Re: wound vac

[EGGLENNN]

In a message dated 11/18/2003 11:42:29 AM Eastern Standard Time, [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: It certainly would seem that the requirement for a DAILY skilled service is not met under these circumstances, particularly since the wound is not visible for daily assessment.  My advice in this type of situation (there are many wound care products these days that present the same issue because the dressings are not changed daily) is to contact your FI and find out what their policy is with regard to coverage involving these modern wound care products. Rena Rena,   Just as an FYI, I have skilled patients with the wound vac in place.  There are many skilled daily needs for the wound vac.  A few needs are:           monitoring the drainage in the tubing         monitoring and inspecting the dressing qshift to assure an airtight seal         assessing vital signs qshift for s/s infection         assessing the tissue around the dressing for s/s infection   That is all I can think of at the moment. Our previous FI and our current FI both state that it is a skilled need.   Glenn Gorleski (Barnes) RAC-C Case Manager, MDS Coordinator Quality Assurance Nurse