
About Dr. Fife
Dr. Fife is a world-renowned wound care physician. She is the Director of the Wound Care Center at CHI St. Luke’s The Woodlands Hospital, CMO of Intellicure, Inc., Exec. Director of the US Wound Registry & Editor of Today’s Wound Clinic.

Report Honest Healing Rates
It’s time for Wound Care physicians and providers to stand up for truly honest outcomes and transparent quality reporting. If we don’t we may see our entire profession wiped out. Click here to read more.
COVID-19 Diaries
Latest Posts
“Do It Yourself” Wound Care
I am curious if you are seeing this in your own practice? I’d love to hear more details from you.
Tales of the Medicare Disadvantaged #2
Here’s another story from Patricia Han about her Medicare “Disadvantage” plan.
Tales of the Medicare Disadvantaged #1
I thought that it would be enlightening to have someone with her credibility provide a detailed explanation of the challenges she has faced as a chronically ill person with Medicare Advantage. I am not foolish enough to think that anyone at CMS will listen, but it could serve as a warning to other patients.
Physician Fee Schedule Update
The G2211 code (the inherently complex add-on code for evaluation and management – EM) has been deferred to 2024. Instead CMS increased the RVU value to $34.8931, which is 3.75% global pay increase for physicians.
Please Don’t Shoot the COVID-19 Messenger
In the wake of Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s, COVID-19 cases are soaring most places. Texas is not unique (see graph above). In October and early November things were looking a little better and now they are bad again. I work in a hospital-based outpatient...
Waivers for the Texas Controlled Substance Electronic Prescribing Requirement
Effective January 1, 2021, Texas Health and Safety Code, §§481.0755 requires that prescriptions for controlled substances to be issued electronically unless a waiver has been granted by the appropriate agency.
New (Bad) COVID-19 Developments
Here is a new and disheartening post from Dr. Marissa Carter about the new COVID-19 variant.
Private Payer Policy Blunders: What Should We Do?
Send me your favorite payer policy blunders and I will post them.
COVID-19 Vaccination Rollout in Texas
You can tell me about your reservations to vaccines in general or the COVID-19 vaccine(s) in particular some other time. I only know I can’t practice like this much longer. It’s bad for patients and it’s terrible for my own mental health.
My Christmas Gift – The First Dose of the COVID Vaccine
Thank you CHI St Luke’s Hospital The Woodlands and the fantastic staff for a really efficient, friendly and positive experience. Let’s hope this is the turning point of the pandemic.
Hospital-Based Outpatient “Wound Centers” Must Identify the Physician Supervising Today’s Visit
It’s time to revisit the issue of the relationship of the physician to the hospital-based outpatient department (HOPD), the “site of service” for many wound care programs.
The News Keeps Getting Better: COVID-19 and Erectile Dysfunction
Maybe this problem will garner some interest for HBOT?
New Post: Pfizer’s SARS-Cov2 Vaccine – Questions & Answers
Dr. Marissa Carter has a new post about Pfizer’s mRNA COVID vaccine approval, which includes a long list of questions and answers. I have sent her my “wish list” for additional vaccine related articles!
Vitamin D Insufficiency and Death from COVID-19… And Why a Math Error Means We Don’t Take Enough Vitamin D
Wound healing isn’t the only thing that may be affected by insufficient levels of Vitamin D. Now there’s data suggesting that insufficient Vitamin D levels are a powerful contributor to death from COVID-19.
Information on the Physician Fee Schedule Final Rule
Read on for links to information regarding the Physicians Fee Schedule final rule and the Physician Fee Schedule files, along with some excerpts from the press release.
Critically Ill COVID-19 Patients Being Treated with Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy at the Southern Philippines Medical Center
The Southern Philippines Medical Center (SPMC) has started using hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) for COVID-19 patients in critical condition. Currently it is the only hospital in the Philippines using HBOT to avoid intubation in patients with severe COVID-19 pneumonia. Check out the news article here.
Dr. Carter Has a New Post on the Origins of the COVID-19 Virus
Dr. Carter has a new post on the origins of COVID-19 on her website. It’s a fascinating read.
Register for CMS Webinars on the final rules for the Quality Payment Program (Today!) and the Physician Fee Schedule
CMS is conducting Webinars on the Final Rules of the Quality Payment Program and the Physician Schedule – starting today!
Mass COVID-19 Vaccinations Begin in the United Kingdom
Today the UK started its COVID-19 vaccination program.
Hope for Atrophie Blanche with Compounded Topical Dapsone and Aspirin
Let me know if you have any secrets for the other “nemesis” conditions.
Real World or Randomized Trial Data? Which is Best to Study Effectiveness in Wound Care?
It happened again. Someone asked me if it was possible to use real world data for a comparative effectiveness study in wound care.
In the Event of a Nuclear Emergency… Check Your Lingerie?!
I don’t know about you, but I could use a laugh…
Upcoming MIPS Important Dates and Deadlines
Deadlines are approaching for Physicians to submit hardship exemption paperwork to CMS. Depending on your situation, requesting an exemption could spare you penalties under MIPS.
At Greenwich Hospital, Hyperbaric Medicine is being used for COVID-19
Check out this news article about HBOT being used to avoid intubation in severely ill COVID-19 patients at Grenwich Hospital in Connecticut.
Thankful for the COVID Vaccine Prospects
Dr. Carter has another post on her website about the outlook for a COVID-19 vaccine. I think it will give you another reason to be thankful tomorrow.
New Study Indicates that HBOT May Have Anti-aging Effects
The Sagol Center for Hyperbaric Medicine and Research, Shamir (Assaf-Harofeh) Medical Center in Israel has just published a new study indicating that hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) has “senolytic” (anti-aging) effects. The study is reported ahead of print in the journal Aging.
The Winter of Our COVID Discontent
Dr. Carter has posted a new article on her own blog about COVID-19. “Things are not looking good in regard to the COVID-19 virus. Infection rates are totally out of control…“