NEWPORT BEACH, Calif., February 9, 2021 --- Nationally recognized wound care experts at Hoag Memorial Hospital Presbyterian
are moving to educate physicians, nursing home leaders, and others to
better recognize the risk of skin failures in chronically ill and elderly
patients, with the hope of better treating and even preventing life-threatening wounds.
The effort coincides with the 10th anniversary of the renowned specialty center and is recognized by a $1
million gift made by noted philanthropist Sue Gross in honor of her sister
and brother-in-law, Sally and Joseph Warpinski. Research out of the newly
named Sally & Joseph Warpinski Wound Healing & Hyberbaric Medicine
Center was published recently in the scientific journal,
Wounds.
Nearly 60,000 people die of complications of skin pressure injuries each
year. Understanding the underlying factors that cause skin failure is
critical to keeping patients healthy.
“For patients, bedsores and other wounds often accompany other health
complications. When healthcare providers better understand why skin breaks
down, they can greatly improve the quality of care for their patients,”
said Michael Bain, M.D., a Board-Certified Plastic surgeon with expertise
in wound care. Dr. Bain is both the Medical Director of the Center, and
the Chairman of the Department of Plastic Surgery at Hoag Hospital.
Dr. Bain said he hopes the publication of the article will help move the
medical community’s mindset from assuming that all bedsores are
preventable to understanding that certain underlying conditions –
such as diabetes and vascular problems – require physicians to incorporate
wound care in their chronically ill patients’ treatment plans.
“The need for this shift in understanding can’t be overstated.
Of the more than 5 million patients treated annually in intensive care
units in the United States, 12% to 42% will suffer from skin breakdown.
This led the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services to set a goal
in 2014 to reduce this number by 20%. Instead, that number rose by 10%,”
Dr. Bain said. “Whether this increase is due to higher awareness
or a combination of increased awareness and/or misidentification of the
primary cause of injury is still not clear.”
What is clear, Dr. Bain said, is the need for physicians in the community
to better understand how to anticipate, diagnose, and treat those wounds
that might not be preventable in the case of seriously ill patients.
“For many nursing care facilities, wounds such as bedsores often
lead to lawsuits. That is because the assumption is made that the patient
was neglected or mistreated,” he said. “While that might be
true in some cases of bedsores, it’s not true in all of them. And
better training and informed decision making can help prevent these types
of wounds from becoming life-threatening or debilitating.”
Hoag’s center has developed a national reputation for excellence
since it opened in Newport Beach and Irvine and was recently honored with
the Healogics™ Center of Distinction Award for achieving outstanding
patient outcomes for 12 consecutive months.
With a healing rate of 98%, Hoag ranks among the top 25% of more than 500
Healogics wound care centers in the nation and has patient satisfaction
scores higher than 92%.
Hoag’s median days to heal are 11 days faster than the national average,
and the experienced team at Hoag is unique in how many specialties are
included, including plastic surgeons like Dr. Bain who are experts in
wound care.
“Patients come to us from skilled rehabilitation centers, nursing
homes, and from hospitals all over the county, to get the care that they
couldn’t find anywhere else,” he said. “In fact, our
center was recently renamed in recognition of a gift by Sue Gross in honor
of her brother-in-law, Joseph Warpinski, who suffered a skin infection
so dire, doctors in his home state of Wisconsin said he only had a few
days to live.”
The Warpinskis flew to Orange County, where Joseph received lifesaving
treatment at Hoag.
“Sally and I went through quite an ordeal that went from bad to worse
until we got to Hoag and the incredible doctors, nurses, and staff at
Hoag turned it around for me,” Joseph Warpinski said. “We
don’t think wound care receives enough recognition it should deserve
as most of us don’t realize just how dire your situation can become.”
“The conversation about wound care also has to change on a national
level to give policy makers and the healthcare industry a common language
to evaluate, diagnose, and treat wounds,” Dr. Bain said. “Medicare
and insurance companies, for example, view wounds with one lens: as an
injury. As we better understand the etiology of wounds, we can greatly
improve the overall quality of care across the country and shift to a
more patient-centric approach by recognizing, treating, and preventing
skin breakdown.”
For more information about the center,
https://www.hoag.org/specialties-services/other-programs-services/wound-healing-hyperbaric-medicine/
ABOUT HOAG
Hoag is a nonprofit, regional health care delivery network in Orange County,
California, that treats more than 30,000 inpatients and 480,000 outpatients
annually. Hoag consists of two acute-care hospitals – Hoag Hospital
Newport Beach, which opened in 1952, and Hoag Hospital Irvine, which opened
in 2010 – in addition to nine health centers and 13 urgent care
centers. Hoag has invested $261 million in programs and services to support
the underserved community within the past five years, including areas
like mental health, homelessness, transportation for seniors, education,
and support for single mothers. Hoag is a designated Magnet® hospital by the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC). Hoag offers
a comprehensive blend of health care services that includes five institutes
providing specialized services in the following areas:
cancer,
heart and vascular,
neurosciences,
women’s health, and orthopedics through Hoag’s affiliate,
Hoag Orthopedic Institute, which consists of an orthopedic hospital and two ambulatory surgical centers.
In the 2020 - 2021
U.S. News & World Report Best Hospitals Rankings, Hoag is the highest ranked hospital in Orange
County and the only OC hospital ranked in the Top 10 in California. For
an unprecedented 23 years, residents of Orange County have chosen Hoag
as one of the county’s best hospitals in a local newspaper survey. Visit
www.hoag.org for more information.
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To download the official press release, please click
here.