SAVANNAH, Ga., Oct. 30, 2018 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- Corstrata, a provider of digital healthcare IT solutions and services for wound prevention and care management, announced today the results of the recently completed, Post-Acute Wound Care Challenge Survey. The survey was directed to U.S.-based home health agencies (HHAs) and hospice organizations and sought to gather industry-wide input on the state of the current challenges HHAs and hospice organizations face in providing value-based care for the growing wound patient population.
Like other areas of healthcare, HHAs and hospice organizations have also historically had difficulties with hiring and retaining board-certified wound cares nurses. While nearly 80% of the 124 survey respondents believe their organization is properly staffed to handle wound care patients, 46% of CNOs/VPs Nursing/Directors of Nursing indicate their organizations do not have access to a board-certified wound care nurse. Collectively, 32% of all respondents indicate they do not have access to a board-certified wound care nurse with another 12% of respondents indicating they only have access to a part-time/contract board-certified wound care nurse.
In addition, when HHA and hospice representatives were asked to describe how their current wound care staffing model impacts their business, 9% indicate they are missing out on patients due to lack of adequate wound care staff or wound knowledge; 37% say their in-home nursing visits are high with wound patients, and 29% have low or no financial margins on wound care patients.
However, another key finding is indicative of a growing desire to change how HHAs and hospice organizations address the needs of its wound care patients. 55% of HHAs and hospice organizations believe they would benefit from increased access to board-certified wound care nurses using virtual visit technologies.
With more than a third of home health patients requiring wound treatment and only one wound nurse in the U.S. per 500 patients, there remains a disconnect between actual wound care staffing models and a perceived reality as evidenced by the survey responses. The resulting implications is an industry in the throes of transition.
"Home health agencies and hospice care organizations have continually faced a number of challenges in addressing wound patient needs. Nationwide nursing shortages, lack of internal wound expertise, high patient-caregiver ratios, and the high cost to hire/retain WOCN staff, all make it difficult for agencies to cost-effectively service wound patients while also protecting performance metrics and profits," commented Katherine Piette, CEO and Co-Founder, Corstrata. "However, what we are seeing now with the increasing pressures to achieve high quality scores in order to gain referrals for value-based care reimbursement contracts is the beginning of a shift toward more openly embracing digital health options to address the growing wound patient population, including access to a virtual board-certified wound care nurse."
Download the "Post-Acute Wound Care Challenges Survey Report," to view the complete survey results and recommendations.
ABOUT CORSTRATA
Corstrata was founded by two passionate healthcare experts, Katherine Piette and Joseph Ebberwein, with the goal of improving access to technology-enabled, evidence-based care for patients with chronic wounds, which currently costs the U.S. $33B annually. Home health agencies, hospices, rehab hospitals, self-funded employers, clinically integrated networks, and third-party payers (Medicare Advantage, Medicaid MCOs) benefit from Corstrata's unique combination of clinical expertise, digital technologies and telemedicine to provide expert recommendations to improve care for wound patients. The company delivers a Comprehensive Wound Care Management Program, Wound Patient Consultations, and specific services such as wound program assessment, formulary design, treatment guidelines assessment, wound documentation review, and education. Wound program development is available for Pressure Injury (Ulcer) Prevention and Management, Diabetic Foot Ulcer Prevention and Management, Ostomy Care and Management, and Palliative Wound Management. For more information about Corstrata, visit http://www.corstrata.com.
SOURCE Corstrata
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