It is imperative that hospitals have a wound center strategy in 2016 and beyond.Hospital leaders have known for years that without a fully functioning and self-sustaining wound care program, they can be vulnerable financially. It is important to understand some of the modern risks in healthcare and how a properly managed wound center can combat them.
Ask any hospital CEO in the country and they will tell you that hospital acquired pressure ulcers (HAPUs) are a serious threat.
“Pressure Ulcers increase hospital costs significantly. In the US, pressure ulcer care is estimated to approach $11 billion (USD) annually, with a cost of between $500 (USD) and $70,000 (USD) per individual pressure ulcer,” according to the Prevention and Treatment of Pressure Ulcers: Clinical Practice Guidelines.
Great wound care programs are losing wound clinic profits because of errors in wound care billing and coding. Wound center billing and coding cannot be left up to chance.
Add to the mix RAC audits and potential lawsuits and it is enough to want to get wound center management completely off of your plate. However, traditional outpatient wound care management is not the only option.
Savvy hospitals are looking at Rightsourcing the program, which means finding a trusted partner. The right partner has a stake in your success, allowing you to maintain control while having instant access to expertise in wound care.
Creating a wound care strategy is much more than having a company manage your program.It’s a full 360 view of your wound care program, including things like educating your clinicians on a regular basis and marketing the wound center and maintaining a commitment to your hospital.
It’s deep diving beyond the buzzwords used by other companies to get you to sign a contract and finding out what makes the most sense for your health system. Great wound care is about finding partners that are passionate about healing wounds.
If you need help with your hospitals wound clinic strategy, don’t hesitate to reach out to us and find out how Wound Care Advantage can help.
