by Caroline Fife, M.D. | Apr 19, 2023 | Fight the Good Fight
One benefit of getting older is that you feel less like you have to hide things about yourself. While I’ve never discussed it openly, I’ve also never made a secret of the fact that I had bariatric surgery nearly 20 years ago. I had been putting on weight slowly since...
by Caroline Fife, M.D. | Apr 14, 2023 | Dr. Helen Gelly, Fight the Good Fight, Healthcare Payment Policy, Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy
Recently, a clinician inquired about Medicare documentation requirements for hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT). In particular, they wanted to know once a patient has started HBOT, how often the follow up visits with the physician should be performed, and what should be...
by Caroline Fife, M.D. | Apr 14, 2023 | Fight the Good Fight
The CDC continues to warn about the increasing incidence of both active and latent tuberculosis (TB) in the U.S. population and has asked all physicians to be on the alert for cases. Since all chronic non-healing wounds are a symptom of a disease, wound practitioners...
by Caroline Fife, M.D. | Apr 11, 2023 | Fight the Good Fight
I’ve struggled with my weight all my life. I don’t need an alarm clock because my stomach will wake me up for breakfast. It infuriates me when skinny friends tell me that they “forgot to eat.” I have always suspected that anyone who forgets to eat has some kind of...
by Caroline Fife, M.D. | Mar 24, 2023 | Fight the Good Fight, Healthcare Payment Policy
It’s a poorly kept secret that audits of wound care services rendered under the Medicare fee-for-service payment system are so pervasive that I don’t know anyone who is NOT in an audit of some kind. The entire alphabet soup of auditing bodies are at work: TPE,...
by Caroline Fife, M.D. | Mar 23, 2023 | Fight the Good Fight
I am old enough to remember the days of thick paper charts stacked in the hospital medical records department. The medical records department was usually in the basement or some dark corner of the hospital, but would always have plates of cookies and pots of coffee at...
by Caroline Fife, M.D. | Mar 10, 2023 | Fight the Good Fight
My friend and colleague, Dr. Mark Melin has been talking a lot about the endothelial glycocalyx (GCX) and why it matters to patients with lympho-venous disease and chronic ulceration. I’d been smiling and nodding, pretending that I understood what he was talking...
by Caroline Fife, M.D. | Feb 9, 2023 | Fight the Good Fight
https://www.hmpgloballearningnetwork.com/site/twc/home-based-wound-care-insights-challenges-and-rewards Advanced Practice nurse Laura Kaiser has just published an article in Today’s Wound Clinic entitled “Home-Based Wound Care: Insights on Challenges and Rewards.” It...
by Caroline Fife, M.D. | Feb 3, 2023 | Fight the Good Fight
Morgan McCoy is one of those patients who inspires me. She’s been courageously talking about the experience of her above knee amputation due to a necrotizing infection, and the long journey to healing and function afterwards. Here’s a link to her excellent article...
by Caroline Fife, M.D. | Feb 2, 2023 | Fight the Good Fight
Check out the handout for the Constellation webinar I recently conducted with Monica Cadwick, RN, BSN, LNCC, CPHRM – The X Factor: A Paradigm Shift in Mitigating Severe Pressure Ulcer Malpractice Claims. January 25 2023 Webinar The X Factor A Paradigm Shift in...
