For Immediate Release
International Wound Care Experts, Medline Announce Pressure Ulcer Prevention Consensus Paper
International Expert Wound Care Advisory Panel reacts to CMS final rule
Thursday, May 15, 2008 —
Medline Industries, Inc. and the International Expert Wound Care Advisory Panel announce the panel's first-of-its-kind consensus paper, "New Opportunities to Improve Pressure Ulcer Prevention and Treatment: Implications of the CMS Inpatient Hospital Care Present on Admission (POA) Indicators/Hospital-Acquired Conditions (HAC) Policy."
Beginning October 1, 2008, hospitals will not receive additional reimbursement to care for patients who have acquired pressure ulcers while under hospital care. This is one component of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services' (CMS) new policy of not reimbursing at a higher diagnostic category for eight adverse events that have been identified by the CMS as preventable. It was concern over the new policy's impact on pressure ulcer care that prompted Medline to gather eight wound care thought leaders together to identify strategies for improving pressure ulcer prevention and care.
Pressure ulcers are an enormous concern to the healthcare industry. In FY2007, CMS reported 257,412 cases of preventable pressure ulcers as a secondary diagnosis. The average cost per case in which pressure ulcers were listed as a secondary diagnosis is estimated to be $43,180 per hospital stay. In addition, it is estimated that 60,000 patients die each year as a result of pressure ulcer complications.
The International Expert Wound Care Advisory Panel consensus paper aims to help facilities put the new CMS policy into perspective and understand the actions that need to be taken to be ready for the new policy. It outlines four preventive strategies and two behavioral challenges facilities might face in strengthening their pressure ulcer prevention measures.
Additionally, the International Expert Wound Care Advisory Panel calls for professionals from all arms of health care to band together with the common goal of reducing the incidence of preventable pressure ulcers. As the paper concludes, "We must not forget that interprofessional collaboration right now is not just a professional nicety – at this point, it is a matter of economic survival."
The consensus paper was supported by a grant from Medline. To download a copy of the consensus paper, go to www.medline.com.
Members of the International Expert Wound Care Advisory Panel:
David G. Armstrong, DPM, PhD
William M. Scholl College of Podiatric Medicine at Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science, North Chicago, Ill.
Elizabeth A. Ayello, PhD, RN, ACNS-BC, FAPWCA, FAAN
World Union of Wound Healing Societies 2008 co-chair/Excelsior College faculty, New York, N.Y.
Kathleen Leask Capitulo, DNSC, RN, FAAN
North Shore University Hospital, Manhasset, N.Y.; Associate Professor, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio; Professor, Wenzhou Medical College, Wenzhou, China; Robert Wood Johnson Executive Nurse Fellow
Evonne Fowler, RN, CNS, CWON
San Gorgino Memorial Hospital, Banning, Calif.
Diane L. Krasner, PhD, RN, CWCN, CWS, BCLNC, FAAN
Rest Haven – York, Pa.
Jeffrey M. Levine, MD
Senior Health Consulting, New York, N.Y.
R. Gary Sibbald, BSc, MD, FRCPC (Med) (Derm), MEd
Wound Healing Clinic, Women's College Hospital, Toronto, Canada
Adrianne P.S. Smith, MD
Diversified Clinical Services, The Woodlands, Texas
About Medline
Medline, the nation's largest privately held manufacturer and distributor of healthcare products, manufactures and distributes more than 100,000 products to hospitals, extended care facilities, surgery centers, home care dealers and agencies and other markets. Headquartered in Mundelein, IL, Medline has more than 800 dedicated sales representatives nationwide to support its broad product line and cost management services.
Over the past five years, Medline has been the fastest growing distributor of medical and surgical supplies in the U.S., serving as the primary distributor to over 250 major hospitals and health care systems. As a leading distributor, Medline offers a comprehensive array of consulting and management services encompassing the supply chain and logistics, utilization and standardization, business tools and enhanced reporting capabilities, and on-staff clinicians.
Medline has a growing network of 34 distribution centers around the country, as well as an expanding, dedicated transportation fleet with over 160 vehicles in a variety of sizes to fit customers' specific delivery needs. The fleet is equipped with the latest navigation devices for enhanced order tracking and communication.