Hospital Pressure UlcersPressure ulcers have been addressed by the Joint Commission, The Institute for Healthcare Improvement’s (IHI) 5 Million Lives Campaign and The Advancing Excellence in America’s Nursing Home Campaign. Although the focus for preventing and treating pressure ulcers has been on nursing homes in the past, hospitals are now charged with addressing this problem. It is hoped that cross-setting efforts between nursing homes and hospitals will not only provide an opportunity to reduce the incidence of pressure ulcers, but also reduce the costs involved. As part of the federal Deficit Reduction Act of 2005, The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) implemented a policy that beginning October 1, 2008, hospitals will no longer receive additional reimbursement to care for a patient who has acquired a pressure ulcer while under the hospital’s care.
WVMI will provide technical and educational assistance to those hospitals that agree to work on reducing pressure ulcers. This involves assistance with performing and documenting admission and daily assessments, as well as prevention and treatment interventions. Free pressure ulcer reduction tools are available to all hospitals in West Virginia. For more information on the pressure ulcer reduction project, please contact us.