by Caroline Fife, M.D. | Feb 11, 2019 | Don't Miss This, Pressure Cooker: Rethinking Pressure Ulcers
I recently saw a patient with digital ischemia who got improvement in both pain and tissue viability with transdermal oxygen from the OxyBand dressing. There are a lot of possible reasons for digital ischemia, so it’s important to know why the patient has ischemic...
by Caroline Fife, M.D. | Feb 8, 2019 | Don't Miss This, Pressure Cooker: Rethinking Pressure Ulcers
In 2016, The National Pressure Ulcer Advisory Panel (NPUAP) changed their staging system. I am not talking about changing the term “ulcer” to “injury.” I am talking about changing the definitions of stages 2, 3 and 4. This is a big deal, and...
by Caroline Fife, M.D. | Jan 28, 2019 | Fight the Good Fight, Health Information Technology and Wound Care, Pressure Cooker: Rethinking Pressure Ulcers
Since the pressure ulcer staging system is based on the tissue you can visualize, we get caught up in a bizarre logic. It ought to be possible to describe the steps a wound goes through to get to a stage 4 pressure ulcer. But you can’t, because an ulcer doesn’t become...
by Caroline Fife, M.D. | Aug 14, 2018 | Cassandra Chronicles: Regulatory and Coverage Policy, Pressure Cooker: Rethinking Pressure Ulcers, US Wound Registry
The White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB) spent 6 months reviewing a proposed rule to ease Medicare-participation requirements called, “Regulatory Provisions to Promote Program Efficiency, Transparency and Burden Reduction.” CMS has promised to “reform...
by Caroline Fife, M.D. | Jun 7, 2018 | Fight the Good Fight, Health Information Technology and Wound Care, Pressure Cooker: Rethinking Pressure Ulcers
Check out another “Can We Talk” letter to the editor regarding the request that Joy Schank and I have made that NPUAP members disclose their work as expert witnesses, and that the NPUAP develop a policy pertaining to expert testimony. I think expert...
by Caroline Fife, M.D. | Feb 23, 2018 | Fight the Good Fight, Health Information Technology and Wound Care, Pressure Cooker: Rethinking Pressure Ulcers
CMS is soliciting public comments on its “Hospital Harms” Quality measures which include hypoglycemia, acute kidney injury, opioid related adverse events, and – Hospital-Acquired Pressure Injury. The call for public comment closes on March 02, 2018. CMS has contracted...
by Caroline Fife, M.D. | Feb 16, 2018 | Cassandra Chronicles: Regulatory and Coverage Policy, Pressure Cooker: Rethinking Pressure Ulcers, Quality Payment Program, US Wound Registry
Helen Gelly recently blogged about the HCC methodology that CMS uses to create risk adjustments and why it is a really big deal for wound care practitioners. Last year “Minuteman Health,” a Massachusetts based insurance company, filed a lawsuit in federal court...
by Caroline Fife, M.D. | Nov 1, 2016 | Fight the Good Fight, Health Information Technology and Wound Care, Pressure Cooker: Rethinking Pressure Ulcers
I’ve included a link to the document from the AAWC Board of Directors, offering their Position Statement on the Proposed NPUAP Pressure Ulcer Staging System. Click the logo for the attachment: Here are my other blog posts re: NPUAP on Pressure Ulcer Staging...
by Caroline Fife, M.D. | Jun 16, 2016 | Cassandra Chronicles: Regulatory and Coverage Policy, Miscellaneous Musings, Pressure Cooker: Rethinking Pressure Ulcers, US Wound Registry
A Predictive Model for Diabetic Foot Ulcer Outcome: The Wound Healing Index Caroline Fife, MD I’ve got a NEW Facebook Page – be sure to follow me there too! Twitter/CarolineFifeMD | Facebook/CarolineFifeMD | LinkedIn/CarolineFifeMD Caroline Fife, M.D.Dr. Fife is a...
by Caroline Fife, M.D. | Jun 16, 2016 | Cassandra Chronicles: Regulatory and Coverage Policy, Miscellaneous Musings, Pressure Cooker: Rethinking Pressure Ulcers, US Wound Registry
Two great articles about Pressure Ulcer Terms: OWM Guest Editorial: Changing Pressure Ulcer Terms: Consensus or Conspiracy? Wound Care Advisor: A Pressure Ulcer By Any Other Name Let me know your thoughts. Comment below or connect with me on Twitter @CarolineFifeMD ...
