Within the first three years of implementing a Wound Care Center, Fort Sanders Regional Medical Center saved nearly $165,000 in specialty bed rental costs, decreased the number of in-house acquired wounds and decreased the length of stay for Medicare wound patients by two full days.

"It’s really unbelievable,” says Laurie Acred-Natelson, R.N., Director of Medical-Surgical Nursing at Ft. Sanders. Acred-Natelson initiated the launch of the inpatient program after witnessing the dramatic success of Fort Sanders’ outpatient Wound Care Center®. A team including representatives from nursing, clinical effectiveness, infection control, materials management and the Wound Care Center established appropriate policies for inpatient wound care, and the team collaboratively outlined the coordination of inpatient and outpatient programs to provide an optimal continuum of care.

As part of the wound care continuum team, the inpatient coordinator works closely with the outpatient team to ensure a seamless flow for patients. In part, this is achieved through advanced tracking and data analysis abilities. Using reports from data tracked in the Medilink™ database, the inpatient and outpatient wound management teams are able to proactively manage the transition.

The inpatient program saw 2,995 patients in 2005 alone, and from January 2005 to June 2006, the program discharged 264 patients to the outpatient program. "We’re able to help patients move more quickly from acute care to a setting where they have more flexibility and autonomy," says Acred-Natelson.