Palliative Care for Non-Healing Pressure Ulcers

There is a saying that time heals all wounds, but this is not always the case for pressure ulcers. Those of us who care for patients with pressure ulcers know that some wounds will not heal, and cure becomes an unrealistic goal. Partnering with the patient and family...

Pressure Ulcer Guide Helps New Jersey Nursing Homes

In an unusual agreement between the New Jersey Hospital Association, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), and the New Jersey Department of Health, the Pocket Guide to Pressure Ulcers authored by myself and Elizabeth Ayello PhD, RN will be distributed...

New Research Sheds Light on Hospital Acquired Pressure Ulcers

A new study published in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society sheds light on hospital acquired pressure ulcers with data on epidemiology, mortality, and patient characteristics.  Its results are certain to fuel the debate on avoidability of pressure ulcers....

Pressure Ulcer Nomenclature and Documentation

Flawed and inconsistent wound documentation has serious risk-management implications.  This blog post will examine some fine points regarding pressure ulcer nomenclature and documentation. Many definitions and classification schemes for pressure ulcers were developed...

Pressure Ulcer Prevention for Patients in Wheelchairs

In most cases pressure ulcer prevention can be accomplished by risk assessment followed by common sense choices for pressure reduction.  In these days of evidence based medicine, health care providers need to listen to the evidence and implement best practices to...

Common Questions on Coding for MDS 3.0 Section M: Skin Conditions

I recently gave another training session for nursing home professionals for MDS 3.0 Section M: Skin Conditions.  In the audience were nurses, directors of nursing, administrators, MDS coordinators and a smattering of physical therapists, doctors, and social workers. ...