Wound Care Certification Program
Open new opportunities, increase income and job potential by becoming a Wound Care Specialist. According to Dr. Chandan K. Sen (Human Wounds and Its Burden: An Updated Compendium of Estimates, published online 2019 Feb 13. doi: 10.1089/wound.2019.0946):
“A 2018 retrospective analysis of Medicare beneficiaries identified that ∼8.2 million people had wounds with or without infections. Medicare cost estimates for acute and chronic wound treatments ranged from $28.1 billion to $96.8 billion.”
In the same article, Dr. Chandan K. Sen also stated that: “Increasing costs of health care, an aging population, recognition of difficult-to-treat infection threats such as biofilms, and the continued threat of diabetes and obesity worldwide make chronic wounds a substantial clinical, social, and economic challenge.”
Without a doubt, the cost of wound care is starting to attract the attention of Medicare and other healthcare organizations. Timely and efficient wound care is not only an economic factor but also a quality of life issue as many wounds tend to end in amputations.
Looking at the study, “An Economic Evaluation of the Impact, Cost, and Medicare Policy Implications of Chronic Nonhealing Wounds” analyzed the Medicare 5% Limited Data Set for CY2014 to determine the cost of chronic wound care for Medicare beneficiaries in aggregate, by wound type, and by setting” it was identified that:
- Chronic nonhealing wounds impact nearly 15% of Medicare beneficiaries (8.2 million).
- A conservative estimate of the annual cost is $28 billion when the wound is the primary diagnosis on the claim. When the analysis included wounds as a secondary diagnosis, the cost for wounds is conservatively estimated at $31.7 billion.
- The highest cost estimates in regard to site of service were for hospital outpatients ($9.9*-$11.4** billion) – demonstrating a major shift in costs from hospital inpatient to outpatient settings.
- Including cost of infections, the most expensive chronic wounds were surgical wounds ($11.7* to $13** billion) and diabetic foot ulcers ($6.2* to $6.9** billion).
- On an individual wound basis, mean Medicare spending per wound was $3,415* to $3,859**. The most expensive wounds per beneficiary were arterial ulcers ($9,105* to $9,418**) followed by pressure ulcers ($3,696* to $4,436**).
- Surgical infections were the largest prevalence category (4.0%), followed by diabetic wound infections (3.4%).
* Estimates include Medicare provider payments only when a wound was the primary diagnosis on a claim.
** Estimates include the entire payment of a claim if a wound diagnosis was the primary diagnosis and also attributed partial payments, per a pre-defined methodology, when a wound was a secondary diagnosis.
COVID 19 has not made it easy and based on the lack of services and the fear of patients to seek medical care is expected to have increase the wound care estimates exponentially.
Looking at the new payment trend where Providers and organizations are assuming the risks, and the benefits, of costs of their patient care, wound care will become a necessity for all healthcare organizations.
Target Audience
This program is designed for:
- Certified Nursing Assistants (CNA)
- Nurses
- Nurse Practitioners (NP)
- Physician Assistants (PA)
- Athletic Trainers
- Physical Therapists
- Rehabilitation Professionals
- Doctors (MD/DO)
- Anyone who wants to learn more about wound care!
The Wound Care Certification Program
Developed by Dr. Yesenia Justiniano a wound care specialist and head of the wound care program at Island Doctors, a Management Service Organization in Florida. This course is intended to be a cover all for the healthcare professional. Basic topics to be covered include but is not limited to:
- Anatomy and Physiology as it pertains to wounds
- Peripheral and arterial wounds
- Wound Care Treatment Options
- Atypical Wounds
- Infection Control
The course is divided into eight segments, each segment covering a self-contained topic with an all-encompassing test after the presentations are over. Test takers must pass every section in order to receive their certificates.