by Caroline Fife, M.D. | Aug 4, 2015 | Fight the Good Fight, Health Information Technology and Wound Care
There is a lot going on about hyperbaric oxygen therapy documentation. The start of the prior authorization demonstration program for non-emergent hyperbaric oxygen therapy was delayed a bit but is it now active in Illinois, Michigan, and New Jersey. If prior...
by Caroline Fife, M.D. | Aug 3, 2015 | Cassandra Chronicles: Regulatory and Coverage Policy, Pressure Cooker: Rethinking Pressure Ulcers, Quality Payment Program, US Wound Registry
I have previously blogged about big changes that could affect the delivery of hyperbaric oxygen therapy services. I’m keeping my eye on a House Ways & Means health subcommittee (chaired by Kevin Brady from my own district). A few days ago, the subcommittee...
by Caroline Fife, M.D. | Jul 30, 2015 | Cassandra Chronicles: Regulatory and Coverage Policy, Miscellaneous Musings, Pressure Cooker: Rethinking Pressure Ulcers, US Wound Registry
This is one of my patients who developed an abscess and wound dehiscence following an ankle reconstruction. We were worried that he might be developing osteomyelitis. He works at a plant and uses an infrared thermometer to check for hotspots in the mechanical...
by Caroline Fife, M.D. | Jul 29, 2015 | Fight the Good Fight, Health Information Technology and Wound Care
A lot of patients with chronic venous disease develop lymphedema. The “red legs” they get can be mistaken for cellulitis although they are usually the commonly seen vasodilation of blood vessels seen with lymphedema, sometimes superimposed on hemosiderin...
by Caroline Fife, M.D. | Jul 28, 2015 | Fight the Good Fight, Health Information Technology and Wound Care, US Wound Registry
Every Tuesday this month we’ve been having some straight talk about a US Wound Registry Quality Measure. I’d like to talk about the measure “Appropriate use of hyperbaric oxygen therapy for diabetic foot ulcers”. This was the first HBOT measure the USWR asked CMS to...
by Caroline Fife, M.D. | Jul 27, 2015 | Cassandra Chronicles: Regulatory and Coverage Policy, Miscellaneous Musings, Pressure Cooker: Rethinking Pressure Ulcers, US Wound Registry
Last month, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services made public more hospital and physician billing data. The 2013 data covers about 950,000 providers who received $90 billion in Medicare payments. Medicare’s highest physician payments went to hematologists and...
by Caroline Fife, M.D. | Jul 23, 2015 | Cassandra Chronicles: Regulatory and Coverage Policy, Miscellaneous Musings, Pressure Cooker: Rethinking Pressure Ulcers, US Wound Registry
They say the ancient Egyptians used honey as a dressing. Interesting that we came back around to it as an industry only to have CMS decide NOT to cover it. Caroline Fife, M.D.Dr. Fife is a world renowned wound care physician dedicated to improving patient outcomes...
by Caroline Fife, M.D. | Jul 22, 2015 | Fight the Good Fight, Health Information Technology and Wound Care
Here’s a patient I’ve talked to extensively about nutrition. In fact, that’s about the only intervention I’ve provided and she’s nearly healed her wounds. It might be time for us to think about “food as medicine”. Caroline Fife, M.D.Dr. Fife is a world renowned wound...
by Caroline Fife, M.D. | Jul 20, 2015 | Fight the Good Fight, Health Information Technology and Wound Care
Every Tuesday this month we’ve been having some straight talk about a US Wound Registry Quality Measure. In the Jan/Feb 2-13 issue of Today’s Wound Clinic, Darlene Carey discussed the results of a pilot study of 3 quality measures: 1) vascular screening of leg ulcer...
by Caroline Fife, M.D. | Jul 19, 2015 | Cassandra Chronicles: Regulatory and Coverage Policy, Pressure Cooker: Rethinking Pressure Ulcers, Quality Payment Program, US Wound Registry
More and more of my patients are on Medicare “advantage” plans. Just this week I asked one of them why she decided to take a Medicare replacement plan rather than a traditional Medicare plan. I was pretty sure I knew the answer because my husband got Medicare this...
