The Heartland Medical Distribution wound program is easy to learn and easy to use.
The program uses three FDA approved technologies surrounded by a program of treatment that produces superior outcomes for the patient, clinic, and payer system.
Heartland Medical Distribution's wound program is an outcome based program for the clinic to use in treating their patients with chronic wounds. The program is prescribed by the doctor for each 30 day treatment period for in home treatment that is monitored by the clinic staff on a one or two week assessment schedule. As long as the patient complies with the adjunctive treatment protocols and schedule, the wound will progress to closure at a predictable rate.
The primary care provider now has a predictable program that is easy to use, easy to train, and improves outcomes for their patients while lowering the cost of treatment.
Evaluation:
The first step in the Treatment Cycle is Evaluation.
Evaluation is the gathering of pertinent data to determine a patient's current condition so as to prescribe new tests or treatment, and to review prior tests and treatment. The Heartland Medical Distribution program follows your standard clinic protocol for the evaluation of the program.
This typically consists of wound/diabetic history along with other standard questions on the intake form: other conditions, allergies, family history, medications, social history, diet and education, quality of life, etc.
Assessment:
Assessment Overview:
This component of the Heartland Medical Distribution wound program is proper assessment of the wound and its underlying conditions. Heartland Medical Distribution follows the American Diabetes Association guideline with chronic wounds.
In Patients over 55 yrs of age it is preferable to do an Ankle Brachial Index (ABI) test as a base line for treating these wounds. It has been found that as many as 34% of pressure wounds are improperly classified because of vascular causes related to the wound site.
In-Office Assessment:
After cleaning the wound and completing your normal assessment protocols, the wound should be measured for length, width, and depth using the tools provided by Heartland Medical Distribution and recorded on the wound treatment recording slip.
A digital photo should be taken with the recording slip visible in the photo of the wound. It is always helpful to record observation notes as to the look, condition, health of the wound at each session when you record the wound measurements in the patient's record and the Heartland Medical Distribution web-based wound documentation system.
In-Home Patient Assessment
The patient should follow your normal protocols for dressing changes. In addition, the patient should check the wound for any sign of infection and if noted, notify his doctor or nurse practitioner as soon as possible. In most cases the Heartland Medical Distribution wound support solution will keep the wound in good condition between clinic visits.
Treatment:
Treatment Overview:
The Heartland Medical Distribution wound program uses three scientifically proven adjunctive technologies to treat the chronic wound. By using these in the right sequence and following the treatment protocols in the Heartland Medical Distribution wound program, these wounds will heal in a natural and predictable way without harmful side effects to the patient.
Clinic Treatment:
Following your established clinic protocols, the wound should be clean and ready for dressing. Spray the clean wound with 1 to 3 pumps of the Heartland Medical Distribution Wound Support Solution. Cut the Dermafill ( xylinum cellulose) dressing to cover the wound. Wet with the Heartland Medical Distribution Wound support solution and gently apply to the wound bed. The dressing can be left in place as long as the wound remains infection free.
In-Home Treatment:
The patient will follow normal clinic recommendations for wound care and dressing changes. When a dressing is changed, the patient should spray the wound with Heartland Medical Distribution wound support solution before applying the new dressing. ( 1 to 3 pumps should be enough. )
The patient will place the Heartland Medical Distribution treatment coil over the wound outside the dressing by positioning the wound in the center of the treatment coil. The patient will then push the on/off button one time and treat the wound for 30 complete minutes. If the patient interrupts the treatment cycle, a full treatment must be started again by turning the unit off and then on once again. Please complete a full 30 minute treatment.
The second treatment should be done 10 to 12 hours later. Most patients will do one treatment in the morning and one at night to fit their daily schedule. Two treatments a day that are 12 hours apart will allow the wound to heal at the fastest rate possible.
The patient should be seen in the clinic once a week the first 30 days of treatment for wound assessment and evaluation. After the first 30 days, the patient should be seen every two weeks for wound documentation and healing assessment.
Documentation:
Documentation Overview:
One of the keys to the Heartland Medical Distribution wound program is the proper recording and documentation of the wound healing. You cannot report what you do not document and you cannot receive a documentation fee without proper reporting. The Heartland Medical Distribution documentation system is easy to use and easy to train. It provides a written as well as a photographic record of the wound healing progression to closure. The new healthcare delivery system will reward outcomes and pay for new technologies that produce improved results. The Heartland Medical Distribution wound programs benefits the clinic through better outcomes and higher pay for lowering the cost of treatment.
The tools for documentation are simple and easy to use. They are comprised of the measurement and recording slip, and the Heartland Medical Distribution Web-based Documentation and Reporting System.
Length is always measured on the vertical axis of the body. Width is always measured on the horizontal axis of the body. Depth is measured using a probe to mark the depth and then measured by the ruler. All measurements are in cm and mm.
At each clinic evaluation, the wound is measured by Length x Width x Depth, and recorded on the measuring slip and in the patient record. Then a digital photo is taken of the wound with the measurement record slip next to the wound in the picture. The measurements and photo are then entered into the Heartland Medical Distribution web-based Documentation and Reporting System using the Add Measurements Form.
Reports:
Reports Overview:
Reports are the key to a successful program. They are the monitors for progression of wound healing, patient compliance, staff compliance, and reimbursement support. The Heartland Medical Distribution wound program has three types of reports:
1. Patient Report
2. Clinic Report
3. Management Report
The Patient Report documents the progression of healing for each individual wound. The report shows the dates, measurements, wound volume, and notes for each evaluation as well as the trend line for healing.
The progression of healing is graphed in two ways...
- Bar chart showing the progression of healing.
- Pie chart of % to closure.
We use these charts to give a clear picture of how the wound is healing.
The Clinic Report documents the progression of healing for all patients in that clinic. The report compares progression of healing for each 30 day period of treatment and can be reported at 30-60-90-120 days of treatment. Custom reports are available for an additional set-up charge.
The Management Team Reports document the healing rates for all clinics in the program. It is a useful tool for comparing patient and staff compliance, training effectiveness, and Pay-for-Performance improvements over treatment norms. Custom reports are available for an additional set-up charge.