by Caroline Fife, M.D. | Nov 18, 2019 | Don't Miss This
These excruciatingly painful left leg lesions began after a minor scratch five month earlier. New lesions had continued to form in response to debridements at another wound center. She had a new and rapidly enlarging anterior shin lesion on the other leg that formed...
by Caroline Fife, M.D. | Nov 15, 2019 | Don't Miss This
The photo above shows the un-encouraging 6-month course of a dehisced abdominal wound. There’s not much to show for all my hard work. Treatment with Negative Pressure Wound Therapy (NPWT) had absolutely no impact (and broke down the periwound skin), so we stopped. I...
by Caroline Fife, M.D. | Nov 13, 2019 | Miscellaneous Musings, The Patient's Voice, Undaunted Spirit Award
With her permission, I am sharing the photo of this beautiful woman who had a cardiac arrest 6 months ago in conjunction with an acute MI, went into cardioenic shock and was kept alive with the help of a left ventricular assist device. She’s got a host of underlying...
by Caroline Fife, M.D. | Nov 12, 2019 | Fight the Good Fight
Netflix has a new series called “Diagnosis.” The star is Lisa Sanders, MD, a columnist for The New York Times Magazine which publishes her column, also called “Diagnosis,” in which she presents a puzzling medical case and people from around the world help her figure...
by Caroline Fife, M.D. | Nov 11, 2019 | Health Information Technology and Wound Care, Healthcare Payment Policy
A few weeks ago we published a manuscript about the development of the Wound Healing Index for Venous Leg Ulcers (VLUs). The link is below. What is the VLU WHI? The VLU WHI makes it possible to predict at the initial visit whether a venous ulcer will heal with...
by Caroline Fife, M.D. | Nov 7, 2019 | Healthcare Payment Policy
Here’s a link to the fact sheet on the final rule – stay tuned for my interpretation of its impact on wound management practitioners. Caroline Fife, M.D.Dr. Fife is a world renowned wound care physician dedicated to improving patient outcomes through quality...
by Caroline Fife, M.D. | Nov 7, 2019 | Fight the Good Fight, Health Information Technology and Wound Care
With his permission, I’m posting this amazing photo of my friend and former patient, Kevin – whose mobility limitations do not keep him down. He’s also helping others experience the challenge and excitement of hunting, even if they hunt on wheels. You can support his...
by Caroline Fife, M.D. | Nov 5, 2019 | Healthcare Payment Policy
Here are links to information about the Medicare Physician Fee Schedule and Quality Payment Program and the Medicare Hospital Outpatient Prospective Payment System (OPPS) final rules: Medicare Hospital Outpatient Prospective Payment System: Final Rule and Fact Sheet...
by Caroline Fife, M.D. | Nov 4, 2019 | Healthcare Payment Policy
It’s finally happened. It’s no secret that many Hospital Based Outpatient Departments (HOPDs) have played fast and loose with the requirement for direct physician supervision of nearly all wound management services. At any rate, the requirement for direct physician...
by Caroline Fife, M.D. | Oct 28, 2019 | Healthcare Payment Policy
Wound Care Compare is Here. I’ve previously blogged about the exciting news that Physician Compare selected 3 USWR QCDR measures relevant to wound care to depict on Physician Compare: Adequate off loading of DFUs, Adequate Compression of VLUs and arterial screening of...
