moisturizing Agents: What Does My Patient Need?

≪ Previous: Tips for Negative Pressure Wound Therapy Documentation

$

0

0

by Samantha Kuplicki, MSN, APRN-CNS, ACNS-BC, CWS, CWCN, CFCN

Recently, we've reviewed application and documentation strategies for NPWT, but what about navigating the different systems currently on the market? We know all devices have the mechanism of negative pressure in common, but what other characteristics need to be considered when selecting the right device for your patient? In this installment, we will become better acquainted with the characteristics of NPWT devices and how they differ for various systems.

Classifying Skin Care Moisturizing Agents: What Does My Patient Need?

September 8, 2016, 8:17 am

≫ Next: Classification of Surgical Site Infections

≪ Previous: How to Select the Appropriate Negative Pressure Wound Therapy Device for Your Patient

$

0

0

by Samantha Kuplicki, MSN, APRN-CNS, ACNS-BC, CWS, CWCN, CFCN

There are currently hundreds of skin moisturizing products on the market for clinicians to choose from. It is often difficult to wade through various brands and formulations to determine which is appropriate to treat a specific issue, and even more is involved in understanding the function of each ingredient. Protecting the body’s functional barrier is integral to staving off pathogens and defending the body from infection.

Classification of Surgical Site Infections

December 15, 2016, 8:33 am

≫ Next: Prevention of Surgical Site Infections

≪ Previous: Classifying Skin Care Moisturizing Agents: What Does My Patient Need?

$

0

0

by Samantha Kuplicki, MSN, APRN-CNS, ACNS-BC, CWS, CWCN, CFCN

Surgical site infections (SSIs) are the most common hospital-acquired infections, accounting for 20% of total documented infections each year and costing approximately $34,000 per episode. SSIs are responsible for increased readmission rates, length of stay, reoperation, patient morbidity and mortality, as well as increased overall health care costs.

Prevention of Surgical Site Infections

March 1, 2017, 2:16 pm

≫ Next: Surgical Site Infections: Current Recommendations and Guidelines

≪ Previous: Classification of Surgical Site Infections

$

0

0

By Samantha Kuplicki MSN, APRN-CNS, ACNS-BC, CWS, CWCN, CFCN

Identifying the presence of Surgical Site Infections (SSIs) is an important, basic skill for the wound specialist, and even more essential is understanding how to apply evidence-based, risk-reducing interventions. SSIs are particularly problematic because of the multiple factors contributing to their development, including those that are directly patient-related (modifiable or non-modifiable), and non-patient related (facility, procedure, pre-op, intra-op, and post-op). Due to the multifaceted nature of SSIs, we must address specific issues simultaneously in order to successfully reduce the patient’s risk.