Home Management of Wounds
Managing wounds in a home environment is a challenging endeavor. Health Care Partners (HCP) has a home-based Wound Care Program with HCP protocols.

For this reason, it is important to understand HCP’s Wound Care Program to assess if your patient will benefit from home wound care.

OUR SKILLED NURSES WILL PROVIDE YOUR PATIENTS:

• An ongoing assessment with observation of the wound and surrounding skin in relationship to healing and the patient’s general health.
• Hands-on care & dressing changes.
• Instruction & teaching to educate the patient or caregiver on unfavorable changes
  of the wound.
• Teach self care skills to effectively and safely care for wounds at home.

Health Care Partners wound care protocols meet the regulations, guidelines, and standards set forth by Medicare and other entities.

BECAUSE OF OUR HIGH STANDARDS OF CARE WE REQUIRE DRESSINGS TO BE UTILITIZED ACCORDING TO MANUFACTURERS RECOMMENDATIONS.

• HCP will change silver products every five to seven days.
• If specialty dressings are necessary and products must be ordered, HCP will substitute products until ordered supplies have arrived.
• HCP will instruct patients experiencing a high volume of drainage to change the outer dressing (ABD’s or 4x4’s) as needed.
• All wound care patients are accepted to HCP services on an individual basis.

• It is necessary to follow HCP wound care protocols or we must have specific orders regarding frequency, technique (aseptic or clean), wound location and special supplies.
• We must have an estimated end date for daily wound care.
• Medicare does not consider ointment and 4X4’s or Bandaids a skilled need. Even if the wound is in an unreachable place and the patient lives alone.

• Our skilled team will establish if the level of care ordered can be met.
• There must be a teachable person in the home to perform the wound care.
• HCP will assess the competency of the person treating the wound.
• HCP will teach and demonstrate wound care until competency is accomplished.
• HCP staff will then continue to provide several visits per week to document healing process and assess for complications.

IMPORTANT FACTS ABOUT
PATIENTS AT HOME WITH THE WOUND VAC

• Skilled nursing will teach the patient or caregiver all skills required to remove the vac & apply wet to dry dressing in the event of vac malfunction.
• HCP will typically see the patient on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday to change vac dressings and assess the progress toward wound healing.
• Our staff will check for signs of infection or deterioration and ensure all care regimens are appropriately followed.
• The patient will be given instruction on troubleshooting with the wound vac.
• If the vac becomes dislodged the patient is to remove the sponge and apply a wet dressing until the morning and at that time notify their HCP nurse.