by Caroline Fife, M.D. | Oct 15, 2015 | Cassandra Chronicles: Regulatory and Coverage Policy, Miscellaneous Musings, Pressure Cooker: Rethinking Pressure Ulcers, US Wound Registry
Today I got an in-service on a new product and my Program Director informed me that since we were moving to a new system for ordering supplies and charging them, it was about to become darn near impossible to get new products. I remember back in the early 1990’s I...
by Caroline Fife, M.D. | Sep 30, 2015 | Fight the Good Fight, Health Information Technology and Wound Care
I never get tired of seeing the before and after of a total contact cast change. This ulcer started out much larger but this is just the change with one week. She was healed the next week. Caroline Fife, MD I’ve got a NEW Facebook Page – be sure to follow me there...
by Caroline Fife, M.D. | Sep 22, 2015 | Fight the Good Fight, Health Information Technology and Wound Care
Yesterday I posted some of the reasons for denial of HBOT under prior authorization. I thought I’d point out something that should be obvious but might not be. It appears that HBOT is being denied for DFUs unless—at a bare minimum: Hemoglobin A1C is being checked and...
by Caroline Fife, M.D. | Aug 10, 2015 | Cassandra Chronicles: Regulatory and Coverage Policy, Pressure Cooker: Rethinking Pressure Ulcers, Quality Payment Program, US Wound Registry
I have big news. The Undersea and Hyperbaric Medical Society (UHMS) has partnered with the US Wound Registry (USWR) to sponsor The Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy Registry (HBOTR). Submitting data to this registry will satisfy the requirement of a specialty registry...
by Caroline Fife, M.D. | Aug 6, 2015 | Cassandra Chronicles: Regulatory and Coverage Policy, Miscellaneous Musings, Pressure Cooker: Rethinking Pressure Ulcers, US Wound Registry
I have been thinking a lot about whether we have or haven’t improved how we keep patient health records. Here’s a record from the 1800’s when the primary purpose of the record was to remind the doctor what the patient had complained about and what he had done about...
by Caroline Fife, M.D. | Aug 5, 2015 | Fight the Good Fight, Health Information Technology and Wound Care
This is the axillae of a woman who had breast cancer a year ago and underwent radiation to the axillae after a lymph node biopsy. She developed a seroma which was drained and then became infected. She has a large wound about the size of an orange that you can’t see...
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 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...
