Wound care is a critical component of patient care, but it can also be challenging and costly. Patients with chronic wounds need specialized care, which can strain already-limited resources. Traditional, more subjective forms of wound assessment can produce even more challenges.
At Joerns, we understand the importance of advanced wound care management in post-acute care. As an innovative and results-driven provider, we are committed to giving our clients the most up-to-date wound care solutions and teaching them how these can add value to their operations.
In wound care management, few innovations are as impactful as remote wound assessment technology.
In a moment, we’ll discuss the benefits of remote wound assessment in long-term care facilities. We’ll explore how advanced wound care technologies like these can improve wound healing outcomes, increase cost-effectiveness, attract patients, and differentiate healthcare providers from competitors — all while improving the bottom line.
The Benefits of Advanced Wound Care Management
Improved Outcomes
Wound care management technologies can profoundly improve wound healing outcomes for patients in long-term care facilities. They can help clinicians diagnose and treat wounds more effectively, leading to faster healing times and reduced rates of complications.
For instance, remote wound assessment technology lets doctors look at wounds without being in the same room as the patient. This technology uses high-quality cameras and secure communication tools to take detailed images of wounds and send them to clinicians in real time. This can make wound assessment much faster and more accurate, leading to faster diagnosis and treatment.
In addition, telemedicine technology can enable remote consultation with wound care specialists. This can help doctors determine the best way to treat complicated wounds, even in long-term care facilities where specialists aren’t always on hand. Using these remote wound care technologies, long-term care facilities can improve how well wounds heal, reduce the waste of supplies, and lower the number of complications.
Data confirms that wound care management technologies can lead to cost savings and improved patient outcomes. For instance, a study by the National Institute for Health Research found that telemedicine consultations for wound care resulted in a 21% reduction in wound size and a 13% reduction in overall healthcare costs (National Institute for Health Research, 2016). If your facility has the right tools for remote wound assessment, you can get all these benefits.
As a result, long-term care facilities can save money, improve patient outcomes, and make their staff work more efficiently while reducing their workload.
Cost-Effectiveness
In addition to improving patient outcomes, advanced wound care management technologies can also be more cost-effective in the long run. These technologies can help healthcare facilities save money and allocate resources more efficiently by reducing the need for hospital stays and other expensive treatments. Since the waste of medical supplies due to poor assessment can drive costs up, these solutions can also help.
Remote wound assessment, in particular, can lead to overall cost savings for healthcare facilities. By letting doctors look at wounds from a distance, this technology can reduce the need for expensive and time-consuming in-person visits. Also, remote wound assessment can help hospitals improve their wound care programs, making their staff more productive and setting them apart from competitors.
For example, a study published in the Journal of Wound Care found that telemedicine consultations for wound care led to a 50% reduction in nursing time and a 49% reduction in nursing visits, which saved up to 70% in costs (Cipriano et al., 2013).
Advanced wound care technologies may require an initial investment, but they can save much money in the long run. By using these technologies in their wound care programs, post-acute care facilities can improve the quality of care while keeping an eye on costs.
Increased Reimbursements
Incorporating advanced technologies into wound care management programs can help healthcare providers increase reimbursements from payers, such as Medicare and private insurance companies. These payers know that these technologies can help lower the long-term cost of care and are more and more willing to pay for them.
For example, some Medicare programs cover the cost of certain telehealth services, including remote wound assessment, for eligible beneficiaries. By offering these services, post-acute care providers can increase their revenue streams and free up resources for other aspects of their wound care programs.
As a bonus, some of these solutions are designed to easily handle the medical billing, streamlining the process and ensuring that providers receive proper reimbursement for their services.
Medicare isn’t the only insurance that covers telehealth and other advanced wound care technologies. Some private insurance companies do as well. By incorporating these technologies into their wound care programs, healthcare providers can increase reimbursements and attract more patients looking for the latest and most effective treatments.
Gain a Competitive Advantage
Wound care skilled nursing facilities can stand out from their competitors by offering the most up-to-date and effective wound care treatments. Patients are learning more about their healthcare options and taking more responsibility for them. They are also looking for providers who offer the latest technology and treatment options for themselves and their loved ones.
The Journal of Wound Care found that technologies like telemedicine and remote wound assessment can make patients happier and more loyal (Mulder et al., 2018). Patients who got care through telemedicine wound care programs were happier with the care they got and more likely to tell others about the provider.
By offering advanced wound care technologies, healthcare providers can also increase revenue by attracting more patients and generating more referrals. This can be particularly important in competitive markets where patients have many provider options.
Advanced wound care technologies not only give providers an edge in the market, but they can also help them stay on top of industry trends and regulations.
Final Thoughts
Implementing advanced wound care management can benefit post-acute care providers. These technologies can help healthcare providers meet the changing needs of the modern healthcare system by improving patient outcomes, lowering costs, increasing reimbursements, and giving them a competitive edge.
Remote wound assessment and telemedicine technologies have been shown to improve patient outcomes, lower treatment expenditures, and make patients happier. These technologies allow facilities to set themselves apart from competitors, get more patients, and generate more revenue. The long-term benefits, such as improved patient care and staff efficiency, make the initial investment worthwhile.
We encourage people in charge of wound care programs in post-acute care facilities to consider adding these technologies. It can set itself up for success in the years to come by staying ahead of the curve and offering the latest and most effective wound care treatments.
